Tree service in Denver comes down to species, size, access and timing. Our published guide puts trimming at $150 to $650 per tree and a large mature tree at $500 to $1,500 or more, with storm cleanup priced on the job. Call (720) 650-0165 or send a free quote request with photos and your address range.
Denver trees live a hard life: a mile of altitude, a dry climate, alkaline clay, hail every summer and wet snow storms in the shoulder seasons. The work that keeps them standing is mostly planning, not chainsaws. This page covers what tree service includes here, what it costs, when to prune, what the city requires for trees in the public right-of-way, how storms and the emerald ash borer change the picture, and how to hold a bid to a written scope.
What does tree service in Denver include?
Tree service covers pruning and trimming, removal of dead or hazardous trees, storm and hail cleanup, stump work, planting guidance and health checks for pests and stress. A good scope names the trees, the cuts, the cleanup and what happens to the debris, so that two bids can be compared line by line.
The word “tree service” stretches across jobs that need very different skills. Raising a low limb over a walkway is different from taking down a large ash next to a house. A bid should say which tree, which limbs or which removal, how the wood leaves the property, and whether stump grinding or restoration of the lawn is included.
The usual job types
- Structural pruning. Removing weak, crossing or co-dominant limbs so the tree carries snow and wind load better.
- Clearance pruning. Lifting canopy over walks, drives, roofs and utility lines.
- Dead and hazard removal. Limbs or whole trees that have failed or are failing.
- Storm cleanup. Torn limbs, hail-shredded canopies and downed wood after a Front Range storm.
- Health care and planting advice. Species choice, iron chlorosis and ash decisions, watering plans for young trees.
How much does tree service cost in Denver?
Our published Denver guide puts trimming or pruning at $150 to $650 per tree and a large mature tree at $500 to $1,500 or more. Storm and hail cleanup is quoted on the job. Species, height, access, nearby structures and disposal decide where a particular tree lands in those ranges.
Those numbers are from our own Denver landscaping cost guide, which also covers the other lines of a yard budget. What pushes a tree job toward the top of a range:
- Size. Height and spread decide climbing time and how much wood comes down.
- Access. A tree in an open yard is different from one behind a fence, over a roof or beside a power line.
- Condition. Dead, decayed or storm-damaged wood is brittle and slower to work.
- Debris. Chipping on site is quicker than hauling, and hauling is quicker than hand-carrying through a gate.
- Extras. Stump grinding, lawn repair and firewood cutting are separate lines.
A quote that gives only a single price for “tree work” is hard to hold anyone to. Ask for each tree to be listed with its job and its price.
When is the best time to prune trees in Denver?
For most trees, late winter dormancy, roughly February into early March, is the main window because structure is easy to see and cuts heal as growth starts. Elms are the notable timing exception because Dutch elm disease is spread by beetles, so confirm the right pruning window for an elm with Denver Forestry or the Colorado State Forest Service before any cut. The Colorado State Forest Service’s general advice is that late winter or early spring is the best time to prune most trees.
Dormant structural pruning also puts the work ahead of the storms that do the damage. Denver’s tree-breaking weather is wet snow in March, April and October, when branches carry heavy loads of slushy snow and may still hold leaves. Removing weak limbs before that window is one of the best-value jobs in tree care. Spring flowering shrubs and some trees are best pruned after bloom, which is another reason to name the tree and not just book a “pruning day”.
What does Denver require for trees in the public right-of-way?
The Office of the City Forester requires a permit before removing, planting, injecting or attaching material to any public or protected tree. The permit is free, review can take up to 5 business days, and a contractor hired for the work is responsible for pulling it. Protection also covers trees in street setbacks.
We verified this against the City and County of Denver pages and recorded it on our landscaping permit guide. For a tree that stands wholly inside your private yard, confirm its status with the Forester before cutting, since the protected category can include trees in certain street-facing setbacks. Do not assume a tree is yours to remove because it is near your fence. A call to the city before the work is cheaper than a stop order after it.
Before anyone digs a planting hole or trenches near roots, call Colorado 811 for utility locates, as with any digging in Denver.
What does our tree service process look like, step by step?
We start with photos and a site look, list each tree and the work proposed, price it in writing, and schedule it against weather and permits. The work is cleaned up the same visit, and you get a note on what to watch afterward. Nothing starts until the scope is approved.
