How do you tackle removing a tree from your yard?

Last month, Anita Lahey advised you when to call in an arborist for on-going tree maintenance, so your trees have long healthy lives.

What happens though, when your tree reaches the end of its lifespan, due to decay, disease, storm damage, a dangerous lean or plain old age? It’s time to tackle the task of removing the tree from your yard.

Tree removal – City property

If you have a tree on City-owned street frontage, you are in luck. You can make a request to the City to have the tree and stump removed free of charge.

The work normally occurs between May and November. Part of the process involves obtaining a tree permit. Residents are encouraged to submit an on-line request to have the tree examined by a forestry inspector (“Request City tree maintenance Ottawa“) or call 3-1-1, if the tree poses an immediate hazard to people or property.

Bear in mind that the City will make sure that the tree cannot be further maintained before it is willing to approve its removal.

Sometimes the situation is straightforward. A tree was removed on Carlyle Avenue after it had only been planted 6-7 years earlier because of carpenter ants.

However, it took a good 8 years of frequent assessment by the City’s forestry inspector before a 123-year-old Silver Maple on the same street was deemed hazardous enough for removal. This was after four large limbs fell from the tree over a period of six years, requiring the costly repair of an electrical pole and wires after every incident. It was only when the interior trunk and some upper branches were rotten, that the homeowner was advised to write to the City, indicating the state of the tree and giving notice that the City would be deemed responsible should another incident occur.

Once the tree removal permit was granted, the tree was removed within a week. It took about three hours to take down the huge tree. From a crane, starting at the top of the tree, the branches and trunk were systematically cut every 4–5 metres. Then the tree branches, leaves and trunk portions were put through the chipper.

After the required year delay, the crew came back to grind the stump.

The City does not notify you when they come to do the work. However, the crew is very service-oriented if you happen to be home when they arrive. Before the chipping took place, the Carlyle Avenue homeowner was first asked if she wanted to keep any of the wood. She happily agreed and used it to fuel her barbecue. When it came to grinding the stump, she asked the crew to grind down below the earth’s surface, rather than just flush with the ground. The lawn was then completely level, and not bumpy, after the soil was put down and seeded.

Tree removal – private property

When it comes to removing a tree on the private part of your property, it is best to hire a certified arborist to ensure that the work is done securely and safely.

It can be a complex and costly exercise.

Under the City’s Tree Protection By-Law, you need a permit for “distinctive” trees. These are trees with trunks 30 cm and greater in diameter, measured at the trunk’s height of 130 cm from the ground. The application for the permit requires an explanation of the condition of the tree and the safety impact. Permit exceptions are granted when there is an immediate threat to public health and safety.

It is a good idea to have the hired arborist help you with the permit application and reporting of the tree removal process. One homeowner on Glen Avenue requested to remove a Butternut tree from her backyard. It turned out that a Butternut is an endangered species. She was pleased that the tree removal company she hired had an arborist on staff who identified the tree’s status and prepared the request for the removal permit. The first time the request was made, it was denied because the tree was not sufficiently diseased. A new request was submitted and approved the following year when the tree was nearer to death’s door.

An arborist is also aware of how to dispose of the variety of diseased trees. The tree removal company hired by the Glen Avenue homeowner ensured that wood from her Mountain Ash, attacked by the Emerald Ash Borer, would only be stored and used indoors. She was also alerted to the fact that the wood from her diseased Butternut could not be used. It was even removed for chipping elsewhere.

Tree removal costs

The removal cost will vary widely depending on factors, such as the following:

• Size (height and diameter).
• Condition (dead or alive, infected, decayed or fallen, degree of stability, weakly attached branches & trunk).
• Hardness of wood.
• Type of tree (degree of branch reaches or strength of trunk and roots).
• Location (accessibility) The location can affect the removal price by 25–50%. The homeowner on Glen Avenue mentioned that this becomes an especially critical cost factor when the trees are located in backyards of older urban neighbourhoods. Cranes are required and requests must be made to cordon off the adjacent street for safety reasons. The later was also organized by the hired tree removal company.
• Scope of removal operation (tree removal, log splitting, hauling away limbs and clean up, stump removal, stump grinding and/or wood chipping).

