Tree Service in Birmingham, MI
Written by Robert Burgund, ISA Certified Arborist MI-4857A · Updated September 2026
- 5.0 Stars · 16 Google reviews
- ISA Certified Arborist MI-4857A
- Oakland County Since 2013
- Licensed & Insured
What tree work looks like in Birmingham
Between Quarton Lake and the downtown grid there is almost nowhere to drop a tree. Houses sit close, garages sit closer, and the neighbor’s yard is often ten feet from the trunk.
So most removals here come apart in pieces. We climb the tree, cut it down in sections, and lower each piece on a rope, often straight over a roof. Every cut is planned around whatever sits underneath it.
It is slow, careful work, and it is priced that way. The alternative is a repair bill and an awkward conversation over the fence.
Birmingham is easier on homeowners than most of its neighbors. Trees on private property are your responsibility, and planting, pruning and removal are your call. What the city protects is its own trees: the strip between the sidewalk and the street belongs to the city, not to you. Tree protection plans also apply during construction and demolition. We check with the city before anything is scheduled, because the rules change and a lot depends on your exact lot. Our permit guide compares the rules city by city.
Birmingham’s biggest threat to a tree is not weather
It is the excavator next door. More mature trees are lost in Birmingham to building work than to storms.
Here is how it happens. The lot beside you gets scraped for a rebuild. The digging cuts roots well outside the footprint of the new house. Nothing looks wrong that year. Then the tree quietly dies over the next three, and it is usually the neighbor’s tree, not the one on the lot being built. That is why the city requires tree protection during construction.
Around Quarton Lake and Poppleton Park the trees are old enough that you cannot replace one; nobody sells a hundred-year-old oak. If a project is going in next door, have your trees looked at before the equipment arrives, and ask the builder for the protection plan.
What we do in Birmingham
We take down the trees that have to go, either in sections or with a crane. Just as often we do the quieter work: crown reduction that brings a tree back inside its space without topping it, cut to the ANSI A300 standard, and deadwood cleaned out over patios and sidewalks.
We grind stumps below grade so the spot can be seeded or replanted, and we write risk assessments before anyone commits to losing a hundred-year-old tree. Storm response runs around the clock, with the documentation your insurer will ask for.
Tree removal → Pruning & tree trimming → Stump grinding → Emergency response →
What grows in Birmingham
Sugar maple, red and white oak, a few surviving American elms, and mature spruce on the bigger lots. With that much oak, timing matters. We do not prune oaks here between mid-April and mid-July, because a fresh cut in summer draws the beetles that spread oak wilt. Birmingham oak work goes on the winter calendar as a matter of routine.
What removal costs in Birmingham
Expect somewhere between $600 and $2,500 for most Birmingham removals. On these lots the price has less to do with how tall the tree is than with what has to happen underneath it: the ropes, the rigging, and how much of the yard we have to protect on the way down. Our Oakland County cost guide explains what moves the number.
From our Google reviews
“Rob and his crew did an excellent job. They were polite, professional, and took the time to listen to what I wanted. I appreciated that Rob shared his knowledge and helped me make the right decisions about my trees without ever making me feel pressured. They were very organized, set up safety cones along the road, and did a wonderful job cleaning everything up before they left. It’s refreshing to work with a company that takes such pride in their work.…”
Claire B., July 2026
Read all 16 reviews on Google. Tree Pros, LLC is licensed and insured, and Rob gives every Birmingham estimate in person, free. Hours: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday for emergencies.
Common questions
Are you allowed to just cut down a tree on your own property in Birmingham?
On private property in Birmingham, yes. The city treats planting, pruning and removal of trees on your own lot as the owner’s decision, so there is no permit to pull for a back-yard maple that has to come down. Two exceptions matter. The strip between the sidewalk and the street belongs to the city, and the trees standing in it are city trees, so you cannot remove or prune them yourself. The second exception is construction. Birmingham requires tree protection plans during building and demolition work, so a tear-down or a large addition brings the city into the picture for the trees on and around the site. If you are not sure whether a tree is yours or the city’s, we settle that during the free estimate, before anything is scheduled.
Are arborists licensed in Michigan?
No. Michigan does not license arborists, so anyone with a truck and a saw can use the word. That is why the ISA Certified Arborist credential matters when you compare estimates. It is a voluntary certification from the International Society of Arboriculture, earned by passing an exam on tree biology, diagnosis, pruning standards and safety, and kept current with continuing education. Each certificate carries a public number. Rob’s is MI-4857A, and you can look up any arborist’s number in the ISA’s public directory before you hire them. Certification does not replace insurance, so ask for both: proof of insurance and the certification number. A crew with neither is a risk you carry, because if something goes wrong on your property the claim can land on you.
How much does tree removal cost in Birmingham, MI?
Most Birmingham removals run between $600 and $2,500, and the spread comes from the lot more than the tree. A tree of moderate size with clear ground beside it sits near the bottom. The same tree wedged between a garage and a neighbor’s fence sits near the top, because every limb has to be roped and lowered by hand and the yard underneath has to be protected. Very large oaks or maples over a house can go past $2,500 when a crane is the safe way down. The stump is a separate line on the estimate. And before you price a removal, ask whether the tree needs to go at all; a crown reduction costs a fraction of it. Rob walks the property and puts the price in writing before any work is booked.
Written by Robert Burgund
ISA Certified Arborist · MI-4857A
Rob owns Tree Pros, LLC in Bloomfield Township and runs every job himself. He has climbed and cared for trees in Oakland County since 2013. More about Rob and how we work.
Next door, we cover Royal Oak and Bloomfield Hills. Our Oakland County page lists every other town we work in.
Get a straight answer about your Birmingham tree.
Rob walks the property with you and leaves a written estimate with the work spelled out. If the tree can be saved, that is what he will tell you.
Call or Text 248-672-8058Request a Free Estimate