Tree Service in Matlacha, FL

Tree Service in Matlacha is about precision. The village sits on West Island and Porpoise Point Island, at a narrow point in Matlacha Pass where County Road 78 crosses from the mainland toward Pine Island. Its land area is only about 0.20 square miles, and roughly 70% of the community's total area is water. Brightly painted galleries, boutiques, seafood restaurants and old Florida cottages sit close together on narrow lots. Fort Myers Tree Service Pros takes on Matlacha jobs knowing there's rarely space to drop anything bigger than a frond.

After Ian. Hurricane Ian largely devastated the village in 2022. The National Hurricane Center estimated 6 to 9 feet of storm surge for Pine Island and the communities at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee, and Matlacha sits right in that area at an elevation of about 3 feet. The storm also damaged the small drawbridge over Matlacha Pass. Many trees on the islands were killed outright by salt water; others hung on and have been fading since. As owners rebuild and repaint, we take out the trees that didn't make it and help decide what to plant.

Working in tight quarters. On a Matlacha lot, a palm may be three feet from a cottage, a deck and the neighbor's fence all at once. We take palms down from the top in short pieces and lower each one by rope. Larger trees are rigged limb by limb. Equipment stays on the street or a driveway, and debris is carried out by hand when needed. Because the bridge on CR 78 is the way on and off, we plan each visit so the truck makes one trip.

Mangroves. Much of the shoreline around Matlacha Pass is mangrove, and the Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge is right next door. Florida's Mangrove Trimming and Preservation Act protects red, white and black mangroves, and the state notes that the act doesn't distinguish between living and dead mangroves. A mangrove killed by Ian's surge is regulated the same as a healthy one. We don't cut mangroves, alive or dead, without the proper authorization.

Trees that suit the islands. If you're replanting, coastal natives make sense. UF/IFAS research ranks buttonwood, cabbage palm, gumbo limbo and cocoplum among the most wind-resistant trees, and sea grape just behind. They also cope with salt better than most ornamentals.

Common Matlacha jobs:

• Removing palms and trees killed by surge
• Trimming coconut palms over walkways and parking
• Clearing branches from roofs, porches and signs
• Small-space stump grinding
• Pruning sea grapes and buttonwoods

LCEC, the cooperative that serves Pine Island and Cape Coral on either side of the village, asks that only line clearance qualified arborists work within 10 feet of its lines. If a tree is touching a line, call your utility first; LCEC's number is 239-656-2300.

Call (239) 236-3651 or send the form for a free estimate. Get a free estimate