Tree Removal in Plantation, FL

Tree Removal in Plantation happens in a city that has been a Tree City USA since 1980 and still runs its PLANT landscaping awards, which began in 1984. Lots here are often large and heavily planted. The original 1940s sales pitch was "A Full Acre with Every Home," each with a two-bedroom house and a 20-tree orchard, and Plantation Acres is designated a Special Public Interest Rural District to protect its natural landscape. So when a big tree has to come out, it usually has neighbors on every side.

How the city reads the state hazard-tree law

Plantation's Environmental Landscape Division has published its own explanation of Florida Statute 163.045. Under city code section 27-262(h), no permit is needed to remove a tree on residential property if the owner has documentation from an ISA-certified arborist or Florida-licensed landscape architect showing the tree is a danger to persons or property, and that removal is also exempt from replacement requirements. The same documentation exempts pruning and trimming from a permit.

There are catches the city spells out. If an owner is cited for removing a tree without a permit and can't produce the documentation, they have to apply for a permit after the fact and mitigate under city code. And even a statute-based removal can lead to code enforcement if the lot falls below its approved landscape plan or the minimum tree count in sections 27-254 and 27-257. Removing a healthy tree for other reasons still goes through the city's single-family removal permit checklist, and the division also has a tree trimming permit checklist.

Water under the lawn

Before drainage, this was Everglades wetland often covered by 2 to 3 feet of water. The North New River Canal opened in 1912 and the Old Plantation Water Control District was chartered in 1946 to manage drainage. Early homeowners dealt with 93 straight days of rain and floods that halted home sales in 1949. In the April 2023 storm, Plantation still recorded 15.06 inches of rain. Saturated ground plus large, old canopies is the combination that tips trees over, and much of our Plantation work is evaluating trees that have started to move.

What we're usually asked to do here

• Remove large oaks, ficus and mahoganies that have outgrown older acre lots
• Take down trees with trunk decay, cavities or root damage from past construction
• Remove trees at canal banks where erosion has exposed roots
• Clear storm-broken trees and grind stumps
• Work around fruit trees, orchids and other plantings the owner wants kept

Building near trees you're keeping

Not every Plantation project is a removal. When a pool, addition or driveway goes in near trees that are staying, the Landscape Division publishes standards for it: a tree preservation barricade fencing detail, root barrier details and a driveway instructional guide, along with planting guidelines and a homeowner's tree planting guide. Landscape requirements also apply to construction worth more than 10% of the lot's value, re-roofing excluded. We're often asked to remove one tree and prune the roots or canopy of the tree next to it so it survives the construction.

Plantation's parks reflect the same priorities: Plantation Heritage Park opened in 1984 on land bought with a federal conservation grant, and Liberty Tree Park is named for a 45-foot oak planted for the 1976 bicentennial. If you're not sure whether your tree needs a permit, call (954) 314-3415 and we'll talk it through, then put the plan in writing. Get a free estimate