Most of the tree removal Tubbs Tree Service does happens right here in Tompkins County. In Ithaca, that often means a mature maple or spruce growing a few feet from a rental house, with a neighbor’s garage on one side and a row of parked cars on the other. In Lansing and Trumansburg, it might be a leaning oak above a lake bank or a dead ash hanging over a long gravel driveway.
Our motto is “no tree too big and no space too small,” and we take it seriously. Jason Tubbs brings 20+ years of experience in forestry, residential tree work, and construction and property management, so he plans each removal around what could go wrong: the roof, the overhead wires, the slope and the people living next door. You get the plan in writing before any saw starts.
Why Ithaca removals usually come down in pieces
Dropping a whole tree in one swing needs open ground, and city lots rarely have it. Around Ithaca and Cayuga Heights, our crew takes trees down in controlled sections. Depending on access, that can mean climbers working with ropes and rigging, a bucket truck set up at the curb, or a crane lifting pieces over the house and setting them where the knuckle boom truck and log grapple can load them.
Jason chooses the method during the consultation. An ash with a clear landing zone behind a Groton farmhouse may need only a climber and a sound plan. A tall spruce squeezed behind a duplex in Ithaca may call for a crane so nothing swings anywhere near the shingles.
Street trees, the City Forester and your property line
If the tree stands on a public street, in a park or on other City of Ithaca property, it is not yours to take down. City Code Chapter 306 requires written permission from the City Forester before anyone plants, prunes or removes a public tree. Trees on your own land need no city permit, though owners are expected to keep them clear of sidewalks, streetlights and signs. In Cayuga Heights, right-of-way trees are managed by the Village Forester. If you can’t tell where your line falls, ask the city or village office before we schedule.
What moves the price on a Tompkins County removal
- Height, trunk size and condition, including dead wood that makes climbing unsafe
- Access: a backyard reached only through a side gate takes longer than a front yard by the street
- What sits underneath, such as roofs, decks, fences, gardens and overhead wires
- Whether the slope or the reach calls for a crane or a bucket truck
- How much cleanup you want, and whether stump grinding is added
- Whether wood stays on site for you or leaves for local use
Where the wood ends up
Your plan can keep rounds stacked for your own woodstove, leave a brush pile for wildlife on a rural lot in Danby or Caroline, or send the wood to local use as firewood or mulch. Good straight logs sometimes become building material. If you plan to keep the wood, New York’s rule is that untreated firewood should not travel more than 50 miles from where it was cut.
Tree Removal Questions From Tompkins County
Do I need a permit to take down a tree in my own Ithaca yard?
Not for a tree that is fully on your property inside the City of Ithaca. The permit rule in City Code Chapter 306 covers trees on public streets, parks and city land, which need written permission from the City Forester. If the trunk sits near the sidewalk edge and you can’t tell whose it is, check with the city before work is booked.
Is stump grinding part of the removal price?
It is a choice, not an automatic charge. Jason lists stump grinding as its own line in your plan, so you can include it, skip it or book it later as a separate visit. Plenty of Tompkins County homeowners add it when the stump sits in a lawn or a bed they want to replant.
Can you remove a tree leaning toward my house when there’s barely any yard?
Yes, and small spaces are where planning matters most. Trees close to houses come down in controlled sections, with each piece lowered on ropes or lifted out by crane so nothing lands on the roof. During the $50 consultation Jason checks the lean, any rot and the access, then explains how the crew will handle it.
Want the full picture? Read our tree removal guide, or see everything we do in Tompkins County.