Tree Service in Bloomfield Hills, MI
Written by Robert Burgund, ISA Certified Arborist MI-4857A · Updated September 2026
- 5.0 Stars · 16 Google reviews
- ISA Certified Arborist MI-4857A
- Oakland County Since 2013
- Licensed & Insured
What tree work looks like in Bloomfield Hills
These are big lots with big trees on them: white oak, beech and sugar maple that were mature before most of the current houses were built. A tree like that is not a landscaping feature. It is the reason the property looks the way it does.
So most of our work here is not removal. It is keeping a valuable tree standing safely: finding out what is actually wrong with it, reducing weight where a limb is overextended, and cabling a split fork instead of taking the whole tree. We recommend removal when a tree cannot be made safe, not as an opening offer.
Yes, more often than people expect, and this ordinance counts trees rather than measuring them. On less than 1.5 acres you may remove two trees without a permit. Above 1.5 acres, three. Past that, you need one. In practice the city’s current guidance sends every removal through a Building Department plan review before work starts, so the call to 248-644-1520 comes first regardless of the count. We make that call for you. Ordinances change and every parcel is different, so if the city tells you something different, the city is right. Our permit guide has the rules for the rest of Oakland County.
Why an old tree is worth saving here
A hundred-year-old white oak cannot be replaced in a lifetime. Plant a new one and you are looking at forty years before it does anything like the same job for the property.
That math changes what you should do when something goes wrong. A tree with a split fork or a heavy limb over the drive often has years left if the defect is dealt with properly.
What kills good trees around Wing Lake, Gilbert Lake and Long Lake is usually not the defect. It is topping: cutting the crown back hard to stubs. Topping triggers weak regrowth and decay, and it turns a fixable problem into a removal five years later.
What we do in Bloomfield Hills
Written tree risk assessments, so you decide with information rather than a hunch. Crown reduction and cabling to keep a good tree standing. Careful removal, sectional or crane-assisted, when a tree cannot stay.
We grind the stump afterward so the lawn can close over, and we answer storm calls around the clock with the paperwork your insurer wants.
Pruning & tree trimming → Tree removal → Stump grinding → Emergency response →
What grows on these lots
White oak, sugar maple, beech, and mature spruce and pine on the larger properties. Beech needs watching in particular. Beech leaf disease is moving through Michigan, and early signs show up as dark banding between the leaf veins. With this much oak, we keep non-urgent oak work out of the mid-April to mid-July window, when oak wilt spreads most easily.
What removal costs in Bloomfield Hills
Removals here run $600 to $2,500. Big estate trees with long limbs over a house or a drive sit at the top of that range or above it, because the tree has to come down in small pieces with a crane holding the weight. The cost guide breaks down what drives the price.
From our Google reviews
“Rob did an excellent job removing a couple trees on our property. He was professional, knowledgeable, and very easy to work with throughout the entire process. The work was done safely, efficiently, and the cleanup afterward was spotless. You can tell he takes pride in his work and cares about doing the job right. I would absolutely recommend Rob to anyone looking for a reliable arborist.”
Garret A., May 2026
Read all 16 reviews on Google. Tree Pros, LLC is licensed and insured, and Rob gives every Bloomfield Hills estimate in person, free. Hours: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday for emergencies.
Common questions
How many trees can I remove in Bloomfield Hills without a permit?
Two if your lot is under 1.5 acres, three if it is larger. Bloomfield Hills counts trees rather than measuring trunks, which makes it different from Novi or Farmington Hills, where the rule turns on diameter. Beyond that allowance a permit is required. In practice the distinction matters less than it sounds, because the city’s current guidance routes every removal through a Building Department plan review before work starts. So the sequence is the same whether you are taking down one tree or four: call 248-644-1520 first, describe the tree and the parcel, and let the city confirm what applies. Dead or hazardous trees are usually straightforward, but the city may want to verify the condition before the tree comes down. We make that call as part of the free estimate, so the price you get already reflects whatever the city requires.
Is hiring a certified arborist worth it for one tree?
For a mature tree, usually yes. The assessment often finds the tree can be kept, and keeping a hundred-year-old oak is worth far more to a Bloomfield Hills property than removing it cheaply. An arborist looks for the things that decide the question: decay at a fork, a crack in a main limb, a root flare buried under years of mulch. Many of those are fixable with reduction or cabling, and none of them can be judged from the lawn. Michigan does not license arborists, so anyone can use the title. ISA certification is the only way to check that the person advising you has been examined on tree biology, diagnosis and safe practice. Rob’s number is MI-4857A. For a small dead tree in an open yard, certification matters less than a competent, insured crew and a clear written estimate.
How much does tree removal cost in Bloomfield Hills?
Most removals in Bloomfield Hills come in between $600 and $2,500. The lots are large, which helps with access, but the trees are large too. A white oak or sugar maple with limbs reaching over a roof or a long drive comes down in small pieces with a crane holding each one, and that pushes a job to the top of the range or past it. Preservation is often the cheaper route: reducing a heavy limb or cabling a split fork costs far less than removing the tree and losing what it does for the property. Stump grinding is priced separately. Because the city reviews removals before they happen, we fold the permit question into the estimate so you are not priced for work that cannot be done as described.
Written by Robert Burgund
ISA Certified Arborist · MI-4857A
Rob owns Tree Pros, LLC in Bloomfield Township and runs every job himself. He has climbed and cared for trees in Oakland County since 2013. More about Rob and how we work.
We work Birmingham and West Bloomfield from the same yard, and cover all of Oakland County.
Find out whether your tree can be saved.
Rob assesses the tree first and gives you a written estimate either way. Plenty of Bloomfield Hills trees we look at do not need removing at all.
Call or Text 248-672-8058Request a Free Estimate