Tree Removal in Nutley, NJ

Tree removal in Nutley usually involves a tree that has been part of the yard for decades. About 70% of homes in the township are owner-occupied, with a median value above $500,000, and the town has been settled for well over a century, so a backyard tree may be older than the house next to it. Taking one down is a bigger decision when it shades the house, frames the street view or anchors a slope.

We start by walking the property with you, looking at what the tree stands over, how it can be rigged and where the wood goes. If pruning or deadwood removal is what you want instead, we can quote that. For a removal, the written quote explains how the tree comes down and how the yard is left.

Nutley's 6-inch threshold

Nutley's tree ordinance, Chapter 665 of the township code, sets a lower bar than neighboring Belleville's 18-inch threshold. Section 665-21 defines a "significant tree" as one 6 inches or more in diameter at breast height, living or dead, and Section 665-22 says removing one of those, or a designated landmark tree, needs a permit. In practice, that covers most trees worth calling a tree. Nutley's forestry office is the place to confirm whether your tree is covered.

Replanting is part of the plan

The township's permit form lays out replacement by trunk size:

• 6 to 12.99 inches: one replacement tree
• 13 to 22.99 inches: two
• 23 to 32.99 inches: three
• 33 inches or more: four

Replacements need at least a 1.5-inch caliper, must be planted within 12 months and come from the township's recommended species list. If replacements cannot be planted on the property, the code provides for a payment of $200 per tree to the tree fund. Trees removed as hazards do not require replacement.

Steps to expect

• Flag the tree with paint or a ribbon at roughly breast height
• Submit the permit with the $50 per tree fee
• Allow the Township Forester up to 20 business days to decide
• Schedule removal within three months of approval, when the permit expires

Ash and lanternfly in Essex County

Montclair, also in Essex County, had emerald ash borer as of January 2017. Whether a particular ash can be saved is outside our work; that call belongs to a Licensed Tree Expert under New Jersey law. Should you choose to take an ash down, Nutley's permit and replacement rules may still apply, so check with the Township Forester. Tree of heaven, the plant spotted lanternflies favor, is another species you can point out during the estimate if you want it removed.

Old trees near the Third River

The Third River winds through Nutley's parks, past spots like the Enclosure, where painter Frank Fowler started an artists' colony in the late 1880s. Trees near the river may stand on wetter soil, which affects where equipment can go without rutting the lawn. We plan access routes and ground protection around that.