Who does tree work
A few kinds of businesses take on trees around Monroe. Tree service companies handle big removals and pruning, sending climbers up or using bucket trucks and now and then a crane, and most of them also grind stumps and cart off the wood. Some firms center on pruning and tree health more than removals. Lawn and landscape companies often trim small ornamental trees as part of yard care. And some outfits do nothing but grind stumps.
Fit the company to the job. Taking a 70-foot pine off the back of the house is different work from shaping a young maple or grinding one small stump.
What the job involves
A removal starts with a look at the tree, the things beneath it and the open ground where wood can come down safely. Then comes the method: drop it whole, take it apart from the top, or lift it out with a crane. The brush is chipped, the trunk is cut up and hauled or left as firewood, and the stump is ground or left. On a trim, the cuts should follow good practice: NC State Extension calls topping an inappropriate practice and recommends taking no more than a third of the crown in a year. See tree removal and tree trimming.
Local rules that affect the job
| Rule | What it means | Call |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor debris | Monroe doesn't collect trees, limbs or brush cut by commercial tree trimmers | Solid Waste, (704) 282-4565 |
| Open burning | Prohibited in the city under ordinance O-2003-35 | Monroe Fire, (704) 282-4726 |
| Burning outside town | Forest Service permit near woods, midnight to 4 p.m. | NCFS Union County, (704) 233-1437 |
| Power lines | The utility handles limbs on or near its lines | Monroe Energy Services, (704) 282-4600 |
| Grinding and digging | Three full working days' notice to NC 811 | 811 |
| Trees by the street | Ask before cutting anything that may be on right-of-way | Community Maintenance, (704) 282-5770 |
Questions to ask a contractor
- What name, street address and phone number will be printed on the contract?
- Which method will you use, and where is each piece of the tree going to land?
- What will you do to protect the roof, deck, fence, driveway and lawn?
- Are any limbs near a power line, and who will call the utility?
- Will everything be hauled away? What about the logs and the chips?
- Will the stump be ground, how deep, and who places the NC 811 request?
- For trimming: what exactly will you cut, and how much of the crown is that?
- Can I talk to a few people you've worked for nearby?
- How much do you need before work starts, and what triggers the rest?
- When can you start, and how long will the crew be here?
What the written contract should show
A good contract names the contractor with address and phone, lists each tree by location and kind, and spells out the work: the removal method, any pruning, stump grinding and its depth, and cleanup, including what leaves the property. It should say who contacts the utility if lines are involved and who places the 811 request. It should also give a start date, the full price, the deposit if there is one, and the point at which the remainder is owed. For storm work, include what is resting where and how the crew plans to lift it off.
Cautions after a storm
After a big storm, offers to clear fallen trees can show up at the door soon after. North Carolina officials have the same advice each time.
- Be wary of door-to-door offers. After Hurricane Dorian in 2019, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey warned residents to beware of contractor representatives going door to door after a disaster.
- Don't pay in full up front. Causey advised never paying a contractor in full, or signing a completion certificate, until the work is done. The Department of Insurance's storm guidance adds: don't pay cash for repairs, and keep every record and proof of payment.
- Don't be rushed. After a 2014 winter storm, then-Attorney General Roy Cooper told people hiring tree removal not to pay up front and not to let anyone rush them.
- Talk to your insurer first. Causey also advised calling your insurance agent or company before signing a contract or paying for repairs. The Department of Insurance: (855) 408-1212.
- Report gouging. During a declared state of emergency, North Carolina's price gouging law applies. Complaints go to the Attorney General at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.
What goes wrong when hiring
- No plan for the wood. The city won't pick up what a contractor cuts. If hauling isn't in writing, the pile may stay yours.
- A vague price. Without a written scope, stump work and cleanup are open to argument.
- Paying everything before a saw starts. The insurance commissioner and attorney general have both advised against it after storms.
- A trim that's really a topping. It weakens the tree, by NC State's account.
- Nobody called about the wires. Limbs near a line belong to the utility first.
Who this guide isn't for
If you're clearing a wooded lot to build, that's land clearing, a different job with its own rules. If the question is about a neighbor's tree, start with your neighbor and, if it already fell on your house, your insurer. If you need legal advice about a dispute, this site is no substitute for a lawyer.
Questions homeowners ask
Is a landscaper enough, or do I need a tree service?
A landscape company may handle small trees that can be pruned from the ground. Large trees, trees that hang over the roof and anything close to a line call for a tree service. Ask the same questions of either one.
Who hauls the brush?
The contractor, if you're in Monroe and they cut it, because the city's yard-waste pickup excludes contractor-cut trees and brush. Make sure the price says so.
What deposit is reasonable?
Settle the amount in the written contract, and say there what work has to be finished before the rest is paid. State officials advise against paying in full before the work is done.
If I send a request here, whose crew shows up?
An independent local contractor's. The site just forwards your request to that one contractor; it has no crew of its own.
This is a referral site: your request goes to one independent contractor near Monroe, and the site does no tree work.
- City of Monroe, Yard Waste page; Open Burning Rules (ordinance O-2003-35); Energy Services FAQ; Community Maintenance page. N.C. Forest Service, Open Burning Permits; Union County office contacts.
- NC State Extension, General Pruning Techniques (AG-780-03). North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives, Call Before You Dig (August 2023).
- N.C. Department of Insurance, Hurricane Dorian advice as reported by Insurance Journal (September 6, 2019); storm claim guidance.
- N.C. Attorney General, winter storm tree removal advice as reported by WSOC (February 14, 2014); price gouging release (February 18, 2025).