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Travis County

Tree service in Austin, Texas

Arborists working Hyde Park, Tarrytown, Travis Heights and every neighbourhood in between. Everything scoped in writing, full cleanup, no travel surcharge.

From our yard
Based in Austin
Emergency response
Under 2 hours for emergencies
Zip codes
78701, 78704, 78745, 78749

Austin is a city that grew up inside a live oak forest, and it shows. Neighbourhoods like Hyde Park, Travis Heights and Tarrytown have canopy that predates the houses under it, and much of that canopy is now old enough to need real structural attention rather than a trim.

Two things make Austin tree work distinctive. The first is oak wilt, which has moved through parts of West Austin and the Northwest Hills steadily for decades and dictates a strict pruning calendar. The second is the City of Austin tree ordinance, which is one of the more protective in Texas: trees at 19 inches diameter are protected, and Heritage trees at 24 inches and above require a full permit process to touch.

The yard is in South Austin, which puts crews inside the loop quickly. For emergency calls we reach most Austin addresses within two hours, and scheduled work is generally booked five to eight business days out.

What is different about Austin trees

Oak wilt pressure is real here
West Austin, Northwest Hills and Rollingwood have active oak wilt centres. Never prune an oak in Austin between February and June unless it is a safety emergency, and paint every wound immediately if you must.
Protected and Heritage trees
The City protects trees at 19 inches diameter and designates Heritage trees at 24 inches for live oak, pecan, bald cypress and several others. Removal without a permit carries substantial fines. We measure and file for you.
Thin soil over limestone
West of Mopac the soil is shallow caliche over limestone. Roots run wide and shallow rather than deep, which makes trees more vulnerable to drought and to construction damage well outside the drip line.
Post oak decline
Older east and south Austin lots often carry post oaks, which are notoriously intolerant of irrigation, grade changes and soil compaction. Many decline for reasons that trace back to landscaping done years earlier.

Trees we work on in Austin

  • Live oak
  • Post oak
  • Cedar elm
  • Pecan
  • Ashe juniper
  • Bald cypress

Neighbourhoods we cover

If you are near Zilker Park, we are already working your street most weeks. This list is not exhaustive, so call even if you do not see your subdivision.

  • Hyde Park
  • Tarrytown
  • Travis Heights
  • Zilker
  • Barton Hills
  • Northwest Hills
  • Allandale
  • Crestview
  • Mueller
  • Circle C Ranch
  • Westlake Hills
  • Bouldin Creek

Questions

Austin tree service questions

Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Austin?

Very likely. The City of Austin protects trees measuring 19 inches or more in diameter at 4.5 feet above grade, and classifies qualifying species at 24 inches and above as Heritage trees requiring a more involved review. Removing either without approval can result in fines running into thousands of dollars. We measure your tree and handle the application.

How quickly can you get to an emergency in Austin?

We reach most Austin addresses within two hours for a tree on a structure, and often faster inside the loop given our South Austin base. After a widespread storm every crew in the city is committed simultaneously, so we triage by severity and give you an honest position in the queue rather than an optimistic promise.

Is oak wilt a problem in my Austin neighbourhood?

It depends where you are. West Austin, Northwest Hills, Rollingwood and parts of Westlake have long-established infection centres. East and Southeast Austin see less pressure but are not immune. The safest approach anywhere in the city is to prune oaks only between July and January, and to have any suspicious crown thinning looked at early.

Work log

Recent work near Austin

These are illustrative of the kind of work and the kind of decision, written up as a crew note. This is a demonstration site: it publishes no reviews, no ratings and no customer names, because it has no customers.

Tree RemovalTravis Heights, AustinJune

Dead pecan standing six feet from a bedroom wall.

No room to fell and no crane access down the side return, so the tree came down in rigged sections lowered on a friction device. The climber walked the homeowner through the rigging plan from the ground before going up, which is standard: anyone whose house is under the drop zone is entitled to understand it.

Close quarters is a rigging problem, not a felling problem.

Tree Trimming & PruningForest Creek, Round RockMay

Homeowner had two quotes to top the tree.

Topping was declined and the reason explained: the flush of weak regrowth it triggers is far more likely to fail than the limb being removed, and the decay pockets left behind never close. The tree was reduced to suitable lateral branches instead, taking roughly 15% of the live crown.

A company that offers to top your tree is telling you something.

Oak Wilt ManagementNorthwest Hills, AustinMay

Three live oaks thinning from the top down.

Pattern and veinal necrosis matched oak wilt. A trench was cut to sever the root grafts running toward the healthy stems, and the two unaffected trees were injected. The infected tree was removed outside beetle season and the wood was not kept on site.

Roughly 90% of local spread is underground. Trenching is the treatment.

Tree work in Austin?

A free on-site visit from an arborist, the whole scope agreed in writing before we start, and no travel surcharge anywhere in our service area.

  • Free on-site visit, usually within 2 to 3 days
  • Every tree named in writing before we start
  • No obligation and no pressure to book
Book a free visit(512) 555-0142

Storm line answered 24 hours. Office hours Mon-Fri 7am-6pm.

CallBook a free visit(512) 555-0142