Pro Tree Service handles tree service in Des Plaines, IL and across Cook County — removals, trimming and pruning, stump grinding, lot clearing and 24-hour storm response. An ISA Certified Arborist leads our crews, and we have worked Chicago and the suburbs since 1989.
What Tree Work in Des Plaines Actually Involves
The northwest suburbs went up as subdivisions through the 1960s and 70s, mostly on former farmland. Everything was planted at once, and that is the whole story of tree work here. Silver maple and Bradford pear both reach the age where they start splitting at the crotch, and they do it across a whole street within a few years of each other. What looks like bad luck on your block is usually just a planting date.
The Des Plaines River floodplain runs through the city, and the low ground along it stays soft. That decides when equipment can get onto a property and how a tree in that ground is likely to fail.
Tree Trimming and Pruning in Des Plaines
Most trimming calls in Des Plaines are clearance work — limbs over a roof or a driveway, branches growing into the road, deadwood coming out of a mature shade tree. We prune to ANSI A300 standards. That is the difference between a cut that closes and a cut that becomes an entry point for decay. Full detail on our tree trimming services page.
Dead Ash and Tree Removal
Emerald ash borer moved through Cook County years ago and the standing dead ash are still coming down. A dead ash does not hold still. The wood dries and turns brittle, and it loses the strength a climber needs to work it safely. So every year one stands, it gets more dangerous to take down and more expensive to price. If you have a gray, bare ash on the property, that is the one to deal with first. See tree and bush removal.
Stump Grinding
Every removal includes haul-away of the wood and brush. We price stump grinding separately, because not everyone wants it done the same day. We grind four to eight inches below grade, deeper if you plan to replant in the same spot. See stump removal and grinding.
Storm Damage in Des Plaines
We answer the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we work by hazard rather than call order. Trees on occupied structures first, then blocked access. If a tree is on your house or across a driveway, call and describe what you are looking at. We will tell you honestly whether it needs a crew that night or can wait for daylight.
If there are wires involved, stay away from the tree, call 911, then call ComEd at 1-800-334-7661. Do not let anyone cut anything until the utility clears it. More on how we work storms: emergency and storm response.
Des Plaines Rules and Our License
Requirements are not uniform across Cook County. Some municipalities require a contractor license on file before a permit will issue, some want a bond, and some ask for nothing at all for routine residential work. Many also own the parkway tree — the strip between the sidewalk and the street — which means removing it is not your call to make. Tell us the address and we will confirm what Des Plaines requires before we bid the job, not after you have accepted a price.
We hold a contractor’s license with Des Plaines and keep it current. That matters more than it sounds. A licensed contractor starts when the permit clears instead of waiting on paperwork, and if your insurer or HOA asks for documentation, we produce a certificate of insurance naming the right entity the same day.
Get an Estimate in Des Plaines
Tell us the address and what you are looking at. For a single tree, a photo helps. Estimates are free, any day of the week.
Call 708-424-5885 or request one online.
Des Plaines is part of our Cook County service area. We also work Will County, DuPage County and northwest Indiana.