Three rivers, about 50,000 street trees and a 29% canopy

Tree Service in Fort Wayne, IN

Yard trees, city-owned street trees and the rules that separate them.

Every estimate done in person around Fort Wayne and Allen County, Indiana
The written quote lists what is and is not included
Debris and stump handling decided in advance

Working Around the City's Own Trees

Tree Service in Fort Wayne starts with one question most homeowners never think about: is the tree yours or the city's? Fort Wayne's urban forestry staff look after almost 50,000 street trees along close to 1,300 miles of roadway, plus about 20,000 more in the parks. If the maple out front grows in the strip between the sidewalk and the curb, there is a good chance it belongs to the city, even if you planted it. We check that before we quote, so the job you approve is a job that can legally be done.

The street-tree rule in plain terms

The city's protection page says no one may perform any maintenance on a city-owned tree, or harm its roots, trunk or limbs, without approval from the forestry superintendent. The city's urban forestry plan ties right-of-way work to a Tree Work Permit under city code section 99.146. According to the city's own FAQ, the trees it maintains are generally the ones intentionally planted in developed public right-of-way, which includes trees residents bought and planted themselves. Wooded trees in the right-of-way are maintained only for roadway safety. The Allen County GIS viewer shows where the right-of-way line falls on your lot, and we use it when the answer isn't obvious from the curb.

What that means for a homeowner: pruning or removing a tree that sits fully on your side of the line is your call. A tree in the right-of-way needs the city's sign-off first, and if it is dead or failing, a 311 request may get it on the city's own list. Each summer, ISA Certified Arborists working for the city survey every street from a vehicle and schedule removals as budget allows.

Why the canopy looks the way it does

Fort Wayne's canopy covers about 29% of the city, roughly double the Indiana average, and the city has been a Tree City USA since 1990. That canopy took a hit when emerald ash borer arrived. The street inventory held about 14,000 ash trees in 2006, and by 2013 the city's removal bill was approaching $3 million. Many private yards lost ash at the same time, and the ones still standing dead today are brittle. Purdue Extension warns that dead ash can drop branches at any time, even in light wind.

Storms that shaped the work here

The June 29, 2012 derecho measured its peak gust of 91 mph at Fort Wayne, the highest recorded anywhere along that storm's path. About 78,000 customers lost power and roughly 500 trees were uprooted in the city. The forestry plan also lists the December 2008 ice storm among the events that reshaped the street canopy. Older silver maples, which the city's plan describes as the main workhorse of its street-tree population, tend to split at weak unions in exactly those conditions.

Older neighborhoods, bigger trees

Historic districts such as Williams-Woodland Park, with its Queen Anne and Colonial Revival houses, and the Tudor Revival homes along Forest Park Boulevard sit under trees that were planted generations ago. Lots are narrow, garages sit on alleys, and limbs reach over two or three roofs at once. That kind of job is usually done by climbing and roping limbs down in sections instead of felling, and it sometimes needs a crane where a trunk leans over a house.

Brush and wood after the job

The city does not pick up piles of branches at the curb. Small limbs can go in your trash cart if they are cut to 3 feet or less, no thicker than 3 inches, tied in bundles of 60 pounds or under. Bigger loads go to yard waste drop-off sites such as the one at 6202 Lake Ave. Our written quotes say up front whether we chip and haul everything, leave firewood rounds, or leave the brush for you. Call (260) 305-9252 or ask for an estimate online. Get a free estimate

Fort Wayne Tree Facts

City-owned street trees. The city maintains almost 50,000 street trees along nearly 1,300 miles of roadway and about 20,000 park trees; no one may maintain or damage a city-owned tree without the forestry superintendent's approval.
Right-of-way permit. Fort Wayne's urban forestry plan, Shading Our City, ties right-of-way tree work to a Tree Work Permit under city code section 99.146.
No curbside brush piles. City departments do not collect branch piles at the curb. Bundles must be 3 feet long or less, 3 inches thick or less and under 60 pounds, or taken to a yard waste site.
The 2012 derecho. A 91 mph gust was measured at Fort Wayne on June 29, 2012. Around 78,000 customers lost power and about 500 trees were uprooted in the city.
Ash losses. The street inventory had about 14,000 ash trees in 2006, and the city's ash removal bill was nearing $3 million by August 2013.

Our Services in Fort Wayne, IN

Fort Wayne Questions

The tree by my curb is dying. Can I just have it taken down?

Not without the city's approval if it stands in the public right-of-way. Call 311 first; the city may remove it on its own schedule. If the city signs off on private removal, we work to whatever conditions it sets.

Who handles a limb hanging on my service line?

Indiana Michigan Power says the line from the pole to your house is the owner's responsibility, and it asks for a call to 800-311-4634 two business days ahead so the service can be disconnected. We schedule around that disconnect.

Will you leave the brush at the curb for the city?

No, because the city won't take branch piles. Unless you ask us to leave wood or bundles, cleanup and hauling are part of the written quote.

Is it worth saving a big ash in my backyard?

Sometimes, if the crown is still full and treatment has been kept up. Once a large ash has died, it becomes brittle, and climbing it gets more dangerous the longer it stands. We can look at it and tell you which situation you have.

Free Estimates in Fort Wayne, IN

Free estimates anywhere inside Fort Wayne's four quadrants.

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