- Typical price
- $600 to $3,000 or more
- Urgent when
- The lean is new or the soil is cracked
- Method
- Often rigging or crane
Normal Lean or Warning Sign?
Many trees grew toward light and have leaned slightly for decades. That is usually stable. A lean that is new, gets worse, or comes with a mound or crack in the soil on the other side points to root failure. Heavy rain in clay soil is the classic trigger.
What to Look For
- Soil heaved or cracked near the base
- Roots lifted out of the ground
- A tilted trunk that was straight last year
- A lean toward the house, driveway or play area
What Crews Do
A leaning tree is tricky because the weight is not where the saw expects it. Crews often tie it off, use a bucket truck or crane to hold the load and take the tree down in pieces. They never cut it the way they would a straight one.
What You Can Do Now
Keep people and vehicles out of the lean zone, and do not park under it. Call a tree service. If it is leaning on the house, treat it as an emergency. For other warning signs, read signs a tree needs to be removed.