— Local Coverage —
Two Waves of Housing, Two Ages of Tree
Saline built out in two distinct pushes. About a third of the housing went up in the 1960s and 70s, which puts those neighborhoods' trees at 50 to 65 years old — right where structural failure and storm damage start showing up. Another 39 percent came in the 1990s and 2000s, and those subdivisions are hitting 25 to 35 years, which is first-serious-pruning territory. Wrapped around both is the historic core along North and South Ann Arbor Street, and 190 acres of city parkland along the Saline River. Curtiss Park alone was once home to the second largest burr oak in Michigan.
— NEIGHBORHOODS & AREAS —
— What We Do —
Services in Saline
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 Saline
Guidance, Not Law — We Follow It Anyway
Saline's ordinance doesn't mention oak wilt, but the Michigan DNR's rule is clear: no oak pruning between April 15 and July 15, when sap beetles carry the fungus into fresh wounds and risk peaks in May and June. Saline's older oaks near downtown and the newer subdivision oaks are both at risk. We follow the DNR window and will tell you why if you ask for oak work in June.
The City Won't Haul What a Removal Leaves
Saline's yard waste program runs April through November, six bags a week, bundles no more than four feet and sixty pounds. It explicitly does not collect branches over four inches in diameter, stumps, logs, or wood. Everything a real removal produces is outside that program — we take it with us.
Ice Is the Local Enemy
The February 2023 ice storm put 0.31 inches of ice on Saline over nine hours, with over half an inch just northeast of town and trees sagging and coming down across Washtenaw County. In July 2023 multiple trees and limbs came down near Woodland and East Industrial, and a 60 mph gust was clocked at Ann Arbor-Saline Road in March 2025.
Dead Ash Isn't Optional in Saline
Saline is about 25 miles from where emerald ash borer was first found in 2002, and the dead ash it left is brittle and fails without warning. Under Chapter 90 a dead tree is the owner's responsibility to remove — seven days after notice, or 24 hours if it's an imminent threat — so leaving one standing isn't really a choice here. We take it down from outside the tree.
— Local Rules —
Saline Tree Rules Worth Knowing
Saline's tree ordinance is Chapter 90. The surprising part isn't what it stops you from doing — it's what it requires you to do.
No Permit for Your Own Trees
Chapter 90 states that its terms apply only to public streets, alleys, highways, easements, parkways, parks and other publicly owned or controlled land. The permit sections are limited to rights-of-way and parks. A Saline homeowner does not need a city permit to remove a healthy tree in their own yard.
But You Have a Legal Duty to Remove Dead Trees
The ordinance requires property owners to remove any dead trees standing on the property, remove diseased or infested trees when necessary to prevent spread, and spray or treat what can be saved. Failing to is a municipal civil infraction and the condition is a public nuisance.
Seven Days — or Twenty-Four Hours
The city can serve an abatement notice and do the work at your expense if it isn't cured within seven days, or within twenty-four hours if the condition poses an imminent threat to public health or safety. The cost comes back as actual expense plus a ten percent administrative fee, and can become a lien on the property.
Clearance Over Sidewalks and Streets
Branches must stay at least twelve inches back from the vertical plane of the sidewalk edge, may overhang the sidewalk only at nine feet or higher, and the rest of the right-of-way at sixteen feet or higher. They also can't block a view of any intersection or traffic control device, or interfere with utility facilities.
Street Trees Belong to the City
The city engineer has control over all trees in streets, alleys and parks, and the DPW removes dead or diseased right-of-way trees. If you want a living street tree in front of your house removed, that goes to the Parks Commission — and abutting owners get notice before any living tree comes out, with a City Council hearing if someone objects.
Digging Within Six Feet of a Tree
Excavations and driveways can't go within six feet of any tree without a written permit; trees within six feet have to be boxed and protected, with building material kept four feet back.
One District Is Different
In the SPA-1 East Michigan Development Zone overlay — a specific corridor, not general residential zoning — existing trees over four inches caliper can't be removed without a tree removal permit from the zoning or code inspector. Hazard trees are exempt. If your property is in that corridor, we'll tell you.
Ordinances change — confirm current requirements with Saline before planting or removing.
— Questions We Hear —
Saline Tree Service FAQs
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Saline?+
How fast do I have to remove a dead tree in Saline?+
Will the City of Saline haul away my tree debris?+
What are the clearance rules over Saline sidewalks and streets?+
How fast can you respond to ice or storm damage in Saline?+
— 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 Saline
Don't see your city? Ask us — we travel across all of Southeast Michigan.