Tree Service in Cape Coral, FL

Tree Service in Cape Coral looks a little different from the rest of Lee County because the city itself was laid out on paper first. Leonard and Jack Rosen bought a 103-square-mile tract in 1957 and started building in 1958, and Lee County approved a master plan dividing the whole property into lots. The result is street after street of similar parcels, many backing onto some of the more than 400 miles of canals. Fort Myers Tree Service Pros works on those lots every week: trimming palms over pool cages, taking down trees that crowd a seawall, grinding stumps and clearing storm damage.

Canal lots versus dry lots

On a canal lot, the tree usually stands between the house and the water, and the only clear drop zone may be the yard or the canal itself. We plan cuts so limbs come down in sections onto the lawn, not onto the seawall cap, the dock or a neighbor's boat lift. On dry lots in the northern and eastern parts of the city, the challenge is often the opposite: the tree is close to the street, the swale and the power lines.

Swales and the right-of-way

Cape Coral's development code lists trimming, cutting or routine maintenance of existing trees in the public right-of-way or swale as work that does not need a city permit. Removing vegetation or changing the swale is a different matter and generally does need one. The code also requires clear visibility between 30 inches and 8 feet in the corner sight triangle at intersections, so a corner-lot tree may need its lower canopy lifted. After a certificate of occupancy, the owner is expected to maintain the swale in front of the house.

Owls, tortoises and eagles

The city has documented more than 3,500 burrowing owl burrows, and the burrowing owl has been Cape Coral's official city bird since 2005. Harming owls or damaging a burrow is a crime, and the gopher tortoise is protected by the state as well. Before we bring a stump grinder or a loaded truck across a lot, we look for burrow entrances, which are usually 3.5 to 6 inches across with a mound of sand at the opening. Bald eagles also nest in the city, and their nesting season runs from October 1 to about May 15. If a tree on or next to your property holds a nest, we will talk through the protection rules before any cutting.

Where the debris goes

The city's horticulture pickup takes branches cut to 6 feet or less, no more than 4 inches thick, tied in bundles of 50 pounds or less. Palm fronds go in one neat pile, all facing the same direction. Stumps are not taken with regular pickup, and City Code 9-18 requires that trimmings produced by tree companies and landscapers be removed by the company that did the work. When we quote a job in Cape Coral, hauling is written into the estimate so nothing ends up at your curb waiting for a truck that won't take it.

Power lines

Cape Coral is served by LCEC. The cooperative says only line clearance qualified workers should work within ten feet of its lines, and it offers a free site visit when private tree work is needed near a distribution line. If your tree is tangled in a primary line, we will ask you to call LCEC first, then handle the rest of the tree once the line is safe.

Call (239) 236-3651 for a free written estimate on your Cape Coral lot. Get a free estimate