West Virginia
Tree Removal and Tree Service in West Virginia
West Virginia is the third most forested state, and very little of it is flat. Trees grow above houses, roads and power lines on slopes where a truck cannot follow, which makes access the defining feature of tree work here.
2012: a derecho in June and a blizzard in October
The derecho of June 29, 2012 crossed the entire state in an evening. More than half of West Virginia's electric customers lost power, some for two weeks, almost entirely because of trees on lines.
Four months later Superstorm Sandy turned to snow over the mountains. Two to three feet of heavy, wet snow fell on trees that still had leaves in Preston, Tucker, Randolph and Nicholas counties, and the weight brought down limbs and whole trees over thousands of square miles.
Ice is the recurring problem in the west. In February 2021 two ice storms a few days apart struck Cabell, Wayne and Putnam counties, and crews were still clearing broken hardwoods weeks afterward.
What a slope adds to a tree job
- No bucket truck
- Lifts need level, firm ground. On a hillside the tree is climbed, which takes longer and requires sound wood.
- Gravity
- Every cut piece wants to roll or slide. Rigging has to control it all the way down.
- Hauling by hand
- Brush and logs are carried, winched or left on site by agreement. Leaving wood stacked on the slope lowers the price.
- Trees above the roof
- A tree uphill from the house has more reach than its height suggests.
- Soil holding
- Roots bind steep banks. Stumps are commonly cut low and left in place.
West Virginia trees and how they behave
| Tree | Notes |
|---|---|
| Tulip poplar | Fast, tall and straight. Tops break in wind and whole trees slide from wet banks. |
| Red, white and chestnut oak | The backbone of the forest. Affected by drought-related decline and spongy moth defoliation. |
| White ash | Mostly dead from emerald ash borer, first found in Fayette County in 2007. |
| Eastern hemlock | Declining in coves and along streams from hemlock woolly adelgid. |
| Black locust | Common on old pasture and mine land. Rot-resistant wood but shallow-rooted on thin soil. |
| Sugar maple | The state tree. Strong, though old roadside maples are often hollow. |
Rules, utilities and hiring in West Virginia
West Virginia has no state license specific to arborists or tree services, and no statewide permit for removing a tree on private land. A handful of cities, Charleston and Morgantown among them, have tree boards that oversee street and park trees.
Utility lines deserve particular care here because they run through forest for long distances. Trees touching the primary lines along the road are the power company's to clear. The service line from the pole to your house is usually your responsibility, though the utility will disconnect it so a tree company can work safely.
Because no license screens operators, ask for a certificate of liability insurance and workers' compensation sent directly by the insurer. Hillside work has a high injury rate, and an uninsured crew puts the property owner at risk.
Reducing risk before winter
- Walk the uphill side
- Look for dead ash and leaning trees whose fall line reaches the house or drive.
- Check the service line
- Limbs resting on it will pull it down under ice.
- Clear the escape route
- On a one-lane hollow road, one fallen tree can block everyone. Dead trees along it are a shared concern.
- Do not top trees
- Topping creates weak regrowth that breaks under snow. Selective reduction is the alternative.
Hillside trees that should be looked at soon
Curved trunk base with fresh soil cracks upslope
The slope or the root plate is moving.
Exposed roots on the downhill side
Erosion has removed support.
An ash with no bark on the upper trunk
Long dead and liable to snap.
A tree hung up in another
It will come down. Keep everyone out from under it.
West Virginia tree service questions
Can a tree on a steep hillside be removed safely?
Yes, by climbing and rigging, provided the wood is sound enough to climb. Long-dead trees on slopes are the hardest case and sometimes can only be felled in a controlled direction.
Does West Virginia require a tree removal permit?
Not at the state level for private property. City tree boards manage public trees. Check with your municipality if the tree is near the street.
Who clears trees from power lines in West Virginia?
The utility maintains its primary lines. The owner is usually responsible for trees over the service drop to the house. Call the utility to have the drop disconnected before work near it.
Should I leave the stump on a bank?
Often, yes. A low stump and its roots keep holding soil for years. Grinding or pulling stumps on a steep bank can start erosion.
Tree service in West Virginia, by phone
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