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!
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.
A visit is a close inspection with a plan at the end. We look at:
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.
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.
This part applies to anyone you hire, including us. According to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF), “arborist licenses are required if you work on trees for a fee.” Under state law (Louisiana Revised Statutes 3:3808), that license applies to anyone who presents or advertises as working in the arborist profession, and it covers work that includes removing a tree or part of one. The same state law sets out a separate utility arborist license for work in utility rights-of-way.
If you went looking for a licensed arborist in Hammond, the practical step is simple: ask for the state license number and check it with LDAF before work starts. It is also reasonable to ask any contractor for proof of insurance. That paperwork shows coverage reported at one point in time and is separate from the policy itself, so questions about what a policy would pay for go to the issuing agent or insurer.
Live oaks get special treatment in Hammond. The development code protects live oaks measuring eight inches in diameter at breast height or more, calls for a clearing permit from the building official’s office before they are cut or removed, and brings the city’s arborist into those decisions. Whether that rule reaches a homeowner removing one live oak on an existing lot has not been confirmed, since the article mostly addresses development. Before any live oak comes down, call the Building Department at (985) 277-5655 to ask whether a clearing permit applies to your lot. The full text is in the City of Hammond Unified Development Code. Trees in the public right-of-way along the street need a city permit to remove.
If the visit ends with a recommendation to take the tree down, our page on tree removal in Hammond explains how that job runs, and stump grinding in Hammond covers what happens to the stump afterward. For our general approach, see the main arborist services page. If you also have property on the Northshore, there are pages for an arborist in Covington and in Mandeville.
Hammond’s development code protects live oaks eight inches in diameter at breast height and up and calls for a clearing permit before removal, with the city’s arborist involved. Whether that covers a single tree on your existing lot has not been confirmed, so call the Building Department first. A health check also tells you whether pruning can solve the problem and keep the tree.
Ask for the license number and look it up with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. LDAF states that arborist licenses are required for anyone who works on trees for a fee. Checking before work starts takes little time and gives you a way to confirm who you are hiring. Asking for proof of insurance at the same time is a sensible habit.
Not necessarily, but it may be worth a visit if you see thinning leaves, dead branches or a change in how the tree leans. Trees can respond to flooding in different ways, and damage is not always visible from the ground. An inspection of the crown, trunk and root flare can tell you whether to prune, keep watching or plan a removal.
Yes. On a crowded lot, the useful question is which trees earn their space. LSU AgCenter ranks Chinese tallow first among invasive woody plants in Louisiana, and Hammond’s code gives it no preservation credit. An arborist visit can mark the native oaks, pines or magnolias worth protecting and list the tallows to remove, all in one written estimate.
If a tree on your property is changing, leaning or just worrying you, call 504-732-1166 or request a free written estimate. We will look at the tree with you, explain what we see and put our recommendation in writing before any work is scheduled.
A credentialed arborist scopes the work and signs off the plan before a saw leaves the truck.
General liability and workers' compensation in force. Certificates sent before we start.
New Orleans, the Northshore and the coast — through hurricane seasons, not just fair weather.
No call-out fee, no obligation, and a fixed price in writing before any work begins.
Tree down or leaning? Call us first.
Storm and hazard crews dispatch 7 days a week across New Orleans, the Northshore and the coast.
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