Tree Trimming and Removal in Bartlett

Tree Trimming In Bartlett, Measured From The Pavement Up

Bartlett puts its clearance numbers in writing. Section 7-2-9 of the village code requires the owner of a private tree that overhangs a street, sidewalk or right-of-way to keep “a clear space of eight feet (8′) above the surface of the sidewalk and fifteen feet (15′) above the street,” and to remove dead, diseased or dangerous private trees and any broken or decayed limbs that menace public safety. Under § 7-2-11(A), violations cost $250 for a first offense, $500 for a second and $750 for each one after that. Fifteen feet is beyond a stepladder, so much of the tree trimming Bartlett homeowners call us for starts at the curb.

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Title 7, Chapter 2 And The Village Forester

Section 7-2-5 puts all tree care on village rights-of-way and village property under the direction of the Village Forester, who by § 7-2-4 must be an ISA certified arborist, following the village’s Urban Forest Management Plan and ANSI A300. Under § 7-2-5(C), the village removes “in its entirety (tree and stump)” any public tree that is dead, dying (50 percent or more of the canopy dead or diseased), or a hazard.

Section 7-2-7 requires a written permit from the Village Forester or the Director of Public Works to plant in a parkway, and § 7-2-8 bars anyone without lawful authority from cutting, removing or damaging a public tree or nailing or tying anything to it. Topping a tree on village property is unlawful under § 7-2-5(A)(2), which defines topping as cutting limbs back to stubs larger than three inches inside the crown, so severely that the normal canopy is removed; Public Works and public utilities are exempt. Injuring a public tree means paying for repair, or for removal and replacement plus its value, under § 7-2-11(B). The ISA explains for homeowners why topping does more harm than it seems to.

For private trees, the zoning code’s tree preservation section, § 10-11A-5, applies to development activity that needs site plan review. As we read it, it does not address existing single-family homes. We found no permit for a homeowner removing a private tree outside development review.

Luther Bartlett’s Woodlot And A Young Urban Forest

In 1873, Luther Bartlett gave money and half of his 40-acre woodlot for a train depot, and the town took his name; that original station is now the Bartlett Depot Museum. The village incorporated on June 21, 1892, and sits mainly in Cook and DuPage counties. It grew from 3,501 people in 1970 to 13,254 in 1980 and 41,105 by 2020.

The village’s April 2024 newsletter reports that a 2019 inventory counted 15,282 parkway trees and 2,993 open planting sites, and that heavy removals and replanting after emerald ash borer left a relatively young population, roughly a third of it under 15 years old. The same newsletter says Bartlett had held Tree City USA status for six years and received a Growth Award in 2022. Young trees are where structural pruning pays off most, because a weak fork corrected on a young tree costs far less than a split trunk on a mature one.

Bartlett Tree Services

• Tree and bush removal — dead and dangerous private trees, the kind § 7-2-9 tells owners to take out
• Trimming and pruning — eight feet over the sidewalk, fifteen over the street, and no stub cuts
• Stump grinding — on private lots; when the village removes a dead public tree, § 7-2-5(C) has it take the stump too
• Storm response, 24 hours a day

Line Up Tree Trimming Bartlett Can Measure

Most tree trimming Bartlett owners ask about is clearance work over a walk or a drive. Tell us how low the branches hang over the street or walk. Call 708-424-5885, or take a look at the rest of our DuPage County service area. Neighboring work: Wayne, Streamwood.