Tree climber in helmet and harness ascending a tall tree on rope

Tree Service in High Springs, FL

Name: Arbor Care Tree Service
Address: Gainesville, FL, 32608, US
Telephone: (352) 770-8733

Tree service in High Springs and along the Santa Fe River, from town lots and river frontage to the wooded parcels out toward the springs.

Call or text 352-770-TREE Free estimate

About 25 minutes northwest of Gainesville ISA Certified Arborist on staff Answered 24 hours a day

Alachua County

What tree work in High Springs actually looks like

High Springs sits on sand with the Santa Fe River running along the north side of it, and both of those change how trees fail here. Sand drains beautifully in normal weather, which is why the pines grow so well. It also loses its grip fast once it is soaked, which is why those same pines tip over roots and all instead of snapping partway up.

River and springs property comes with its own set of problems. The bank washes out from underneath the roots a little at a time, and a tree leaning out over the water is almost always in worse condition than it looks from the yard side. By the time it looks obviously wrong from your deck, it has usually been failing for years.

See all of our services

What we get called for around High Springs

Pines and oaks that have started leaning on sandy ground, especially after a wet season when the soil has given up its hold.
Trees on Santa Fe River frontage with the bank washing out from under the roots.
Clearing driveways, camp access and building sites on the bigger wooded parcels out toward the springs.
Storm cleanup and safety checks after a tropical system comes up through the Suwannee basin, which is a path this town sits directly in.

Worth knowing. If a tree on your property started leaning in the last year, go look at the ground on the high side of it. Soil lifting or cracking around the root plate means it needs attention now, not after the next storm.

On the ground

Where we work in and around High Springs

Not a list we bought. These are the places our trucks actually go.

Downtown Main StreetSanta Fe River frontageGinnie Springs RoadPoe SpringsBlue SpringsThree Rivers EstatesBailey EstatesUS 27US 441Fort White side

Know your trees

The trees you actually have in High Springs

Different trees fail in different ways, and knowing which one is in your yard tells you most of what you need to know about what happens next. These are the ones we deal with here.

The treeWhat goes wrong with it hereWhat we do about it

Longleaf and slash pineSandy soil means a wide but shallow root plate. Once the ground is saturated, the whole tree goes over rather than breaking.We look at the ground before we look at the tree. Lifting soil or a crack on the high side of the trunk means it is already moving.

Laurel oakFast growing and hollow at the base by the time it is seventy or eighty, which is the age a lot of the town lot trees are now.Sound the trunk, check the base, then either deadwood it or take it down. There is rarely a middle answer once the base is gone.

Cypress and red mapleThe wet ground trees along the river. Roots undercut as the bank erodes, and the lean gets a little worse every year.Honest assessment about whether the root plate still has anything to hold. Riverside removals need rigging, because there is nowhere to drop anything.

Cabbage palmEverywhere along the river. Heavy dead fronds and seed stalks that fall on decks, boats and vehicles.Dead material off, green fronds left on. We will not hurricane cut a palm, and we will explain why if you want the long version.

Not sure what you are looking at? Text a photo to 352-770-TREE and we will tell you what it is and whether it is a problem.

Services

What we do in High Springs

Tree Removal

Leaning pines on sand, and river frontage trees where every piece has to be rigged because the only place below is water.

Tree Removal in High Springs 02

Tree Trimming and Pruning

Clearing over decks, docks and metal roofs, and getting the deadwood out of the oaks in town.

Tree Trimming and Pruning in High Springs 03

Stump Grinding

Sand grinds fast and clean, so stumps here are usually one of the simpler parts of the job.

Stump Grinding in High Springs 04

Emergency and Storm Damage

Suwannee basin storms hit this town before they hit Gainesville. We take calls here at any hour.

Emergency and Storm Damage in High Springs 05

Commercial Tree Service

Campgrounds, springs access roads, downtown businesses and HOA common ground.

Commercial Tree Service in High Springs

Permits

Do you need a permit to take down a tree in High Springs?

Sometimes. It depends on the tree, the size, the property and which side of a city line you are standing on. Here is the honest version, including the part most tree companies never mention.

Florida law

A certified arborist can take the permit out of the picture entirely

Since 2019, Florida Statute 163.045 has said that no local government may require a permit, an application, a notice, a fee or any mitigation before you remove a tree on residential property, as long as you have documentation from an ISA Certified Arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect that the tree poses an unacceptable risk. They also cannot force you to replant it.

