Tree Limb Removal in Libertyville: When One Limb Is the Whole Job
Limb removal sits between trimming and taking a tree down. You're not shaping the whole crown. You're dealing with one limb, maybe two or three, that are dead, broken, hanging over something, or in the way.
It's a smaller job than a removal, but it's not a small thing. A mature limb on an oak or a silver maple can be as heavy as a small tree, and it's hanging in the air over whatever you care about. How it gets cut decides whether the tree closes over the wound or starts rotting from that spot.
If the whole tree needs attention, that's a full trim and prune, and we do that too.
Signs a Limb Needs to Come Off Now
Stand back where you can see the whole tree and look for the limb that doesn't match the rest.
Dead, broken and hazardous limbs can come off any time of year. You don't wait for a season on those.
- No leaves on it in summer while the rest of the tree is green
- A crack along the limb or right where it joins the trunk
- It's broken and hung up in the branches below
- Bark peeling off that one limb only
- It rubs on the roof, the gutters or the siding when the wind blows
- It hangs low over the driveway, the sidewalk or the street
- Two limbs cross and grind a wound into each other
- It's long, heavy at the tip, and reaches out over the house
How We Remove a Heavy Limb Without Tearing the Tree
The wrong way is one cut from the top, close to the trunk. The limb drops before the chainsaw is through, and its weight peels a long strip of bark down the trunk. That wound doesn't close.
The right way takes three cuts.
That collar matters. It's the part of the tree that grows over the wound. Cut into it, flush with the trunk, and the tree can't seal the cut. Leave a long stub and the stub dies and rots back into the trunk. The cut goes right at the edge of the collar, not closer and not farther.
Big limbs don't come off in one piece either. We work from the tip back toward the trunk, taking weight off in sections, so the last cut is on a short, light piece.
- First, an undercut. A shallow cut on the bottom of the limb, a little way out from the trunk. This stops the bark from tearing.
- Second, the top cut, slightly farther out. The limb breaks off cleanly between the two cuts and the weight is gone.
- Third, the finish cut. With only a short stub left, we cut it off just outside the branch collar, the swollen ring where limb meets trunk.
Limbs Over a Roof, Driveway, Fence or Wires
A limb over open grass gets cut and dropped. A limb over something gets rigged.
Rigging means a rope goes over a higher, stronger limb, gets tied to the piece being cut, and runs down to a crew member on the ground. When the cut goes through, the piece hangs on the rope and gets lowered slowly instead of falling. Over a roof, each piece is kept small so it can't swing into the shingles or the gutter.
Lake lots add a wrinkle. Around the Chain O'Lakes, where we handle limb removal in Fox Lake, cottonwoods and willows grow fast near the water and throw long, heavy limbs out over docks, sheds and seawalls. That wood is soft and breaks easily, so the pieces get cut short.
Wires are the hard stop. We don't work in or touching power lines. If a limb is on the lines or tangled in them, that's ComEd first. Once the power company has handled their part, we can take care of what's left.
Best Time for Limb Removal: Oaks, Elms and the Dormant Season
When to cut depends on the tree and on why the limb is coming off.
The oak rule is the one to remember. The growing season runs roughly spring through early fall. If you've got a healthy oak limb you just don't like, and it isn't threatening anything, we'll tell you to wait for winter. That matters most on larger lots with old oaks worth protecting, the kind of yard we see when doing limb work in Hawthorn Woods.
Winter has other things going for it. With the leaves off, we can see the branch structure clearly, and frozen ground is easier on the lawn.
| The limb | When to cut it |
|---|---|
| Dead, broken or hanging, on any tree | Any time. Don't wait. |
| Healthy limb on an oak | Winter. Fresh cuts in the growing season attract the beetles that spread oak wilt. |
| Healthy limb on an elm | Winter, for a similar reason. |
| Healthy limb on a maple or most other trees | Best while dormant, late fall through winter. |
| Storm-broken limb on an oak in summer | Cut it now. Emergency cuts are the exception to the oak rule. |
What Tree Limb Removal Is Priced On
Quotes are free, and most limb jobs can be priced from photos. Text a picture of the limb, one of the whole tree, and one of what's under it to (224) 944-8652, along with your town. You get a flat price in writing before any cutting.
There's more on how we price tree work if you want it.
If one limb on your list turns into five or six, ask us about thinning or raising the crown instead. At that point you're paying for a different kind of job, and it's better planned as one.
- How big the limb is and how far up the tree it starts
- What it hangs over: lawn, roof, fence, garage or wires
- Whether the wood is sound or dead and brittle
- How many limbs, and whether they're in one tree or spread around the yard
- How easy it is to get to the tree and carry the brush out
Permits and Parkway Trees: Whose Limb Is It
Taking off a limb isn't the same as taking down a tree, but don't assume there are no rules. Many Lake County villages have tree rules of some kind. If you're not sure whether yours covers heavy pruning, check with village hall first. If the job ends up being a full removal, your village may require a permit.
Parkway trees are the common mix-up. The tree between the sidewalk and the street is usually the village's. If a limb on that tree is dead or hanging over the road, call the village. On older in-town blocks, like the ones where we do limb removal in North Chicago, street trees and yard trees can stand close enough together that it's worth knowing which is which before you ask for a price.
A limb from the neighbor's tree over your yard is a conversation to have with the neighbor first.
Cleanup After Limb Removal
The limb gets cut up where it lands. Brush goes through the chipper, bigger wood gets loaded, and the lawn, the drive and the roof get cleared of twigs. Illinois keeps yard waste out of landfills, so it's chipped and recycled.
A good-size limb gives a fair bit of firewood. Want it? Say so and it stays, cut and left where you point.
Take a look at the cut before we leave. You should see a clean, smooth face just outside the collar, no torn bark below it, and no stub sticking out.
What to Do First With a Cracked or Hanging Limb
Keep everybody out from under it. A broken limb caught up in the tree can sit there for weeks or come down in the next breeze. Move the car. Block off that part of the yard.
Don't pull on it, don't throw a rope over it, and don't shake the tree.
If it's on the house, on a car, or blocking the driveway, call (224) 944-8652. Don't text. That's emergency tree work, and storm calls get handled as fast as the crew can get there.
If it's on a wire, stay away and call ComEd.
If it's just hanging there and nothing is under it, take photos from a safe distance and text them, or send them through the contact page. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 7am to 7pm, and Sunday by appointment.
Limb Removal Mistakes That Hurt the Tree or the Person
Most bad limb jobs come down to the same handful of errors.
- Cutting from a ladder. The limb swings back or drops onto the ladder, or it was the thing the ladder was leaning on. This is how people get hurt in their own yards.
- One cut from the top. The limb falls early and strips bark down the trunk.
- Flush cuts. Shaving it tight to the trunk looks neat and takes away the collar the tree needs to seal the wound.
- Long stubs. Easier to reach, but they die and rot inward.
- Topping. Cutting the top of the tree flat to get rid of high limbs is bad practice. We don't do it.
- Taking too much at once. A tree that loses a large share of its leaves in one go has a hard time recovering.
- Pruning a healthy oak in the middle of summer because that's when you noticed the limb.
