We recently got a call from a Charlotte homeowner after a massive limb from a willow oak fell and destroyed part of her fence.
Fortunately, it didn’t hit the house or anyone nearby. But after seeing what had come down, the homeowner had made up her mind. She was done worrying about the tree and wanted it gone.
When I went out to look at the job, I knew it was a huge tree. Then I wrapped my diameter tape around the trunk and couldn’t believe the number:
64 inches DBH.
DBH stands for “diameter at breast height,” the standard way we measure trees. That meant this willow oak had a trunk more than five feet in diameter.
For comparison, the largest tree MTM had previously removed was around 36 inches DBH.
The guys on our crew have more than 10 years of tree-removal experience and have worked on trees this large before. We also have the equipment for large removals — a spider lift, mini skid steers, 12-inch chipper, chip truck and the necessary rigging equipment.
So I knew we could remove it.
What I wasn’t nearly as sure about was **how to price it**.
How Do You Price a 64-Inch Tree Removal?
There aren’t a lot of 64-inch willow oaks coming across my estimate sheet.
I worked up what I thought was a reasonable price, sent the quote over and the homeowner said yes.
In hindsight, I priced it too low.
That’s part of growing a tree company. We knew how to safely perform the work, but estimating exactly how much labor, crane time and equipment time a tree of this scale would consume was harder.
And there’s an enormous difference between looking at a giant standing tree and seeing just how much material is actually there once you start taking it apart.
Why This Tree Needed to Come Down
The limb failure was what pushed the homeowner to make the decision.
A huge section had already fallen and destroyed the fence. She was understandably worried that another section could fail, and that the next one might hit her house.
We’ve also seen a lot of oak problems around Charlotte this summer. It seems like we’re getting calls about oaks dropping limbs or declining left and right.
I have some theories about what’s contributing to it, including previous drought conditions and the effects of prolonged water stress. That’s based on what we’re seeing in the field, though, and I’m not claiming there is one definitive cause behind all of these oak failures.
In this case, what mattered was that a massive mature oak had already experienced a significant failure and the homeowner no longer felt safe having it next to her house.
Trees of this size can also fall under Charlotte’s heritage-tree requirements, which can add permitting and other requirements to the removal process. That’s another consideration when planning the removal of an exceptionally large tree in Charlotte.
A 35-Ton Crane Makes a Big Difference
For this removal, we brought in Jimmy, one of the crane operators we work with, and his 35-ton crane.
That made the job go much faster.
A crane allows us to support and move large sections of the tree in a controlled way instead of having to conventionally rig every piece to the ground.
But the crane doesn’t make all that wood disappear.
Once those pieces hit the ground, our crew still has to process an incredible amount of material. Limbs have to be cut, brush has to be chipped, logs have to be moved, and the entire site has to be cleaned up.
This removal took us multiple days to complete.
Saying Goodbye to a Giant
When we finished, the homeowner told us she was sad to see the tree go but knew it was the right decision.
I understand that.
A willow oak doesn’t reach 64 inches DBH overnight. A tree this large has probably been part of the property and neighborhood for generations. Removing one isn’t something most homeowners take lightly.
But after having a massive limb come down on her fence, she was relieved to no longer have to worry about what might fall next.
She was happy enough with the job that she asked us for an MTM Tree Services T-shirt.
So we sent her one.
Did We Make Money on It?
Barely.
By the time we accounted for the crew, equipment, crane and multiple days of work, this was basically a break-even job for us.
If the same tree came across my estimate sheet today, I’d price it several thousand dollars higher.
But I don’t regret taking the job.
We got the opportunity to tackle an extraordinary tree. Our crew successfully completed the largest removal MTM has taken on so far. We learned more about estimating trees at this scale. And most importantly, we helped a Charlotte homeowner who was genuinely worried about the safety of her property.
Now when someone asks us the biggest tree we’ve ever removed, we have a pretty good answer:
A 64-inch DBH willow oak with a trunk more than five feet across.
That’s going to be a hard one to beat.
MTM Tree Services LLC is an owner / operator led tree service team in Charlotte NC. Text or call 704-965-3589 for a free quote. Licensed & insured. Certified arborist on staff.
