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A downed tree cut into sections on a golf course

Palm and tree removalManage

Removals, only after a written determination.

No palm or tree comes out until an ISA Certified Arborist writes down why. Then the crew takes it down safely, hauls the debris the same day unless weather or a site holdup stops it, and logs it.

Request a removalAdd it to a Master Plan
Storm or emergency: (239) 467-0142
Before any cut
A written arborist determination
Access
Climbers, rigging and lifts
Storm-damaged palms
Wait at least 6 months if intact
Record
In our GIS inventory the same week
Request a removal

What we see in the field

A removal is the most expensive call on a property. It should be the most careful one.

A palm marked for removal two weeks after a hurricane. A stressed tree written off when the cause was water. A "diseased" palm that never saw a lab. Removal calls made too early cost a community palms that would have recovered, and then the replacements.

So the order is fixed. An arborist visits. Where the cause is a disease, it is confirmed first: lethal bronzing and Fusarium wilt by the lab, Ganoderma by its conk, or by the lab when there is no conk. The determination is written down with the inventory ID, the reason and the date. You decide. Then the crew cuts.

While a palm with a confirmed terminal sign stands, every report carries the removal recommendation in writing. The decision stays yours.

A crew cutting a removed palm into sections on a community lawn
In the fieldA palm removal sectioned for haul-away.

How we do it

Determine, decide, then cut.

  1. Arborist visit

    Field condition first: what is wrong, and how sure are we. Suspected lethal bronzing or Fusarium goes to an independent lab before the call. Ganoderma is confirmed by its conk, or by the lab when there is no conk.

  2. Written determination

    Inventory ID, reason and date, signed. A palm with a confirmed terminal sign carries the recommendation on every report until you decide.

  3. Plan the site

    Access, targets, rigging points. A Sunshine 811 locate before any grinding or digging. Private lines located with the owner.

  4. Take it down

    Climb, cut and lower in pieces. Climbing spikes are allowed on a removal. Never on a palm or tree that is staying.

  5. Clean up and record

    Debris out the same day. Status, date, and before and after photos in our GIS inventory that week.

Immediate hazardsA tree or palm that is an immediate hazard is made safe first. The written determination follows within 2 business days.

What is included

What a removal covers.

  • The written determination

    Signed by an ISA Certified Arborist, naming the inventory ID, the reason and the date. No determination, no cut.

  • Climb, cut and piece-down

    Trained climbers, rigging, aerial lifts and a wheel loader near structures, so the tree comes down in controlled pieces.

  • Flush cut

    The stump is cut flush, 1 to 2 in above grade. Grinding is its own line, chosen by what comes next in that spot.

  • Same-day cleanup

    Debris is hauled the same day the work is done, unless weather or a site holdup stops it. Hardscape blown clean, turf ruts repaired.

  • Disease removals

    Hauled away, and tools sterilized between palms.

  • Permit support and records

    Tree removal permits belong to the owner or association. Our written determination goes with the application. Every removal is logged with before and after photos.

Priced on its own lineStump grinding, deep grinding and excavation, and haul-away of grindings, topsoil and sod.

Next stepRequest a removalorbuild it into a 10-year Master Plan

Standards we work to

A removal you can explain to residents.

Our lines

  • No signed determination: no cut.
  • Storm-damaged palm that is structurally intact: wait at least 6 months. The wait does not apply to a split trunk, a root ball out of the ground, or disease confirmed apart from the storm.
  • Suspected disease with no determination: the arborist evaluates first.
  • A palm flagged for Ganoderma or Thielaviopsis gets no ladder. It can collapse.
  • Replanting at a Ganoderma site carries risk. We disclose it, record it and you decide. At a confirmed Fusarium site, no susceptible palm goes back in.
ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ)

When a tree comes out for risk, the call follows one method: likelihood of failure, likelihood of impact, consequences. Written and defensible.

ANSI A300 Part 9 and the ISA risk BMP

The national standard behind a written risk rating.

