Tree Service in Fox Chapel, PA

Tree Service in Fox Chapel starts with a measurement. The borough's FAQ says a permit is needed to remove any tree larger than 6 inches in diameter, measured 4.5 feet above the ground, whether it is healthy or diseased. No permission is needed for a tree under 6 inches or for one that has been deemed dead, though the borough recommends you let it know before removing a dead tree. Applications are available at the borough office or through the borough's online resident permit portal.

Why the rule matters on a Fox Chapel lot

The borough covers about 7.9 square miles with only 5,343 residents in the 2020 Census, about 679 people per square mile. That means big lots, many of them wooded. A 6-inch trunk is a small tree by Fox Chapel standards, so almost any removal of a living tree here needs a permit. We plan for that: on the estimate visit we measure trunk diameter at 4.5 feet, note which trees are dead and which are living, and list the trees that will need a permit so you can apply before the job is scheduled.

Dead or not?

Whether a tree is dead is not always obvious, especially in winter. An oak with a thin crown may be alive; an ash with bark falling off in sheets is almost certainly dead. Emerald ash borer has been in the region since it was found in nearby Butler County in 2007, so standing dead ash are a common sight in western Pennsylvania woods. When it is clear that a tree is dead, we say so in writing, which helps when you notify the borough.

Duquesne Light in the borough

Duquesne Light has carried out vegetation management on about 120 miles of distribution circuits in and around Fox Chapel, with Wright Tree Service doing the line clearance work. Before crews work on a property, a work planner notifies the owner. If your tree problem is a limb on a primary line along the road, that is the utility's job, and Duquesne Light's customer service number is 888-393-7000. Trees near the service line to your house are something we can look at.

Brush the borough will take

Fox Chapel collects brush in spring at the roadside, but limbs over 5 inches in diameter or 8 feet long are excluded. Bundles of hedges and shrubs must be tied and no more than 16 inches across, and each property gets one pile no bigger than 4 by 6 by 8 feet. Anything from a real tree job is larger than that, so our estimates include chipping and hauling unless you ask otherwise.

Typical Fox Chapel work

• Permitted removals of declining oaks, maples and tulip poplars near houses and drives
• Dead tree removal in wooded areas around homes
• Crown cleaning and weight reduction on large specimen trees
• Clearance pruning over long private driveways
• Stump grinding after removals

Call (412) 789-1968 or use the form. Get a free estimate