Tree Removal Across Duncan

Downtown Duncan and older residential lots

Older lots near the downtown core often carry mature Douglas fir and western red cedar close to your house, fence or lane. When a tree is that close, we look hardest at rigging and where the pieces can safely land. We also check Bylaw No. 3135's diameter thresholds before any cutting starts.

The Cowichan River floodplain

On Duncan's eastern side along the Cowichan River, Flood Plain Management Bylaw No. 3236 regulates how we handle trees and root systems near the bank.

What does a hazard assessment actually look for?

We walk the tree and check five things before calling it a hazard: has the lean changed recently, is bark missing or loose, are there fungal conks on the trunk or root flare, is any limb cracked or hanging, and does the soil at the base show root heave. We look for a combination of structural signs before we recommend taking a tree down.

Even then, once we confirm a hazard, the City waives the permit fee — you still pay a refundable security tied to the replacement tree, and we handle that paperwork ourselves as part of the quote.

When your tree has no clear fall path — a trunk boxed in by your house, a fence line or a neighbour's property — we don't try a straight drop. We rig the trunk and lower it in sections, and we call BC Hydro before cutting near any overhead or buried service line.

From late March through mid-August we also check for active nests before we cut, since disturbing one is against both federal and provincial law no matter how urgent the removal feels.

Once the tree is down, we haul away the rounds, brush and chips as part of the job, or leave them behind as firewood or mulch — whichever you'd rather have.

Where the tree is sound enough to keep, we prune it back from a structure or line to the ANSI A300 standard instead of taking it down, and that can clear the permit process entirely. Every cut we make follows WorkSafeBC safety standards. Afterward, we grind stumps 15 to 25 centimetres below grade so you can replant or pave over the site.

We provide written hazard confirmations before giving you a quote, ensuring your price accurately matches the tree's condition.

A mature downtown lot often has more than one tree close enough together that we walk the whole property instead of pricing one trunk on its own. If a Development Permit Area applies near the river, we confirm it on that same visit, alongside the diameter check.

We carry liability insurance on every job here, and every quote is a flat rate in writing before we book anything, so nothing new shows up on the invoice once the work is done.

The first visit costs you nothing. We visit your property, inspect the timber and deliver a written flat-rate quote, so you pay nothing until you accept the price.

Tree services across Duncan

We handle danger tree removal, storm and windthrow cleanup, stump grinding, and pruning and crown thinning anywhere in the city.