Tree Service in Glencoe, IL

Tree Service In Glencoe Begins With The Priority Tree Test

In Glencoe, a private tree measuring 8 inches or more in diameter at 54 inches above grade is a “priority tree,” and § 34-23 of the Code of Ordinances requires a tree permit from the village arborist before one is cut or destroyed. Pruning is treated differently: “A tree permit is not required for pruning, trimming or other similar tree maintenance activities.” So the first question on any tree service Glencoe job is whether the work takes a tree out or keeps one healthy.

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Chapter 34, Article III: Priority Trees And Replacement

Section 34-22 sorts trees into three priorities. Priority I is any tree on village-owned property, parkways included, with no minimum size. Priority II is a tree “within a front or corner side yard” with a DBH of eight inches or more, and Priority III is a tree of that size anywhere else on the lot. A tree impact activity also includes subdividing a lot or work that requires a building permit, other than interior-only work, so a remodel can bring a yard’s trees under review.

Replacement under § 34-26 runs by the inch. Replacement trees need “a caliper of no less than three inches,” and on-site replacements for Priority II and III trees may not go “within 25 feet of any existing tree”; where they will not fit, a per-inch fee the village manager sets each year applies, doubled for a heritage tree. A replacement that dies must be replaced through “the second anniversary of its installation.” Under § 34-29, “The cutting, topping or destruction of each priority tree shall be a separate violation,” each day of noncompliance is another, and the fine comes from the village’s Comprehensive Fee and Fine Schedule, which we have not confirmed; the permit fee sits there too. The ISA’s consumer site explains why topping does lasting harm.

Parkway trees follow their own rule. Section 34-32 gives the village, acting through the Public Works Director, “sole authority to manage, maintain, remove, and plant all parkway trees,” guided by the Urban Forestry Management Plan adopted in § 34-33. Section 34-1(b) still tells owners to keep trees on their property and in abutting parkways trimmed so they do not become nuisances, so ask Public Works before anyone works on a parkway tree.

Bluffs, Ravines And The Skokie Lagoons

Settled by 1839 as Taylorsport and incorporated in 1869, Glencoe had 8,850 residents in 2020. Cook County’s 2024 hazard mitigation annex describes bluffs that “overlook the lake, cut by several ravines,” with the Skokie Lagoons in the forest preserves just west of the village. It warns that the ravines are “at risk for erosion” and that shoreline erosion “could threaten bluff stability.” A large tree on an eroding slope loses soil on its downhill side first, which is where we look before deciding how it comes down.

The annex records flooding at Hazel Avenue, the underpass, Skokie Heights, South Green Bay Road, Terrace Court and parts of Sheridan Road, and on July 23, 2011 “numerous streets were flooded and impassible stranding dozens of cars.” It notes that “Trees were damaged in the north suburbs of Glencoe” on June 18, 1998, and lists Glencoe as a Tree City USA recognized in 2012.

Our Glencoe Tree Services

• Tree and bush removal — priority trees only once the village arborist has issued the § 34-23 permit
• Trimming and pruning — routine maintenance the code exempts from the permit, with no topping
• Stump grinding — cleared so replacement trees can be set at least 25 feet from existing ones
• Storm response, 24 hours a day

Tree Service Glencoe Estimates And Permits

Give us the trunk diameter and which yard the tree stands in, and we can tell you whether the tree service Glencoe requires starts with a permit. The number is 708-424-5885, and the rest of our Cook County service area is listed on its own page. Neighboring work: Winnetka, Northbrook.