There are real conditions attached, and they matter:

It covers single family detached homes. It does not cover commercial property, and an HOA can still have its own say.
The assessment has to happen on site, in person, following the ISA Best Management Practices for Tree Risk Assessment, Second Edition.
The finding has to be that removal is the only practical way to bring the risk below moderate. Not that the tree is ugly, or dropping leaves, or that you would rather have the sun.

We have an ISA Certified Arborist on staff, so we can do that assessment and write it up for you. What we will not do is write one for a tree that does not meet the standard. If your tree is healthy, we will tell you it is healthy, and then you decide what you want to do with that.

And the local rules in High Springs

In unincorporated Alachua County

On a single family lot of an acre or less, you need a permit to remove a native tree more than 20 inches across, a laurel or water oak more than 30 inches across, or anything the county lists as a specimen tree. On every other kind of property, including anything over an acre, the threshold drops to 8 inches. Diameter is measured four and a half feet off the ground, and the county charges one fee even when several trees are on the same application.

Inside High Springs city limits

Each town in this county writes its own tree ordinance, and they are not the same as each other or the same as the county. If your property sits inside the city line, that ordinance is the one that applies. We check which side of the line you are on before we quote the job, because it changes what we have to do and sometimes what it costs.

Ordinances get rewritten, and thresholds move. Treat this as a starting point rather than the final word, confirm anything that matters with the city or county directly, and let us check your specific property before anybody starts cutting. Alachua County tree permits: 352-374-5249.

Timing

Timing a job in High Springs

Almost every tree job is cheaper and easier before it becomes urgent. Here is when to move on what, in this town specifically.

After the wet season, walk your trees

This is the single most useful thing a High Springs property owner can do. Any lean that is new, any soil lifting on the high side, any crack in the ground near the base. That tree needs looking at now.

Before June, for anything near the house

Pines near a roof get thinned or removed before hurricane season, not during it.

Low water, for river frontage

Bank side work is safer and cheaper when the river is down, and we can actually see what the roots are sitting on.

BeforeAfter Poolside backyard with pool, deck and open sky after the tree was removed

Large tree grown hard against the back of a house before removal

Drag the handle. A tree taken out from over a pool deck, with the deck still in one piece. Same day, no ruts through the lawn, and every limb, log and chip gone before the trucks left.

Certified arborist on staff

Someone who actually studied trees looks at yours before a saw comes out. You get a real opinion, not a sales pitch.

Fully insured

General liability and workers comp. Ask and we email you the certificate before we start work.

We follow the standards

ANSI Z133 for safety and A300 for pruning, on every single job. Plenty of crews do not.

We answer 24 hours a day

Storms do not wait for business hours. Call or text any time, day or night, any day of the year.

Questions

Questions we get from High Springs

Do you charge to come out to High Springs?

No. Estimates are free everywhere we work, including High Springs. A certified arborist looks at the tree, tells you what he actually thinks, and gives you a price in writing. You are not obligated to book anything.

How quickly can you get to High Springs?

About 25 minutes northwest of Gainesville. Regular work in High Springs is usually scheduled within the week. Emergencies go to the front of the line, and we answer the phone at any hour of any day.

Are you insured to work in Alachua County?

Yes. General liability and workers compensation, both current. Ask and we will email you the certificate before we start. If a company will not send you one, that is your answer about that company.

What does tree removal cost in High Springs?

It depends on the size of the tree, what is underneath it, whether we can get equipment to it, and whether you want the stump and the debris gone as well. High Springs specifics are covered further up this page. Nobody can give you a real number over the phone, which is why the visit is free. See what moves the price.

Do I actually need a permit in High Springs?

Maybe, and it depends on the tree and the property. There is also a Florida law that removes the permit requirement entirely when a certified arborist documents that the tree is a genuine risk. We explain both in the permits section above.

Can you do several trees in one visit?

Yes, and you should. One trip and one setup instead of three means the price per tree drops. If you have a removal, a couple of trims and an old stump, put them all on the same estimate.

Nearby

See all eleven towns

Free estimate

Get a free estimate in High Springs

Tell us what is going on. We will come out, tell you honestly whether the tree needs to come down, and give you the price in writing before anyone starts cutting.

Faster than filling out a form 352-770-TREE (352) 770-8733, call or text, 24 hours a day