Tree Removal
Most Middleton removals are rigged: taken apart from the top and lowered on ropes between houses, garages and wires. Conservancy-edge trees are checked for ownership before anything is cut.
Tree Service in Middleton, WI
Mature shade trees downtown, oak woods along Pheasant Branch, lakeshore lots on Mendota: Middleton has some of the best trees in Dane County. We remove, prune and clean up after them, up the Beltline from our shop.
- Up the Beltline from our shop
- Free written estimates
- Proof of insurance on request
The Good Neighbor City, and its very large trees
Middleton is older and leafier than most of its neighbors, which means bigger trees, closer houses and more careful work.
Downtown and the old neighborhoods. The streets around Parmenter Street, Hubbard Avenue and Elmwood Avenue carry maples, oaks and lindens that have been growing for the better part of a century. They shade whole blocks, and they hang over roofs, garages and the wires behind them. Almost nothing here can be felled in one piece. Trees come down from the top, a limb at a time, lowered on ropes.
The conservancy edge. Hundreds of Middleton back yards end at the Pheasant Branch Conservancy, Tiedeman Pond, Stricker’s Pond or a city greenway. That is a wonderful thing to live beside, and it means oaks and hickories on the lot line, dead ash leaning in from the public side, and buckthorn pushing under the fence.
The lake. Along the Mendota shore, cottonwoods and willows grow huge in wet ground and shed limbs in every storm. Access is usually a narrow side yard, and there is a house on one side and water on the other.
The newer west and north. Middleton Hills, Foxridge, Stonefield, Orchid Heights and the streets out toward Pleasant View have younger trees that are just reaching the size where structure matters. A little pruning now is what keeps them from becoming the next generation’s problem trees.
Tree services we bring to Middleton
The same five services as everywhere we work. In Middleton they mostly happen in tight spaces.
Tree Trimming & Pruning
Deadwood over roofs and play areas, clearance over the street, and weight taken off long limbs on mature maples and oaks. Oaks are pruned in the cold months only.
Stump Grinding
Old neighborhoods hide old utilities. We file the Diggers Hotline ticket and ask you about the private lines nobody marks, then grind below grade and leave the spot ready for soil and seed.
Stump Removal
For additions, garages, patios and fence lines. Where a root runs under a walk or toward a foundation it is cut and left, not pulled, so nothing above it gets lifted.
Emergency Tree Service
Big trees make big emergencies. Lakeshore cottonwoods and old silver maples are the usual culprits. If wires are involved the utility goes first; MGE serves most of Middleton.
Not sure what you need?
Most people aren’t. Tell us what you are looking at and we will walk the yard with you. Estimates in Middleton are free and written.
Middleton tree rules, and who to call
Middleton runs its own forestry program, separate from Madison’s. These are the points that affect a homeowner.
Street trees are the City’s
Trees inside the public road right-of-way, including the terrace between the sidewalk and the street, are owned and maintained by the City of Middleton. The City prunes and removes them. If one needs attention, call Forestry at 608-821-8380 or Public Works at 608-821-8370.
Yard trees are yours, including the part over the street
Trees on your lot are your responsibility, and we know of no general permit for removing or pruning them. Middleton does expect owners to keep private trees trimmed clear of the roadway; the figure in the city code, as we read it, is 13.5 feet above the street.
Conservancy and greenway edges
A tree on the far side of your back fence may belong to the City. Before work on a boundary tree along Pheasant Branch, a pond or a greenway, we confirm where the lot line is. A dead or leaning tree on public land is reported to the City, not cut by a neighbor.
Oaks follow the DNR calendar
Madison’s oak work permit does not reach Middleton, but oak wilt does. The Wisconsin DNR advises against pruning oaks from April through July. Middleton’s oak woods are worth protecting, so we prune oaks in the cold months and seal storm wounds at once.
Whose tree is it? A ten-second check for Middleton
Pick where the trunk stands.
Choose one above to see who is responsible for the tree, and who to call.
The City of Middleton’s. Trees in the public road right-of-way are owned and maintained by the City. Call Forestry at 608-821-8380. Private crews, ours included, don’t work on them.
Yours. Removal, pruning and stump work in a private Middleton yard is up to the owner, and it is what we do. Call (608) 571-1326 for a free written estimate.
Shared. A trunk that straddles the lot line belongs to both owners. Agree in writing before anything is cut. If the other side of the line is a conservancy or greenway, the other owner is the City.
The City’s. Pheasant Branch Conservancy, the ponds, the parks and the greenways are public land. Report a dead, leaning or fallen tree to Middleton Forestry at 608-821-8380.
