— Local Coverage —
A Small Village in the Middle of 11,000 Acres of Oak
The Village of Pinckney is 2,415 people in a mile and two-thirds. The 48169 ZIP around it covers about 61 square miles and 21,000 people across parts of Putnam, Hamburg, Unadilla, Marion, Dexter, Lyndon and Webster townships — in both Livingston and Washtenaw counties. Wrapped around all of it is the Pinckney State Recreation Area: roughly 11,000 acres with more than twenty lakes, and uplands documented as mixed oak forest of white oak, red oak and hickory. That oak is the reason we plan work here around the calendar.
— NEIGHBORHOODS & AREAS —
— What We Do —
Services in Pinckney
Tree Removal
Safe takedowns of any size — from a single dead ash to full clearing along a driveway or fence line. Every branch and log hauled, yard left spotless.
Tree Trimming & Pruning
Structural pruning, canopy thinning, deadwooding, and clearance work over roofs, driveways, and power lines. Healthier trees, cleaner curb appeal.
Stump Grinding
Below-grade grinding with chip cleanup and grade repair, so you can replant, re-sod, or forget the stump was ever there.
24/7 Storm & Emergency Work
Trees on houses, trees on cars, trees blocking the road — we respond day or night with the trucks, chippers, and skid steers to make it safe fast.
Land & Lot Clearing
Overgrown lots, buildable parcels, and property line cleanup. We drop, chip, and haul so your project can start clean.
Landscape Design & Install
After the trees come down — beds, plantings, sod, and hardscape done right by the same crew that knows your yard.
— Why Homeowners Call Us —
Local know-how in Pinckney
Oak Country Means Oak Wilt Rules
The Michigan DNR is blunt about it: do not prune oaks between April 15 and July 15. All red oaks are susceptible and infected red oaks die — there's no saving them. It moves underground through connected roots and above ground when beetles reach a fresh cut. On a wooded Pinckney lot backing onto state land, that's not theoretical.
Don't Move the Firewood
Both oak wilt and emerald ash borer travel long distances mainly because people haul infected wood. If we take an oak or an ash down for you, the wood doesn't leave to become somebody else's problem — we handle disposal properly.
Lake Lots and Long Approaches
Portage, Halfmoon, Bruin, Silver, Hiland — the recreation area alone holds more than twenty lakes, and a lot of Pinckney-area property is lakefront or backs onto woods at the end of a long drive. We check access and ground conditions before we roll equipment in.
Trees Are the Number One Cause of Outages
DTE reports that trees interfering with power lines cause nearly 70 percent of customer outages, and that the service drop to your house is the homeowner's responsibility, not theirs. On rural lines with long spans through woods, that's worth staying ahead of.
— Local Rules —
Pinckney Tree Rules Worth Knowing
Neither the Village nor Putnam Township has a tree ordinance in the usual sense. Here's what actually exists, and what we check.
First: Village, Township, or Another County?
The 48169 ZIP reaches into seven townships across Livingston and Washtenaw counties, and only about 2,400 of its roughly 21,000 residents are inside the Village. Your mailing address doesn't tell you whose rules apply. We sort that out first — it's usually a thirty-second conversation.
Village: No Tree Chapter at All
The Village of Pinckney's code has no trees and shrubs chapter, and the Zoning Department's published permit list has no tree removal or land clearing permit. That points to no permit for an ordinary private removal — we confirm with the Zoning Administrator rather than assume.
Village: The Rule That Does Apply to You
Under the encroachments section, all trees, bushes and shrubs in the street right-of-way have to be trimmed by the abutting property owner so no branch hangs lower than eight and a half feet over sidewalks and roads. If you don't, the Village can trim or remove and assess the cost to your property tax roll.
Village: Development Is Different
For projects going through site plan review, the zoning ordinance requires protecting woodlands, wetlands and other natural features to the maximum extent possible, and bars clearing of trees outside the areas approved for physical improvements. That's a developer rule, not a homeowner rule.
Putnam Township: No Tree Ordinance, But Watch the Wetlands
Putnam Township's code has no tree or woodland chapter. What it does have is a Wetlands Protection chapter — which is the one to check on lakefront and low-lying property before any work that disturbs ground.
County Right-of-Way Runs 33 Feet From Centerline
Livingston County road right-of-way is normally 66 feet wide, 33 feet each direction from the center of the road, and the Road Commission advises against planting trees or shrubs in it at all. A roadside tree you think is yours may not be. We check with the Road Commission's permit office first.
Digging Within 500 Feet of Water
Livingston County requires a residential soil erosion permit for earth disturbance within 500 feet of a lake, stream, pond, swamp, wetland or county drain, or for an acre or more anywhere — and disturbances over 225 square feet may still need a waiver. Stump grinding on a lake lot can qualify. The Drain Commissioner's office is (517) 546-0040, and we call before we dig.
Ordinances change — confirm current requirements with Pinckney before planting or removing.
— Our Process —
How a Job Goes
- ✓Free on-site estimate, usually within the week
- ✓Clear written quote — no surprise add-ons
- ✓Scheduled crew arrives in marked trucks with proper gear
- ✓Careful rigging around houses, fences, and landscaping
- ✓Every branch and log chipped or hauled off-site
- ✓Yard raked and blown clean before we leave
— Nearby Cities —
Also serving near Pinckney
Don't see your city? Ask us — we travel across all of Southeast Michigan.