Tree / Wood Removal

Congratulations on getting a house!

You either have time or money.

I never had the money, so I spent the time cutting up my own tree limbs and branches with a cheaper electric chainsaw for the big stuff and two different sized pruners for the smaller stuff. You will need these tools anyway. I got the low end electric chain saw from Lowe's or Home Depot and my pruners from Big Lots. One pair is small hand held. the other is longer extendable handles with a bigger pruner. Just don't twist the pruners and they'll last several years.

Don't be in a hurry and it will get done.

If you have plastic trash cans or can invest in two, put it in those and yard waste will pick them up every week. Or buy bags. Or you can bundle and tie with natural string, no plastic. This is the cheapest way to get rid of it fast.
You can run the two lengths of string all the way down your driveway and make several bundles at a time, leaving a space between each bundle. Then cut the string between bundles and tie each one. Step on the bundle before tieing, so bundle doesn't become too loose and fall apart.

Yes, be careful of those wood siders! If you open up the area a bit by moving some big pieces and getting sun and air in there a day or so first, a lot of those creepy crawlies will leave.

Tree trimmers and landscapers are VERY EXPENSIVE! Buy the tools at a micro fraction of the cost and just don't be in a hurry. There's always next year!

Also, I had several stumps in my yard and a tree grinder is expensive, either renting the tool or hiring someone. If you dig a trench around the stump and let it be a few weeks, it really loosens up, but it will still be hard but possible. Don't try to remove it all at one time. I also put stump rotter on a couple of stumps with an upside down pot over it so the dogs didn't get into it and let it be for several months. It breaks it down considerably. I am 53 with arthritis, my adult daughter is pregnant, but we were able to remove half a dozen tree stumps and massive bush root balls by doing this little by little.

Tree removal is super expensive (my BFF just got a quote to have one tree removed, FOUR GRAND... and that was the cheapest!) If you can move it yourself, post the leftover wood on craigslist for free, it WILL move! OR, do you have a woodburning fireplace? Chop it and save it! Then spray the hell out of the yard with pesticide, and keep the kiddos/pets away for a few days ;)

Rent a chainsaw and cut as much as possible into smaller pieces.....put some at the curb with a sign that says "free firewood".....with luck you will get someone who wants all of it, and will haul it away for you.
As far as the smaller branches and leaves etc, you might have to rent a chipper and make it into mulch, depending on how much there is, or at least cut it up and tie it up into bundles for kindling or for your heavy trash pickup......or maybe you can put the debris into yard bags for the trash.
In any case, you will be able to accomplish this with some perseverance and patience and hard work.......just don't try to do it all in one day, it will get done.....check around your new community too for people who may do hauling on the side, or odd jobs etc. if it is too much for you.....

We have had decent luck with getting people to cut down trees and haul away wood on our property just by offering it as free firewood. We're in a rural area though, where there are lots of people who a) know how to run a chainsaw without triggering a lawsuit, and b) burn wood for heat. We just post an ad on Craigslist when we're ready for some wood removal, and then show them where it is. We had one couple who had some background in forestry - they were great, because I could mark trees that I wanted taken down, and they would come get them.

If you're in an urban area, you might be able to burn it in the yard yourself - check out your local ordinances on that. Be careful with the pesticides - you don't want to get rid of the good bugs out there.

I'd find a neighbor with a chain saw or even go buy one and do it myself. Tree removal is expensive as someone else said. A cheap chain saw will get used (after all I'm pretty sure there are other trees or shrubs on your property) and will cost a LOT less than paying someone to do it. As for the stump, get creative and dig out the center, add some potting soil and use it as a planter, or leave it and let the kids have fun climbing on it.

You need a tree specialist, not a landscaping company, if you want the stump to be ground down (recommended). Sometimes a tree service will give you a break if they bring a wood chipper, since the smaller branches can be chipped and reused/resold as mulch. Or you could use the mulch yourself. Another option is to offer it on a free service like Freecycle ("free firewood, BYO chain saw") or call a local logger who may come and take it for his own use. I know some people who heat their home with a wood stove, and they need firewood all the time. The man does logging and has carte blanche from all the neighbors to take down dead or fallen trees. He also sells firewood to others.

The bugs will disappear when the wood disappears. They've just got a great place to hide. Make sure the tree was not cut down because it was taken over by carpenter ants - that may mean the wood is rotten and not something anyone will want to re-use. The grass seed and small wood chips and other debris can go into a composter, along with grass clippings from the rest of your lawn, leaves you rake, plant trimmings, kitchen waste, fireplace ash and anything else organic. I have a large covered bin (open on the bottom) and just use a pitchfork or compost-turner to turn it every so often. Makes great compost for my garden, cuts down on my trash, keeps me from putting stuff down the garbage disposal (which fills up the septic tank), and more. Our town offers compost bins at a decent price, and most garden centers have them as well.