Stumped by Tree Troubles? We're Here for You! - Get Your FREE Estimates!
Stumped by Tree Troubles? We're Here for You! - Get Your FREE Estimates!
LaPlace trees have taken wind and water more than once in recent years, so a tree that looks tired or tilted is worth taking seriously. If you’re weighing tree removal in LaPlace, the first step is simple: have someone walk the yard, study the tree and tell you honestly whether it needs to go or can be kept with some work.
Big Easy Tree Removal handles residential removals around LaPlace, from homes near Belle Terre Boulevard and Cambridge Drive to lots off Airline Highway and Highway 51. This page is about taking trees down. The rest of what we do in the area is on our LaPlace tree service page.
LaPlace sits in St. John the Baptist Parish with Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain on one side and the Mississippi River on the other. That position shows up in the storm record. During Hurricane Isaac in 2012, the National Hurricane Center reported that water from Lake Pontchartrain flowed into LaPlace and Interstate 10 was closed. The parish’s hazard mitigation plan describes floodwater from both lakes creeping in on the side of town opposite the river.
Hurricane Ida in 2021 made landfall at Port Fourchon, and the National Hurricane Center’s report says its center passed just west of LaPlace. The National Weather Service found that Ida’s winds downed trees and power lines across the parish. The year before, the parish plan notes that Hurricane Delta also brought several trees down.
Then there’s the ground. The same parish plan says the entire parish is susceptible to expansive soils, describing alluvial clay with a high shrink-swell capacity. Soil that swells when wet and shrinks when dry can shift around a root system over time. A big tree standing close to a slab, a driveway or a pool deck is worth a careful look for that reason alone.
Every tree is its own case, but a few situations are worth calling out.
If you can’t tell whether a tree is declining, our LaPlace arborist services page explains what a health and risk check covers.
LaPlace is an unincorporated community, so there is no city permit office. The parish code is what applies. In the St. John the Baptist Parish code, the tree provisions we found are tied to development, like tree retention in new subdivisions and an approved tree list for the Major Corridor Overlay. We have not found a parish tree-removal permit for a homeowner’s lot, but confirm with St. John the Baptist Parish Planning and Zoning before a large removal. If you live in a subdivision with covenants, check those too.
The parish code also limits outdoor burning of land-clearing debris. Rather than planning a brush pile burn out back, it’s simpler to have the wood chipped and hauled.
For large removals, crane work and storm response, our fulfillment partner Gulf Coast Tree Service provides the heavy equipment and crew. You still work with one point of contact from the estimate to the final clean-up.
A tree tangled in power lines needs the utility first. Call the utility that serves your street before anyone goes near the line.
The stump is a separate choice. You can have it ground so the spot can be mowed or replanted, and our page on stump grinding in LaPlace walks through it. For nearby communities, see tree removal in Kenner and Metairie tree removal. Our main tree removal services page covers how we approach removals in general.
LaPlace is unincorporated, so St. John the Baptist Parish rules apply. The tree provisions in the parish code focus on development, such as new subdivisions and the Major Corridor Overlay, and we have not found a permit for a homeowner removing a tree from an existing lot. Rules can change, so confirm with Parish Planning and Zoning before a large removal, and check any subdivision covenants.
It’s a common choice. LSU AgCenter ranks Chinese tallow at the top of the state’s invasive woody plants. Taking it out makes room for a native tree. If you replant, the parish’s approved tree list for its Major Corridor Overlay, which includes live oak, water oak and sweet gum, is a handy starting point for ideas.
The parish code limits outdoor burning of land-clearing debris, and the details can depend on the situation. Check the code or ask the parish before lighting anything. On our jobs, brush goes through the chipper and the wood is hauled away as part of the clean-up, which leaves you without a brush pile to deal with.
There’s no fixed window. Wind and floodwater can weaken roots and cracks can grow slowly, so a tree that came through a storm deserves a look whenever you notice new dieback, a lean that’s getting worse or bark peeling at the base. An inspection can tell you whether pruning will do or removal is safer.
If a tree is dead, leaning or too close to the house, call 504-732-1166 or request a free written estimate. We’ll come out, look at the tree with you and give you a clear plan in writing.