Homestars’ “Guide to Tree Removal Services Costs & Estimates in Canada” (Dec. 2024), provides more information on the factors that drive the cost of each operation, as well as what is involved in the three major aspects of the tree removal process and how the pricing is determined. The guide also refers you to Ottawa landscaping companies which correspond to your stated needs (See “Find a landscaping company near you – Ottawa”).

The guide will give you a range of prices for Canada. However, it will also refer you to “The Tree Removal Cost Guide for Ottawa” (updated Dec. 2024) which provides prices for Ottawa, based on February 2021 data obtained from 52 verified Ottawa homeowner reviews.

The chart below provides prices for Canada, when prices were not available in the “Ottawa” guide.

Costs related to tree removal in Ottawa

Source: Homestars’ “Guide to Tree Removal Services Costs & Estimates in Canada” (2024), “The Tree Removal Cost Guide for Ottawa” (2024)

Are some of you wondering if there are ways to cut those tree removal costs?

ALTERNATIVES TO STUMP GRINDING

Leave the stump alone

For instance, why not simply leave the stump to decay and rot on its own, thus avoiding the cost of stump removal and grinding. With this approach, a stump can take up the 10 years to disappear. While this certainly saves you money, there can be risks. Overtime, the stump could become an eyesore, a tripping hazard or, of greater consequence, attract unwanted pests. Another OOS homeowner on Glen Avenue mentioned that a stump left to abut next to their neighbour’s and their own semi-detached back porch attracted a colony of carpenter ants. The ants marched up the back wall of their house, invaded the soffit as well as the third-floor bathroom and bedroom walls. These ants are stubborn. It took quite a bit of effort to get rid of the colony and repair the damage.

Hide the stump with plants & shrubs

 Depending on where the stump is located, pests may not likely present a problem. In that case, take a risk and hide the stump with various plants and shrubs. Try covering the stump with climbing vines, such as, climbing hydrangea, sweet peas, Virginia creeper, Carolina Jessamine or clematis. Consider masking the stump with tall-growing plants such as Solomon ’s Seal or Big root geranium or planting a series of shrubs to surround it. For more ideas, see “What to do with a tree stump in the front yard? Hide it!”

Speed up stump disintegration with non-toxic chemicals

If you wish to speed up the stump disintegration process without mechanized removal and grinding, go the non-toxic chemical route. Ensure that the stump is as flush to the ground as possible, dig holes in the remaining wood and then break down the stump by placing approved products, such as chemical fertilizers, high in nitrogen, or Epson Salts, into the holes. Step by step instructions are found in the “Urban Forest Pro 2024 Guide on How to get rid Of a Tree Stump.”

The “empty nest”

What I have yet to mention is the loss you and your family might feel when the tree is gone. Your yard may feel empty and you may miss the shade it provided on those warm summer days. The Glen Avenue homeowner also mentioned that you might feel that you lost a friend. Her children missed the times when they would watch the baby squirrels racing each other up and down the tree or when they played hide and seek on its lower branches. Trees can help create wonderful family memories. The grand-daughter of the homeowner on Carlyle Avenue felt so fondly towards the departed Maple tree that she used remnants to create a small sculpture. See the adjoining photo. The two tree pieces are hugging.

Hope this information leaves you a little more prepared to tackle any tree removal project now or in the future.

Would you consider planting a replacement tree by any chance?

If the answer is yes, stay tuned for next month’s article in OSCAR’s Environment section. It will cover pointers to consider when planning your new tree planting adventure.

Viviane Templeton lives in Old Ottawa South and is a member of the Enviro Crew’s Tree Team (envirocrewOOS@gmail.com).

Featured in the May 2025 OSCAR.