Tree Removal in Edgewater, NJ

Tree removal in Edgewater has to account for a setting few towns share. The borough is a thin band of land with the Hudson River on one side and the Palisades cliff on the other, about 3.5 miles of waterfront with River Road (County Route 505) running its length. Trees here take wind straight off the river and, in the lowest areas, have stood in floodwater.

That history is recent. When Superstorm Sandy came ashore on October 29, 2012, the state's recovery report for Edgewater records winds above 76 miles per hour, flooding east of River Road and on the road itself, and up to six feet of water in some areas. Fallen trees and wires along River Road effectively split the borough in two, and public works crews could not reach parts of the north end for as long as ten days.

Things you might notice after a storm

A tree that rode out a flood or a big blow can stand for years afterward. Changes that owners sometimes spot from the ground:

• A lean that looks different from before, or soil lifted on one side of the trunk
• Bare, leafless tops on trees in low, wet spots
• Splits where big limbs join the trunk
• Branches reaching over roofs, parked cars or the river paths

We do not diagnose tree health. If you want a professional opinion on whether a tree is safe, that is a job for a New Jersey Licensed Tree Expert. Once you decide what should happen, we quote the removal or pruning in writing.

Edgewater's tree removal rules

The borough's tree removal and replacement ordinance (Ordinance 2024-004) covers street trees from 2.5 inches DBH up and other trees from 6 inches DBH up, and states that a municipal official must review and approve the removal first. The ordinance lists hazard trees, including dead or dying trees and trees causing obvious damage to structures such as foundations or sidewalks, as removable with no fee or replacement requirement, provided there is written justification: photographs, or a statement from a New Jersey Licensed Tree Expert or an arborist. It also calls for a certified removal plan prepared by a landscape architect or arborist, with applications routed through the DPW to the Shade Tree Committee. Verify the up-to-date steps with the Building Department or Shade Tree Committee before removal; this is a summary, not legal advice.

The application, step by step

The borough's tree removal permit form asks for a sketch from a survey or landscape plan with each tree to be removed marked with an X, and says applications should be in by the 10th of the month to be reviewed that month. Shade Tree Commission review applies when trees are on borough property or within 10 feet of the right-of-way. We can mark the trees with you on our estimate visit so your sketch matches what is in the yard.

Condo grounds and shared landscaping

Roughly 40% of Edgewater homes are owner-occupied, so a large share of residents rent, and some live in condominium complexes. If the tree stands on common grounds, the association or property manager usually decides on removal. We provide the same written quote to a board as to a single homeowner, with the scope, the method and the cleanup spelled out.

After a storm

When a tree or big limb comes down on a house, fence or car, call us at (201) 957-7596 for emergency tree service. If wires are tangled in it, stay back and call PSE&G first.