Tree Services in Libertyville: Start Here
Most people hire a tree company a handful of times in their life. So it's normal not to know what to ask for. Does this tree need to come down, or just be trimmed? Is that limb an emergency? What's the difference between stump grinding and stump removal? This page sorts that out.
The short version: we do four jobs. Tree removal, tree trimming and pruning, stump grinding, and emergency storm work. Everything else on this page is a more specific name for one of those four.
How Every Tree Job Runs
You text a photo of the tree, the limb or the stump to (224) 944-8652, with your town. You get a written flat price. Small jobs are quoted from photos, and big removals get a free visit first. You pick a day. The crew does the work, cleans up and hauls the brush and wood away.
The price is agreed before any cutting, and the crew is insured for tree work. The details are on the tree service pricing page.
Tree Removal Services: Dead, Ash and Large Trees
Tree removal is the big job. In an open yard a tree can sometimes be dropped in one piece. Near a house it's taken apart from the top, and each piece is lowered on ropes so nothing underneath gets hit.
Three kinds of removal get their own page because they work differently. Dead trees are brittle, so they're handled more carefully. Ash trees are their own story here, since emerald ash borer has killed most of the untreated ash in northern Illinois. And large trees over roofs and garages take the most planning.
Tree Trimming and Pruning Services
Trimming and pruning keeps a tree safe and in shape without taking it down. That covers dead and broken limbs, branches over the roof or the driveway, and a crown that has grown too thick.
The specific versions are limb removal, when it's one or two branches that have to go, and crown thinning and raising, when the whole canopy needs light let through or lifted off the ground. We don't top trees. It's the one kind of trimming that leaves the tree worse off.
| Kind of tree | Best time to prune |
|---|---|
| Oaks | Winter only. Avoid the growing season because of oak wilt |
| Elms | Winter, for the same kind of reason |
| Most other shade trees | Late fall through winter, while dormant |
| Any tree with a dead, broken or hazardous limb | Right away, any time of year |
Stump Grinding and Stump Removal
People use both names for the same job. We remove stumps by grinding them down below the surface, which is what most people mean when they say stump removal. You're left with a patch of wood chips and soil that can be raked level and seeded.
Before grinding a stump, the underground utilities have to be marked. In Illinois that's a free call to JULIE at 811, a few days ahead.
Emergency Tree Service and Storm Damage Cleanup
When a storm drops a tree on a house or across a driveway, that's emergency tree work. Call instead of texting. We get to storm calls as fast as the crew can, and we don't make promises about the clock that we can't keep.
Fallen tree removal and storm damage cleanup are the two specific versions. One is the big piece that came down. The other is everything else the storm left: hanging limbs, split branches and a yard full of brush.
- If wires are involved, stay back and call ComEd first
- Take photos for your insurance company before anything is moved
- Don't cut a limb that's bent or pinned. Wood under tension can spring
- We clear the tree. We don't repair roofs or deal with your insurer for you
What Lake County Yards Need Most
Where you live shapes the call. On the North Shore, around Highland Park and Lake Forest, it's mature oaks on ravine lots, where access is tight and the trees are valuable. In the middle of the county, around Libertyville, Mundelein and Vernon Hills, it's parkway maples, dead ash and subdivision trees that have outgrown their spot. Around the Chain O'Lakes it's big cottonwoods and willows on small lake lots.
Storms hit every part of the county. So do tree rules. Many villages require a permit before a tree is removed, even on private land, and the rules differ from one town to the next. Check with your village hall before the job is scheduled.
Which Tree Service Do You Need?
Match your situation here. If nothing fits, text a photo anyway and we'll tell you what it is.
| What you're seeing | The service to look at |
|---|---|
| No leaves, bark falling off, mushrooms at the base | Dead tree removal |
| An ash with a thin top and bark splitting | Ash tree removal |
| A big tree leaning toward the house | Large tree removal |
| Branches on the roof or over the driveway | Tree trimming or limb removal |
| A stump you keep mowing around | Stump grinding |
| A tree or limb down after a storm | Emergency tree service |
Before the Crew Arrives: A Short Checklist
None of this is required, but each one makes the day go faster.
- Check with your village hall about a tree permit
- Move cars, patio furniture, grills and planters out from under the tree
- Unlock the gate and tell us about anything fragile nearby
- For stump grinding, call JULIE at 811 a few days ahead
- Tell us if you want to keep the firewood
- Let the neighbors know if the tree is near the lot line
- Keep kids and pets inside while we're cutting
Tree Removal vs. Trimming: How to Decide
A lot of calls start with "I think it has to come down" and end with a trim. A healthy tree with a few bad limbs usually just needs those limbs off. A tree that is dead, hollow at the base, split down the trunk or lifting out of the ground is a removal.
If you can't tell, send photos of the whole tree, the base and the part that worries you. We'll tell you plainly which job it is. And if it might be a disease, we'll say that too. We don't diagnose or treat tree diseases, so a tree health specialist is the right call before you remove a tree that might be saved.
What We Don't Do
We're a cutting crew. We don't plant trees, spray or inject them, diagnose diseases, install cables or braces, or do landscaping and lawn care. We also don't work in or touching power lines. That belongs to the power company.
Where We Offer These Tree Services
All twelve services are available in Libertyville and in every other town in Lake County, Illinois, from Waukegan on the lake to the Barrington corner.
Ready when you are. Text a photo to (224) 944-8652, or send us the details and we'll come back with a price.
