Arborist Services in Hammond, LA

Some tree questions come before any talk of cutting. Is that oak thinning out because it is sick, or because of a dry summer? Will the pine by the bedroom hold through the next hurricane season? An arborist in Hammond can answer questions like these by looking at the tree itself: its crown, trunk, root flare and the ground around it, and then telling you what, if anything, it needs.

Big Easy Tree Removal offers arborist-led visits for Hammond homeowners who want an honest read on a tree before they decide what to do with it. This page walks through what a visit covers, what is going on with trees locally and how to check a tree worker’s state license. For all our services in town, see the Hammond tree service page.

What an arborist visit looks at

A visit is a close inspection with a plan at the end. We look at:

• Health. Leaf color and density, dieback in the crown, bark damage, fungus at the base and signs of pests.
• Structure and risk. Cracks, weak forks, heavy limbs over the roof or driveway, lean and any root damage from past digging or paving.
• Pruning needs. Which limbs can come off to reduce weight or clear the house, and which cuts would do more harm than good.
• Whether the tree can be saved. Some trees respond well to pruning, a support system or tree preservation work. Others have declined too far, and we will say so.

You leave with a free written estimate that spells out what we recommend and why. If the answer is to leave the tree alone for now, that is a fine answer too.

Trees and conditions in the Hammond area

Hammond’s Unified Development Code keeps a native tree list that includes loblolly pine, live oak, bald cypress, southern magnolia and water tupelo, plus several other oaks. In older parts of town, such as the Downtown Hammond Historic District along Thomas Street and the blocks near Southeastern Louisiana University, mature trees and homes can share tight space, which makes careful pruning and early problem spotting more valuable.

Weather has left its mark. The National Weather Service reported that Hurricane Ida’s winds “downed trees and power lines parish-wide” across Tangipahoa in 2021. In August 2016, flooding reached thousands of homes and businesses across portions of the Baton Rouge and Hammond metro areas. A tree that lived through either event can carry damage that is easy to miss from the ground, such as a cracked limb high in the crown or roots loosened on one side. If a storm or high water has been through your yard, a health check can help you decide between pruning, monitoring and removal. Large storm clean-up and crane work go through our fulfillment partner, Gulf Coast Tree Service, while the assessment itself happens with you in the yard.

Chinese tallow deserves its own mention. LSU AgCenter ranks it first among invasive woody plants in Louisiana, and Hammond’s code gives it no preservation credit. If tallows are spreading along your fence line or crowding a young oak, an arborist visit can sort which trees to keep and which to take out.

What Louisiana law says about arborists

This part applies to anyone you hire, including us. According to the Louisiana Department