Like it or not, hurricanes are a fact of life around the Charleston area. Our new Hurricane Tree Removal and Clean Up page is just to let you know that we stand ready to assist and that we have a great amount of experience working in the aftermath of hurricanes.

Attention to your trees that suffer damage from strong winds or hurricanes:

1. Do not give up on them or write them off. Trees can sustain significant damage and still live. Proper trimming may be the answer to save a portion of the tree.

2. Save what you have. Proper care after damage may limit further damage.

3. Preparation. Maintenance of your trees does two things. 

  a. It makes your trees look good.

  b. It helps ensure the trees will have strong and safe structures as they grow. Consider a regular visit from a certified arborist, much like your annual termite inspection. Unfortunately most people tend to let trees mature without planned maintenance. The damage sustained by our next hurricane can be limited to a large degree with proper tree maintenance. A quick free inspection by your arborist will give you ideas on how to proceed.

Here at Palmetto Tree Service we are preparing for a busy spring season. The great recession left home and business owners with few resources to perform general maintenance on their trees and due to this, one of the biggest problems we are seeing right now are dead trees looming over homes, walkways and other common areas.

Dead trees are dangerous. They drop branches and pose the risk of falling or blowing over onto surrounding areas. Due to rot and decay, dead trees are particularly unpredictable to fell; therefore a Charleston professional tree removal company that carries general liability and workman’s compensation insurance should always remove them.

Dead tree removal in Mt Pleasant SC

Gum tree removal Mt Pleasant SC - Before

After inspection by certified arborist, Robert Thompson, it was determined that the gum tree needed to be removed. Although not apparent to laymen before the removal, the center of the tree was quite deteriorated. (see below) This tree was ripe for a wind to blow it over and cause a significant amount of damage.

Gum tree removal Mt Pleasant SC - Trunk After

Gum tree removal Mt Pleasant SC - Base After

Gum tree removal Mt Pleasant SC - Ground Level After

We will continue to provide tree service related articles and update this page when we have news to report.

• The oldest trees in the world are Bristlecone Pines. The USA has some 4,600 years old.
• The General Sherman is one of the tallest soft wood trees. It is a giant redwood sequoia of California. At 275 feet and a circumference of 25 feet, it is majestic.
• The coast redwood in California is the world’s tallest tree and measures 360 feet.
• The Ada Tree of Australia has a circumference of 50 feet. It is 236 feet high and has a root system that takes up more than an acre.

Mt Pleasant SC Tree Trimming Pic of General Sherman

•Water quality is improved by trees as they slow and filter precipitation. They also protect aquifers and watersheds.
•Water evaporation occurs through tree leaves, lowering the ambient temperature.
•The life of a tree is spent absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, renewing our air supply.
•A single tree produces about 260 pounds of oxygen each year. An acre of trees provides enough oxygen for eighteen people.
•The tree seed that stays in flight the longest is the cottonwood tree seed. The ultra-light, white fluff hairs surrounding the seed can carry it for several days through the air.
•Up to 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide is removed by each acre of trees per year.
•Tree roots stabilize soil and prevent erosion.
•Buildings are made up to 20 degrees cooler by shade trees in the summer.

Charleston SC Tree Service

 The drive to Boole Tree is incredible. As you drive through Stump Meadow, you will see some of the biggest stumps in the world and get a real feel for what has been destroyed. The biggest is the Chicago Stump measuring 70 feet around its perimeter. Sadly, the tree was cut down so it could be displayed in a museum in Chicago in the 1880s when such trees seemed plentiful.  We won’t be practicing our Charleston SC tree removal services here!

The Boole Tree Loop is only 2.5 miles, but will take a couple of hours since you’ll be staring up in the air like an idiot and looking at some incredible views. Since it is a loop, you can go either direction you wish. The first part of the trail will wind through at least 40 Giant Sequoia stumps that will boggle your mind with their size. Passing these, you’ll head up to a plateau where you can look down upon valleys in the canyon with Spanish Mountain in the distance. Regardless of which way you go, you’ll eventually come upon Boole Tree.

Boole Tree is big, but not as big as many of the stumps you’ll see. Boole Tree stands roughly 275 feet high with a perimeter of some 35 feet. It is estimated to be over 2,000 years old and is one of the biggest living trees in the world. Ironically, the tree is named after a lumber mill owner that spared it. To bad he wasn’t feeling as gracious with the other Giant Sequoias as all the stumps attest.

 The Sequoia National Park is also spectacular. Many Sugar Pines are in the floral mix. One of the strangest things you will find is that the cones from the Sugar Pines are huge while the cones from the monster Sequoias are very small. When walking on the trail, you will hear the crashes of the large cones breaking through the limbs on their way down. Listen for this and stay loose to dodge these bombs before they hit you.

 Can you imagine our Charleston SC tree climbing on these beauties? Here are a couple pictures of the sequoias from 2006:

Charleston SC Tree Service General Sherman

Tree Service Charleston SC Sequoia

Charleston SC Tree Service Palmettos at Dusk

Mt Pleasant Tree Service quick facts about the biology of trees:

• Cambium, phloem, xylem and cork make up the body of a tree.
• The longest living organism on the earth is the tree.
• Trees move water from the roots to the leaves via the xylem.
• Photosynthesis is the process by which plants and trees make their food using sunlight, water, nutrients, and carbon dioxide.

Charleston Tree Trimming

Charleston SC Tree Service provides some quick environmental facts about trees that you probably already know. This just provides a reminder on the environmental value of trees.

• Three tons of carbon would be returned to the atmosphere upon the death of one 70-year old tree.
• The most productive stage of carbon storage for a tree happens at about 10 years.
• Glare and reflection control is reduced by trees located along roadsides.
• An acre of trees can absorb as much carbon in one year as a car driven 8700 miles.
• Yearly heating and cooling costs are reduced by 2.1 billion dollars by trees’ shade and shelter.
• Trees lower air temperature by evaporating water through their leaves.
• Trees absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen keep our air supply fresh.
• The the life span for an average tree in metropolitan area is only about 8 years.
• Food and shelter for wildlife is provided by trees.
• Noise pollution is provided by trees by acting as sound barriers.
• Soil is stabalized by tree roots helping to prevent erosion.
• Water quality is improved by trees by protecting aquifers and watersheds and also slowing and filtering rain water.
• Protection from downward fall of rain, sleet, and hail is provided by trees.