- Request. You call or send the quote form with photos and your address range. This takes a few minutes. You decide which trees are in question.
- Site look. We note species, size, condition, access and anything overhead or underneath. You walk it with us and tell us what bothers you.
- Written scope. Each tree gets its job, price and cleanup line. We flag permits if a street tree is involved. You approve, drop or phase the items.
- Scheduling. Work is booked around weather and, for pruning, the right season. Emergencies jump the line. You choose the date among those offered.
- The work. Pruning, removal or cleanup is carried out, with debris handled as written. Time on site depends on the tree and the access.
- Follow-up. We note aftercare such as watering for young trees and when to recheck cuts or damaged limbs. You decide on any second visit.
How do emerald ash borer and brittle species change tree decisions in Denver?
Older Denver neighborhoods lean on green ash, Siberian elm and honeylocust. Siberian elm is brittle at any age, and emerald ash borer has reached the Front Range, so an untreated ash is on a countdown regardless of weather. The decision to make before a storm is whether each mature ash is worth treating or replacing.
Our blog on ice storms and summer droughts walks through the logic. Replacing on your schedule costs a fraction of removing on the storm’s schedule. A structurally weak ash plus a wet spring snow is the most common way a Denver homeowner loses a tree and sometimes a fence or a car with it. If you have a mature ash and have not made a decision, put it on the list for the dormant window.
Look up on the next walk around the yard. Thinning crowns, dead tips and bark that is splitting are the signs worth a professional’s eye. Do not wait for the next storm to find out.
What should you do after a Denver storm drops limbs?
Stay clear of anything near a power line, photograph the damage before cleanup, and do not knock snow off a loaded branch, since frozen wood is brittle. Cut torn limbs back cleanly to the branch collar so the wound can close, and hold off on hard pruning of live wood until the tree settles.
Bent-over young trees usually stand back up on their own within a season and rarely need staking. Hail is a separate story: it shreds foliage in minutes, but damaged leaves still feed the plant, and most perennials push clean new growth in a few weeks. For trees, the decision after hail is usually patience and watering, not cutting. If a limb is hanging or a trunk has split, treat it as a safety problem and call, instead of climbing or sawing yourself.
Leaves and small debris from a storm are a separate cleanup, and our leaf removal crews handle seasonal debris and small-branch litter that does not need climbing.
Do drought rules affect how you care for trees in Denver?
Yes, and in your favor. Denver Water has prohibited lawn watering and spray irrigation since Oct. 1, but trees, shrubs and other plants may still be watered by hand with a shutoff nozzle or with drip. Dry winters kill young trees through root desiccation more often than cold does.
The guidance in our blog, drawn from Denver Water, is to water established plantings during extended warm, dry winter spells, on a day above about 40 degrees, in the middle of the day so the water soaks in before nightfall, and to disconnect the hose afterward. Newly planted trees and evergreens benefit most. Our watering rules page keeps the current status, last verified October 6, 2026.
Drip lines are the legal and efficient answer for trees in this stage, and a slow soak at the root zone beats a quick spray that runs off clay.
Why do Denver trees yellow, and does soil matter?
High pH locks up iron in Denver’s alkaline clay, which is why maples and some oaks yellow between the veins here while the same tree looks fine elsewhere. Sulfur and chelated iron treat the symptom. Compost at planting and species chosen for alkaline soil treat the cause.
Our Denver soil guide gives the numbers: pH around 7.5 to 8.0, low organic matter, slow drainage and compaction. The practical lessons for trees: do not plant too deep, do not pile mulch against the trunk, do not water so often that clay stays saturated, and match species to the soil instead of fighting it with amendments every year. If you are planning plantings, the landscape design process puts species, spacing and water zones on paper before a tree goes in.
How do you plant a tree in Denver so it survives the first winter?
Plant cold-hardy species rated for USDA zone 5b to 6a, wait out the May frost risk for tender material, set the root flare at grade, keep mulch off the trunk, and plan watering by hand or drip from day one. First winters are where young Denver trees fail, usually from dry roots.
Planting depth is the most common mistake, and it is easy to avoid: the trunk should flare out at the soil line, not disappear into a hole. Clay does not need a bigger hole of loose soil, which can turn into a bowl that collects water. Mix compost into the surrounding area rather than only the pit. Our soil guide explains why alkaline clay behaves this way. Cold-hardy trees and shrubs can go in earlier in spring than frost-tender annuals, because the average last frost falls in early to mid May and a late freeze is common even after a warm April.