UF/IFAS EP465

At least 6 months before writing off a hurricane-damaged palm that is structurally intact.

ANSI Z133 and Florida Statutes Chapter 556

The safety standard for the takedown, and the Sunshine 811 law for any digging after it.

Sources: Ptolemy Removals and Stump Grinding specs; our positions on post-hurricane timing, terminal signs and the 811 ticket; UF/IFAS EP465; ANSI A300 Part 9; ANSI Z133; Florida Statutes Chapter 556.

On the job

Palm and tree removal, in the field.

A climber rigging a storm-damaged palm to a crane strap beside a building
After a hurricane, a climber rigs a damaged palm to the crane line. Next to a building, the crane takes the weight, so each piece is lowered, not dropped.
A crew member in a bucket truck cutting a dead slash pine
A dead slash pine taken down from the bucket.
A crew member in a bucket truck cutting a dead slash pine, seen from below
The same dead slash pine, another angle.
Hardscape blown clean before the crew leaves.
Hardscape blown clean before the crew leaves.

From the job file

Removals, start to finish.

The method follows the site: a crane beside a building, a bucket truck on a leaning pine, a climber at the top of a pine, a crew digging out root balls by hand.

Two royal palm stumps being dug out of a planted bed by the water, cut trunk sections on the ground
Two royal palms coming out. The trunks were cut down in sections first. Then the crew dug out each stump and its root ball.
Crew members hand-digging around a royal palm stump
Hand-digging around the second stump to free the root ball. When a new palm goes in the exact spot, we recommend digging the stump out rather than grinding it.
A bucket truck beside a storm-leaning pine over a net
After a storm, a pine leaning over a net. The crew works it down from a bucket truck.
A climber at the top of a pine trunk during a removal
A climber taking a pine down from the top. Climbing spikes are for removals only, never on a tree that is staying.

Who it is for

Written for the people who answer for the trees.

Inside a plan

Removals sit under Manage.

MonitorManageProtect

On a Palm and Tree Master Plan, removals are the same at every level: by size class, after a certified arborist's written determination. Because the inventory carries every tree's size, a removal is a line the board planned for, not a surprise.

Lab fees for a disease confirmation pass through at cost, with no markup.

The Palm and Tree Master PlanThe Health Program

Questions

Questions managers and boards ask.

Still have a question? Call (239) 467-0142 or send a request.

Why do you need a written determination before a removal?
Because a removal cannot be undone, and the board will be asked why. The determination names the palm or tree by inventory ID, the reason and the date, signed by an ISA Certified Arborist. It is also what a permit application and a resident question both need.
A hurricane damaged our palms. Should they come out?
Not on storm damage alone. Research on hurricane-damaged palms sets at least 6 months before writing one off. Heavy frond loss is expected in a strong storm and does not by itself mean the palm will not recover. The wait does not apply to a split trunk, a root ball out of the ground, or disease confirmed apart from the storm.
What if a tree is about to fall?
Call (239) 467-0142. An immediate hazard is made safe first. The written determination follows within 2 business days.
Is stump grinding included?
Every removal ends at a flush cut, 1 to 2 in above grade. Grinding is its own line, because the right depth depends on what goes in that spot next: turf, a bed, or a new palm.
Who pulls the tree removal permit?
The property owner or association, where the county or city requires one. We provide the written determination and, where it applies, the tree risk assessment that supports the application.
Can we replant in the same spot?
Usually. At a Ganoderma site, replanting a palm in the same spot carries risk; we disclose it, record it and you decide, and a tree or shrub lowers the risk. At a confirmed Fusarium wilt site, no susceptible palm goes back in. For an exact-spot replant we recommend digging the stump out.

Next step

Have a palm or tree you are unsure about?

Start with the determination. An arborist looks first, and you decide with the reason in writing.

Request a removalAdd it to a Master Plan
Or start with a property assessmentCall (239) 467-0142