Tree Service in Commerce Township, MI | Shoreline Tree Removal
- Established 2013
- 13+ Years Climbing Experience
- ISA Certified Arborist MI-4857A
- Fully Licensed & Insured
What tree work looks like in Commerce Township
Commerce is lakes and wetland — Commerce Lake, Long Lake and a great deal of low ground in between. Most of the interesting tree work here happens within sight of water.
That shapes the job twice over. It changes how the trees grow and fail, because roots in soft wet ground spread wide and shallow and tip rather than snap.
And it changes what is legally possible, because the setbacks and the state wetland rules apply whether or not there is a tree ordinance. On a shoreline lot both questions get answered before anything is scheduled.
Commerce’s protections run through wetlands and water rather than a woodland tree ordinance. Article 32 of the zoning ordinance sets the setbacks: approved improvements must stay 25 feet from streams, ponds and lakes, and 15 feet from a wetland edge, and the wetlands themselves are regulated by the state through EGLE. Given how much shoreline and wetland the township holds, a lot of parcels are touched by one rule or the other. We make the township call as part of the free estimate. Ordinances move and parcels differ, so take this as a starting point rather than legal advice.
Where the wetland line actually falls
The setbacks are easy to understand and surprisingly hard to apply, because the wetland edge is rarely where people assume.
Ground that looks like ordinary back lawn in August can be mapped wetland, because the mapping follows soil and vegetation rather than how wet it happens to be the day you look at it. So a tree that appears to be well clear of everything can sit inside the 15-foot line.
That is a state matter through EGLE, not a township one, and it is not something to guess at. The cost of being wrong lands on the property owner, not the crew. We establish the position first.
What we do here
We rig shoreline removals away from the water and work the drier upland ground separately. We also assess the fast-growing shoreline species before storm season rather than after it.
Stump grinding where the setbacks allow it. Storm work runs around the clock right through the season. Shallow-rooted lake trees are the first casualties of every big blow, and we document the aftermath for your insurer.
Tree removal → Emergency response → Pruning & tree trimming →
The trees you’re working with
Willow, silver maple and cottonwood along the shorelines, white oak and pine on the higher ground. The shoreline three all grow fast in wet soil and all have soft wood, which is why they dominate the storm callouts here.
What removal costs in Commerce Township
Budget $600 to $2,500 for most removals around the lakes. On lake lots the price is set by access and by the setbacks. How close we can bring equipment, and whether the stump can be ground where it stands or has to be left.
Common questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Commerce Township?
There is no general woodland tree ordinance, but the water rules catch a lot of parcels. Article 32 requires approved improvements to stay 25 feet from streams, ponds and lakes and 15 feet from a wetland edge, and wetlands themselves are regulated by the state through EGLE.
If your tree is anywhere near water or low ground, that gets checked first. We make that call before quoting.
Who pays when a neighbor’s tree falls on my property?
In Michigan the general rule is that a healthy tree brought down by a storm is treated as an act of nature, and each owner deals with the damage on their own property through their own insurer. It changes if the tree was visibly dead or hazardous and the owner was told and did nothing.
Then negligence can come into it. That is why a written assessment, with a date on it, is worth having.
Free estimates across Commerce Township.
Robert walks the shoreline before quoting. On these lots the setbacks decide the job as much as the tree does.
Call or Text 248-672-8058Request a Free Estimate
Written and reviewed by Robert Burgund
ISA CERTIFIED ARBORIST · MI-4857A
Owner of Tree Pros, LLC in Bloomfield Township. Verify the certification by name in ISA’s public directory.