For the first two seasons, plan on watering by hand with a shutoff nozzle or with drip, and check the root zone before watering instead of following a calendar. Denver is semi-arid, winters are dry, and a newly planted tree has few roots to reach moisture. Skipping the winter watering on warm, dry days is the reason many young trees fail in their first spring.
Which trees suit a Denver yard?
Match the tree to the space, the soil and the water you can give it. Colorado State University Extension size classes for natives, as we list them in our shrub guide, include serviceberry as a large shrub of 6 to 10 feet. For a shaded or focal position, check the Front Range Tree Recommendation List from Colorado State University and the Colorado State Forest Service before choosing a species.
Species choice is where tree service and landscape design overlap. A tree that suits clay and alkaline soil needs far less rescue work later than one picked for its flowers. Keep an eye on mature size, since a small whip beside a fence becomes a limb problem over a roof, and keep in mind that fast-growing, brittle species trade a quick shade for a lifetime of storm cleanup. A written plan that names the species, spacing and water zone for each tree is worth far more than a nursery tag.
How do you choose a tree service in Denver?
Ask for a written scope per tree, proof of liability insurance in your hands, a clear answer about who pulls any permit, a debris and cleanup plan, and how extra findings get approved. Specific answers matter more than polished websites, and a bid that cannot be explained tree by tree should be pressed.
- Which trees are included, and what is the exact job on each one?
- What is the plan for debris, stumps and lawn repair?
- Who is responsible for a street-tree permit if one applies?
- What happens if the tree turns out to be worse than it looked from the ground?
- How is a change in scope priced and approved?
Our permit guide covers what the city requires so you can check any bidder’s answer against it, and a decision to treat or remove an ash is worth getting a second written opinion on before the dormant window opens.
What does a typical tree service job look like?
Three typical scopes show how tree work varies by property. They are illustrations of how we structure the work, not accounts of specific past clients or finished jobs, and each real scope is priced from a look at your trees.
A typical dormant-season pruning visit
Two or three mature shade trees in a back yard, with weak and crossing limbs removed and a clearance lift over a walk. Scheduled for late winter. Pricing falls within the published per-tree trimming range, adjusted for height and access.
A typical hazard removal
A dead or failing tree near a house or fence, in a tight side yard. The scope names the dismantling method, the debris plan and whether stump grinding is included. This is the type of job that lands toward the upper end of the published range for large mature trees.
A typical post-storm cleanup
Torn limbs and broken tops after a wet spring snow, with cuts made back to proper collars and debris hauled away. Priced on the job, and often a partial scope followed by a dormant pruning visit to deal with the rest.
How often should a mature Denver tree be looked at?
At least once a year, in the dormant season, and again after any major storm or hail event. A yearly look catches weak unions, dead tips and early signs of borer or disease while the fix is still a prune, not a removal. Mature ash and elm deserve the closest attention.
The routine is simple. Walk the yard in late winter with the leaves off, when structure is visible. Note limbs over roofs, walks and lines. Note anything dead, split or leaning. Then put each item in front of someone qualified with a photo. A short list written in February beats a long emergency in April, and it lines the work up with the dormant pruning window that suits most species.
Which Denver-area communities do you serve?
We serve Denver and nearby suburbs including Aurora, Lakewood, Arvada, Centennial and Littleton. Our areas we serve page lists the rest. Tree rules for public trees differ between municipalities, so we confirm what applies at your address before any work on a street tree.
Suburb pages: Aurora, Lakewood, Arvada, Centennial and Littleton. Canopies in older neighborhoods carry more mature ash, elm and maple, and those streets see the most storm work.
How do you get started?
Call (720) 650-0165 or use the quote form with photos of the trees, your address range and what you are worried about. We will look at each tree, write the scope per tree, and flag any permit that applies before work is scheduled.
If you are not sure whether a tree is worth saving, say so. A written scope that lists the options, including treat, prune, replace or remove, with the cost of each, is the useful answer. It is also cheaper to make that decision in a dormant winter than after a storm has made it for you.
One more practical point: take photos now. A dated photo of a tree’s condition before a storm helps with any later conversation about what changed, and it helps whoever looks at the tree understand how it has grown. Two or three pictures from different sides, plus one of the base of the trunk, are plenty.