Tree Removal
Old maples near downtown come down in pieces, on ropes. On the larger lots at the edge of town there is often room to fell a tree whole, which is quicker and easier on the lawn.
Tree Service in Verona, WI
From the old maples around Main Street to the young trees in the hilltop subdivisions, we handle tree removal, tree trimming, stump work and storm damage across Verona, a short drive down the road from our shop.
- A short drive from our shop
- Free written estimates
- Proof of insurance on request
Hometown USA has two generations of trees
Verona has grown fast, and its trees show it. The old core and the new neighborhoods need completely different tree care.
The old town. Around Main Street, Verona Avenue and the blocks near Hometown Junction Park, the trees are as old as the houses: broad silver and Norway maples, a few big oaks, spruce that have outgrown their corners. They overhang roofs, garages and service wires, and the work is careful pruning and, when a trunk finally hollows out, removal in pieces on ropes.
The hilltops. Cathedral Point, Scenic Ridge, Kettle Creek, Westridge and the newer streets that followed Epic’s growth sit on open ground that was farmed a generation ago. The trees are young, the wind is steady, and nothing shelters them. Young maples and lindens up there need structural pruning early, because a tree with two competing trunks is the one that splits in the first big storm.
The edges. Verona sits where the glacier stopped. The Ice Age Trail and the Military Ridge State Trail both run through town, the Sugar River and Badger Mill Creek wind along the low ground, and Badger Prairie County Park fills the northeast corner. Lots that back onto these corridors come with older oaks, and with boxelder, buckthorn and dead ash along the fence.
Beyond the city limits, the Town of Verona is farm lanes, woodlots and windbreaks, and we work there too.
Tree services we bring to Verona
Everything we do in Madison, we do in Verona. The yards are just a little bigger and the wind a little stronger.
Tree Trimming & Pruning
Hilltop neighborhoods catch the wind, so reducing long limbs and fixing double leaders in young trees is the pruning that matters most in Verona. Oaks wait for the cold months.
Stump Grinding
For stumps left by a removal, by a builder, or by whoever cleared the fencerow before the subdivision went in. The Diggers Hotline locate is filed for you.
Stump Removal
Patios, play sets, sheds and fence lines are going into Verona yards all the time. Where something permanent is going on top, the stump and its main roots come out completely.
Emergency Tree Service
Open ground means wind damage: split leaders, snapped spruce tops, whole trees tipped over with the root plate in the air. Alliant Energy is the electric utility for most of Verona.
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 Verona are free and written.
Verona tree rules, and who to call
Madison’s tree ordinances do not apply in Verona. This is how the responsibilities divide on this side of the county.
Street and park trees are the City’s
Verona’s Parks and Urban Forestry department looks after more than 4,400 public trees along streets and in parks. If a street tree is dead, broken or hanging low over the road, call them at 608-848-6809. Work on a public tree is theirs to do or to approve, not yours and not ours.
Yard trees are yours
A tree on your own lot is your responsibility. We have not found a city permit requirement for ordinary removals or pruning in a private Verona yard, but rules change, so we check with the City whenever a job touches a street tree, a drainage easement or a lot that is still under construction.
County park and state trails
Badger Prairie is a Dane County park, and the Military Ridge State Trail belongs to the Wisconsin DNR. A tree that has fallen from either one onto your lot is worth a call to the agency that owns the land before anyone cuts it, and a photograph either way.
Oaks follow the DNR calendar
There is no local oak permit here as there is in Madison, but oak wilt is present across Dane County. The Wisconsin DNR advises against pruning oaks from April through July. We keep oak work to the cold months, and seal storm wounds on oaks right away.
Whose tree is it? A ten-second check for Verona
Pick where the trunk stands.
Choose one above to see who is responsible for the tree, and who to call.
The City of Verona’s. Street trees are public and managed by Parks and Urban Forestry: 608-848-6809. Neither you nor a private crew should prune or remove one without the City’s approval.
