— Local Coverage —
The Lake Township — and One of the Oldest Woodland Ordinances Around
West Bloomfield has more than two dozen lakes across roughly 31 square miles, including Cass Lake — the largest and deepest in Oakland County. It also has a woodland conservation ordinance dating to 1976, an official woodland map, a Woodland Review Board that meets monthly, and a 25-foot environmental features setback around delineated wetlands. Most of the township grew after the 1960s, so the canopy is 40 to 70 years old and hitting the age where big oaks and maples start failing in storms. Between the age of the trees and the map your lot falls on, this is a place where it pays to check first.
— NEIGHBORHOODS & AREAS —
— What We Do —
Services in West Bloomfield
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 West Bloomfield
Oak Is the Woodland Species Here
Oak dominates West Bloomfield's mapped woodlands, which means a lot of the trees the township regulates are also the ones oak wilt targets. Sap beetles are most active from April 15 to July 15 and carry spores into fresh cuts; winter dormancy is the safe window. We time oak work for winter and, inside a mapped woodland, line the permit up first.
Lakefront Work Without the Shortcuts
Cass, Pine, Walnut, Orchard, Upper and Middle Straits — trees leaning over water, seawalls, and boat lifts come down on ropes in sections. Nothing goes in the lake, and we plan equipment access before we show up rather than after.
A Canopy That Grew Up Together
Most of West Bloomfield's growth came after the 1960s, which means whole streets were planted at once. Those trees are now large enough to do real damage and old enough to start failing — often several on the same block in the same storm.
Dead Ash Is an Emergency by Ordinance
West Bloomfield's woodland ordinance names dangerous insect infestation and disease as grounds for emergency action, and that's the category most standing dead ash from the emerald ash borer falls into — even inside a mapped woodland. It's brittle, unsafe to climb, and fails without warning. We take it down from outside the tree and notify the township afterward where the ordinance asks for it.
— Local Rules —
West Bloomfield Tree Permits: It Depends Where You Are
This is the question we get most in West Bloomfield, and the honest answer is that it depends on which map your lot falls on.
Outside a Mapped Woodland or Wetland: Not Regulated
The Township says it plainly — if your property is outside a designated woodland, a delineated wetland, or the 25-foot environmental features setback, the Township does not regulate your trees. Check your homeowners association, though; HOA rules can be stricter than the Township's.
Inside One: Call Before You Cut
In a designated woodland, cutting trees, shrubs, or ground foliage is not permitted without going through the Environmental Department first. If you believe a tree is dead, dying, or diseased and a hazard, staff can come assess it. If they determine it isn't, you'll need a woodland or wetland permit.
What Counts as a Woodland
The ordinance maps woodlands as areas of at least three contiguous acres with canopy over more than half the area, or an average tree density of 30 square feet of trunk basal area per acre. You can ask the Township forester for an on-site basal area analysis, and you can petition the Woodland Review Board to adjust a boundary.
The Ten-Foot Exemption
On lots in one-family subdivisions platted before the woodland provisions were adopted, any tree within ten feet of the approved location of the house, its driveway, single garage, and underground utilities can be cut without a permit. It doesn't extend to other accessory buildings — and any other tree on that lot still needs one.
Maintenance and Hazard Trees Are Allowed
The ordinance explicitly does not limit regular trimming, pruning, and maintenance, the removal of dead, diseased, or dying trees, or the removal of trees that could reasonably be expected to injure people or damage property. Utility easement and right-of-way cutting inside a woodland does still need a permit.
Storm Emergencies Don't Wait
The ordinance allows action without prior authorization where a tornado, windstorm, flood, freeze, insect infestation, or disease makes it necessary to prevent injury or damage, to the limited degree necessary, with notice to the Township afterward. That's what lets us respond at 2 a.m. and sort the paperwork in daylight.
Permits Take Time — and Near Water, So Does Soil
The Woodland Review Board meets the first Wednesday of the month and applications are filed about four weeks ahead, so a planned removal isn't a same-week job. Separately, disturbing soil within 500 feet of a lake, stream, or wetland — or over an acre anywhere — needs a soil erosion permit, which regularly applies to stump grinding on lakefront lots.
Ordinances change — confirm current requirements with West Bloomfield before planting or removing.
— Questions We Hear —
West Bloomfield Tree Service FAQs
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in West Bloomfield?+
What is the ten-foot exemption in West Bloomfield?+
How long does a West Bloomfield woodland permit take?+
Do I need anything else for stump grinding on a West Bloomfield lake lot?+
When can oaks be trimmed in West Bloomfield?+
— 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 West Bloomfield
Don't see your city? Ask us — we travel across all of Southeast Michigan.