Tree Service in McCandless, PA

Tree Service in McCandless is shaped by its biggest neighbor. Allegheny County founded North Park in 1927, and about 1,600 acres of it lie inside McCandless, roughly 15.2% of the township's area. Hundreds of homes back onto the park or onto the wooded ravines that feed it, so a lot of our McCandless calls are about tall forest trees at the rear of a lot rather than anything the owner planted.

The Pine Creek valley

The township sits on the Allegheny Plateau and is generally hilly. Pine Creek cuts a deep valley through the middle of McCandless, with a floodplain along its course. Homes on the valley walls often have steep back yards where trees lean out over the slope toward the light. When those trees fail, they usually fall downhill, away from the house, but not always; a tree leaning across a slope can twist as it goes. We judge each one by its lean, its roots and what is below it.

A postwar suburb that kept growing

McCandless had only a few thousand residents in 1930. It grew to 6,488 by 1950, 14,582 by 1960 and 22,404 by 1970, and has held near 29,000 to 30,000 since. McKnight Road arrived in the mid-1950s. The 2020 Census counted 29,709 residents. Most homes date from those decades of growth, which means most yard trees are 50 to 70 years old: big pin oaks, red and sugar maples, and white pines planted as screens.

Trees that commonly need attention here

Pin oaks. Common in older North Hills yards, they hold dead lower branches for years. Removing that deadwood is routine work, and oak pruning is best scheduled in the dormant season to reduce oak wilt risk.

Ash on the park edge. Emerald ash borer was first found in Pennsylvania in nearby Cranberry Township in 2007. Ash along the North Park boundary and in back-lot woods have mostly died since, and standing dead ash near houses and play areas should come down.

White pines. Planted for privacy in the 1960s and 70s, many are now 70 feet tall with thin crowns and heavy tops.

Where your lot ends and the park begins

We can't cut trees on county parkland, and neither can a homeowner. If a hazardous tree stands on park property and threatens your home, the county's parks department is the one to contact. Trees on your side of the line, including limbs that hang over from the park, are a different matter, and we can prune overhanging limbs back to your property line.

Planning the work

Rear-lot work in McCandless often means carrying wood up a slope or across a lawn to the street. We check access, ask where you want chips or logs, and put everything in a written estimate before scheduling.

Oak wilt and fresh wounds

Oak wilt is a fungal disease that can kill red oaks quickly. Sap beetles carry it to fresh pruning wounds in spring and early summer, which is why oak pruning here is planned for the dormant months. If an oak has to be cut during the growing season because of storm damage, sealing the fresh wounds is one of the few times wound paint is recommended.

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