The utility goes first. Call 911 if a line is down or sparking. MGE serves most of Middleton: 608-252-7000. If your bill says Alliant Energy, call 800-255-4268. We take over once the line is safe.
The tree work Middleton calls us for
Mature trees, close quarters and a lot of public land next door shape most of what we do here.
- Deadwood in mature trees. A big healthy oak or maple still sheds dead branches, and over a roof, a driveway or a play area those are worth removing before the wind does it.
- Roof and street clearance. Limbs resting on shingles or hanging low over the road are lifted with a few well-placed cuts, never by topping.
- Lakeshore cottonwoods and willows. Fast, soft-wooded and enormous. Long limbs are reduced to take weight off, and trees that have begun to hollow are taken down before the lake wind decides.
- Dead ash along the conservancy. Emerald ash borer has been through all of Dane County. Ash on your side of the line is yours to deal with; ash on the public side gets reported.
- Buckthorn coming under the fence. Cut, cleared and the stumps ground, so the same thicket does not grow back in three years.
- Young trees in Middleton Hills and the newer west side. Structural pruning now, while the cuts are small, is the most valuable tree care those streets can get.
Storm damage is handled through our emergency tree service: call (608) 571-1326.
Where we work in Middleton
Every neighborhood in the city, and the Town of Middleton beyond it.
Neighborhoods and landmarks
- Downtown Middleton
- Parmenter Street
- Middleton Hills
- Foxridge
- Stonefield
- Orchid Heights
- Pheasant Branch Conservancy
- Tiedeman Pond
- Stricker’s Pond
- Lake Mendota shore
- Lakeview Park
- Pleasant View
- Greenway Station
- Town of Middleton
Middleton is a quick run up the Beltline from our shop. We also work in neighboring Shorewood Hills, Cross Plains and Waunakee, in Verona to the south, and all over Madison’s west side.
Tree service questions from Middleton
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Middleton?
We know of no general permit for removing a tree in your own Middleton yard. Trees in the road right-of-way, and on conservancy and greenway land, belong to the City, which does its own pruning and removal. If you’re unsure which you have, Forestry (608-821-8380) can tell you.
Who looks after the tree between my sidewalk and the street?
The City of Middleton. Trees within the public road right-of-way are city-owned, and the City prunes and removes them. Report a problem to Forestry at 608-821-8380 or Public Works at 608-821-8370. Please don’t prune a street tree yourself.
My yard backs onto Pheasant Branch. Whose trees are on the line?
It depends where the lot line actually runs, and fences are often not on it. We confirm the boundary before quoting. Trees on your side are yours. Trees on the conservancy side are the City’s, and a dead or leaning one should be reported to Middleton Forestry.
Can you take down a big tree between two houses?
Yes. That describes most of our Middleton work. The tree is dismantled from the top, each piece lowered on ropes to a drop zone, and the trunk brought down in short sections. Nothing free-falls, so roofs, fences and gardens underneath stay as they were.
Do Madison’s oak rules apply in Middleton?
No. Madison’s April 1 to October 15 oak work permit applies only inside the City of Madison. We follow the Wisconsin DNR’s advice in Middleton: no oak pruning from April through July, caution into fall, and any storm wound on an oak sealed immediately.
Do you work on lakeshore properties?
Yes. Shoreline jobs usually mean a narrow side yard, soft ground and a tree that can only go one way, so they are planned carefully. Waterfront lots can carry extra rules about clearing near the water, and we check with the City before removing trees at the lake edge.
Other communities we serve
FitchburgOn our doorstep: older lots by the Beltline, new subdivisions and farm country.VeronaHometown USA: old maples downtown, young trees on the hilltops.MononaSmall lots, big oaks and a long stretch of Lake Monona shoreline.McFarlandA lake village: old shade trees in the center, shoreline lots on Waubesa.Sun PrairieDane County’s fastest-growing city: old Main Street maples and thousands of young trees.
We also work throughout Madison and in Waunakee, Oregon, Cottage Grove, DeForest, Windsor, Stoughton, Mount Horeb, Cross Plains, Shorewood Hills and Maple Bluff. See all service areas.
Request a free estimate
Tell us what you’re looking at and we’ll call to set a time to walk the yard. If a tree is down or hanging, call instead.
Tree Service Madison
4269 W Beltline Hwy, 1st Floor
Madison, WI 53711
4269 W Beltline Hwy, 1st Floor
Madison, WI 53711
Monday to Saturday, 7am to 6pm
Storm calls are triaged by hazard.
Storm calls are triaged by hazard.