Tree Service in Waterville, NY

Tree service in Waterville, NY deals with weather a bit different from the river towns. The village sits at about 1,200 feet, well above Utica and the Mohawk Valley floor, on the line between the towns of Marshall and Sangerfield in southern Oneida County. Higher ground means more exposure to wind and a longer stretch of winter, and the trees here show it.

Elevation and exposure. Trees on open upland lots catch wind from every direction. Big maples and spruces that grew up in the shelter of other trees can be left standing alone after a neighbor's tree comes down or a field is cleared, and they are more prone to windthrow and broken tops. Heavy snow adds weight to evergreen branches. Thinning dense crowns and removing weak leaders can help a tree ride out a storm.

What the hop farms left behind. Hops came to the area around 1820, and by 1875 Waterville was called the Hops Capital of the World. Railroad service in 1867 made the village a major shipping point. Production fell off after the 1920s, and by the late 1940s the hop farms had been turned to other uses. A lot of that former farmland grew back as hedgerows, brushy fields and young woods. Owners of rural parcels around the village often call us to open up old fence lines, clear saplings from a field edge or thin a woodlot so the better trees have room.

The Waterville Triangle. The Waterville Triangle Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1978, holds 59 contributing buildings from 1820 to 1900 where Stafford Avenue, Main Street and White Street meet. The Tower Homestead and Masonic Temple are listed too. Large old trees near houses of that age need care: roots run under walks and foundations, and limbs reach over slate, porches and chimneys. We rig limbs down instead of dropping them and protect the lawn and walks from equipment.

Services in and around the village

• Trimming and pruning for shade trees around older homes
• Removal of dead, split or wind-damaged trees
• Emergency storm tree service after wind, ice or heavy snow
• Stump grinding for lawns and garden beds
• Hazard tree assessment for big trees near the house
• Land and lot clearing on former farm parcels, field edges and fence lines

Ash in the hedgerows. Ash is common in farm hedgerows and young woods across central New York, and emerald ash borer, first found in the state in 2009, kills it by tunneling under the bark. Dead ash along a road frontage or driveway becomes a hazard. Under New York rules, untreated firewood cannot be moved more than 50 miles from its source, so wood from your trees is best used or disposed of locally.

Planning a visit. Waterville is southwest of Utica in the hills of southern Oneida County. Call (315) 743-5662 or send photos, and we will set a time to walk the property and write up a quote listing each tree and what will be done.

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