Tree Service in Harlan, IN

Tree Service in Harlan deals with exposure more than anything else. Harlan is an unincorporated community in Springfield Township on State Road 37, about 15 miles northeast of Fort Wayne and 7 miles from the Ohio line. The census-designated place covers 3.10 square miles with 1,577 people, which works out to about 508 per square mile. Homes sit on larger lots with fields around them, and a yard tree here takes the full force of a storm with nothing upwind to slow it.

Two storms that came through

On August 24, 2016, the EF3 tornado that began northwest of Woodburn tracked northeast and lifted east of Harlan, leaving snapped and uprooted trees along its 5.26-mile path. On March 31, 2023, the large outbreak that crossed the Midwest produced its highest non-tornadic gust, about 100 mph, near Harlan. Those are extreme events. But they show that wind here can hit hard, and that trees around a rural home need to be in good structural shape.

What makes a yard tree storm-ready

No tree is windproof, but some are far more likely to fail than others. The warning signs we look for:

• Dead or hollow leaders and large dead limbs in the crown
• Co-dominant trunks with a tight V and bark pinched in the union
• Cracks, cavities or fungus at the base or on the main trunk
• A crown that is heavy on one side, often from growing next to a building or older tree that is now gone
• Roots cut by a trench, driveway or septic work

Some of these can be managed with pruning or, for valuable trees, cabling. Others mean the tree should come down before a storm makes the choice for you.

Removals with room to work

Larger lots help. Where there is open ground, a tree can often be felled in one piece in a planned direction, which takes less time than a climbing removal. Where it stands close to the house, a pole barn or the drive, we take it down in sections. Septic fields are common on rural lots here; we keep heavy trucks off them and plan our route across the lawn to avoid the tank and lines.

Woodlots and fence rows

Many Harlan properties include a strip of woods or a tree line along a ditch. We clear deadfall and hazard trees near buildings and lanes, cut back limbs over fields, and can grind stumps where you want to open up ground for mowing.

Lines along the state road

Power and phone lines follow State Road 37 and the county roads, and many service drops cross a long front yard to reach the house. Only the utility's crews should touch trees near the main lines on the poles. Limbs near the drop to your house can be handled once the utility has disconnected it. If a storm has brought a limb down onto any wire, treat the wire as live, stay well back and call the utility before calling us.

Reach us

Call (260) 305-9252 any time and leave the address and a short description, or use the form with photos. We set up a visit and give you a written estimate.