Tree Removal FAQ for Medina, OH

The research for this site found no Medina County program that pays to remove a tree on private property. If the tree is in the treelawn of a City of Medina street, though, it belongs to the city, and the city's Forestry Department at 330-722-9031 handles dead and hazardous street trees itself.

The International Society of Arboriculture says that, as a rule, no more than 25 percent of a tree's crown should come off at once, and less on mature trees. Young trees handle more. Removing one very large limb can leave a wound the tree can't close. See tree trimming for how pruning is done.

The City of Medina. Its Forestry Department maintains the trees in the public right of way between street and sidewalk and removes dead, diseased or hazardous ones. Call 330-722-9031 on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., or the Medina Police Department at 330-725-7777 for storm damage after hours.

Get everyone away from the damaged part of the house and stay clear of any wires, which may still be live. Call the electric utility if lines are involved, photograph the damage for your insurer, then request emergency storm tree removal so the weight comes off the roof safely.

Emerald ash borer has been confirmed in Medina County since 2006, and infested ash typically die within five years. A dead or declining ash near a house, drive, road or play area deserves a look from an arborist. Large dead branches top the ISA's tree risk checklist, and tree removal is often the answer.

Public trees in Medina, including every treelawn tree, need the City Forester's authorization, and some private trees in conservation easements or tree preservation areas are protected at 10 inches across and up. The code page reviewed for this site lists no permit for other private trees, but call the city to confirm before work starts.

Unless the quote includes grinding, the stump is cut low and left in place. Stump grinding takes it below the surface so the spot can be leveled, seeded or replanted. Ask for both on the same quote if you want the job finished in one visit.

Most contractors will cut trunk wood into rounds and leave it if you ask, and some will stack it. Say so in your request, because leaving wood instead of hauling it changes the scope of the job and therefore the quote.

Trees can come down in any season. Snow, ice and soft ground all change how equipment reaches a tree, so the contractor will tell you whether the timing matters for yours.

Ohio Edison trims around its lines on a four-year cycle and works only around the wires. It does not prune for phone or cable lines or clean up storm debris, and FirstEnergy asks people not to work on trees near power lines themselves. For branches near the service line to your house, call FirstEnergy before any trimming.

There is no single schedule. Young trees benefit from early structural pruning so they need less correction later, and the City of Medina prunes its own street trees on a five-year cycle. Mature trees are usually pruned when deadwood, clearance or storm damage calls for it.

Small branches you can reach from the ground with hand tools are a reasonable DIY job. Anything that needs a ladder and a chainsaw, hangs over a roof, or sits near a wire is where the ISA recommends someone trained and equipped to work in trees.

Sometimes. If most of the crown is intact, an arborist can remove broken limbs back to sound wood and the tree can recover. If a large share of the crown is gone or the trunk is split, removal may be the safer choice.

OHIO811 puts the legal duty on whoever is doing the digging, which for stump grinding is usually the contractor. Notice has to go in at least two working days ahead, not counting weekends and holidays, and no more than 16 calendar days before the work. Confirm the contractor has done it.

Grinding leaves a mound of chips and soil roughly where the stump was. They can be raked back into the hole, spread as mulch on beds, or hauled off. Say which you want when you request a quote so it is included.

The city's Forestry Department grinds the stumps of street trees it removes, after utilities are flagged, then backfills, seeds and often replants. For a stump in your own yard, hire a private crew through the form on this page.

Depth depends on the machine and what you plan for the spot. Planting grass over the spot needs less depth than planting a new tree there, which calls for deeper grinding and more root removal. Tell the contractor your plan.

The line comes first. FirstEnergy asks people not to work on trees near power lines, and the ISA warns that downed lines may still carry current. Call the utility; once the line is cleared or made safe, a tree crew can take care of the rest of the tree.

Coverage depends on your policy and on what the tree hit. Call your insurer before major cleanup, take photos first, and keep the contractor's written quote and invoice for the claim.

The City of Medina Forestry Department handles storm damage to its own trees in hazard order and asks residents to report damage it has not reached. During office hours call 330-722-9031; after hours, call the Medina Police Department at 330-725-7777.

Stay out from under hanging or broken limbs, keep away from any wire, and don't try to cut a trunk that is pinned or bent under load. Also be careful with people going door to door offering storm bargains; the ISA advises getting more than one estimate and everything in writing.

Selective clearing is common. Walk the lot first and tie flagging tape on every tree you want kept, then confirm the plan with the contractor in writing. Ask that equipment stay off the root zones of saved trees; the ISA lists construction damage, soil compaction and root loss among the causes of tree defects.

That depends on the city or township and on what is on the land. Floodplains, wetlands, work in a road right of way and building plans can all bring their own approvals, so call the local zoning office before a large clearing job.

Ask your local fire department whether burning is allowed at your property before counting on it. Chipping the brush and hauling the logs avoids the question entirely and leaves usable mulch.

Some contractors quote by the acre and others by the job. Density of brush, tree sizes, slope, wet ground and whether stumps are ground all change the work, so expect a site visit before a firm number.

A crane is an extra machine with its own operator, so it is part of the quote. Contractors usually suggest one when it is the safest or only practical way to get a tree down. Ask the contractor to explain why it is needed for your tree.

That depends on the crane's reach, the weight of the pieces and where it can set up. Many back yard trees can be reached from the driveway or street over the house. The contractor checks the distance and weights on the site visit.

A crane can take a storm-felled tree's weight off a roof in a controlled lift instead of in pieces that might drop onto it, when the contractor judges that safest. See emergency storm tree removal for what to do first.