Yours. Tree removal, pruning and stump work in a private Verona yard is the owner’s call, 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. Get your neighbor’s agreement in writing before anything is cut. We are happy to quote both households together.
Public, but check whose. City parks are Verona’s (608-848-6809). Badger Prairie is a Dane County park, and the Military Ridge State Trail is the Wisconsin DNR’s. Report the tree to whoever owns the land.
The utility goes first. Call 911 if a line is down or sparking. Alliant Energy serves most of Verona: 800-255-4268. If your bill says MGE, their number is 608-252-7000. We take over once the line is safe.
The tree work Verona calls us for
Different streets, different trees, and a few jobs we see every season.
- Double leaders in young trees. The most common defect in the newer neighborhoods. Two trunks rising from a tight fork will eventually push each other apart. One is subordinated while the cuts are still small.
- Wind-thrown and wind-snapped trees. Hilltop lots get the full force of summer storms. We see snapped spruce tops, maples with torn leaders and, after the worst of them, whole trees lying over with the roots in the air.
- Old silver maples near downtown. Big, fast-grown and heavy over the roof. Reduction pruning buys time; hollow trunks mean removal.
- Dead ash on the back line. Emerald ash borer has been through all of Dane County. Ash that were never treated are dead or dying, and dead ash turns brittle quickly.
- Spruce losing their lower branches. Needle cast disease is thinning blue spruce across southern Wisconsin. Badly affected trees are removed; the rest do better with space and air around them.
- Trees too close to the new patio. When landscaping plans change, a tree in the wrong place is better moved on early, and the stump taken out properly before the concrete goes down.
After a storm, start with our emergency tree service page, or call (608) 571-1326.
Where we work in Verona
The whole city, and the Town of Verona around it.
Neighborhoods and landmarks
- Downtown Verona
- Cathedral Point
- Scenic Ridge
- Kettle Creek
- Westridge
- Hawthorne Hills
- Hometown Junction Park
- Fireman’s Park
- Badger Prairie
- Military Ridge Trail
- Ice Age Trail
- Sugar River
- Badger Mill Creek
- Town of Verona
Verona is a straight run southwest from our shop on the Beltline. We also work next door in Fitchburg, up the road in Middleton, and west toward Mount Horeb.
Tree service questions from Verona
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Verona?
We have not found a city permit requirement for removing an ordinary tree in your own yard. Street and park trees are different: those belong to the City, and its Parks and Urban Forestry department (608-848-6809) decides what happens to them. We check before quoting.
Who looks after the tree between my sidewalk and the street?
The City of Verona. Parks and Urban Forestry manages more than 4,400 public trees, including street trees. Report a dead, damaged or low-hanging one at 608-848-6809. Private crews, ours included, don’t work on them without the City’s approval.
My new-neighborhood trees are small. Do they need pruning yet?
This is the best time. A few small structural cuts in the first ten years, to keep one main trunk and well-spaced limbs, prevent the split forks that bring down mature trees. The cuts are tiny, the tree seals them in a season, and the visit is short.
Do Madison’s oak rules apply in Verona?
No. Madison’s April 1 to October 15 oak work permit stops at Madison’s city line. Oak wilt does not, so we follow the Wisconsin DNR’s advice: no oak pruning from April through July, caution into fall, and storm wounds on oaks sealed immediately.
Do you work in the Town of Verona and out toward Mount Horeb?
Yes. Farm lanes, woodlot edges and windbreaks are regular work for us. Tell us about gates, soft ground and overhead lines along the driveway when you call, so the right equipment comes out the first time.
A tree from the trail or the county park fell into my yard. Who deals with it?
Photograph it first. Then call the owner of the land it came from: the Wisconsin DNR for the Military Ridge State Trail, Dane County Parks for Badger Prairie. If it is on your house or blocking you in, call us as well at (608) 571-1326.
Other communities we serve
FitchburgOn our doorstep: older lots by the Beltline, new subdivisions and farm country.MiddletonThe Good Neighbor City: mature shade trees, conservancy edges and lakeshore lots.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.