Tree Service in McFarland, WI

McFarland was established in 1856 by William Hugh McFarland, and for decades it made its living on wheat, tobacco and the ice and fish harvested from Lake Waubesa and shipped to Chicago. The village changed after the Beltline highway project was finished in 1989; rapid residential growth followed. Our tree service in McFarland reflects both eras: old shoreline and village-center trees that have seen a century of storms, and subdivision trees planted in the 1990s and 2000s that are now reaching full size.

Lake lots need a different plan

Lake Waubesa forms the village's western border. Trees along a shoreline have a few habits that change how we work on them. They tend to grow toward the open light over the water, so the weight is uneven. Their roots often sit in soil that is wet for long periods. And there is usually no way to drop them in one piece without hitting the water, a dock, a boathouse or a neighbor's lawn. On those jobs we climb or use a lift, take the tree down in sections, and lower each piece on a rope to a spot where it can be cut up. It takes longer than felling, and the estimate says so up front.

When the 1990s trees hit their stride

Trees planted with houses built after 1989 are now 25 to 35 years old. Fast-growing shade trees reach a size in that window where their early structural problems start to show. Signs to watch for: 1. A V-shaped fork with bark pinched between the stems 2. Big limbs that have grown long and heavy over the roof 3. Dieback at the top of the crown 4. Mushrooms or soft wood at the base of the trunk 5. Thinning and bark splits on any ash, a common sign of emerald ash borer The first two are pruning problems. The last three call for a closer look and sometimes removal.

The trail and the parks

The Lower Yahara River Trail links Madison and McFarland over about 2.5 miles, including a long boardwalk bridge. Indian Mound Park holds the Lewis Mound Group, a set of Woodland-period burial mounds, and Edwards Park and Larson's Beach sit on the lake's eastern shore. If your property borders public land, we confirm the boundary before we cut anything near it.

A settled community

Census QuickFacts reports 72.7% of McFarland homes are owner-occupied, the median owner-occupied value is $390,100, and 91.3% of residents lived in the same house a year earlier. That kind of stability means a lot of owners have watched their trees grow from saplings. We take the same long view: if a tree can be kept healthy with periodic pruning, we will tell you so before suggesting removal.

Oaks around the village

Where a McFarland yard has oaks, pruning should wait until the dormant season; the Wisconsin DNR notes that sap beetles spread oak wilt to fresh wounds from April through July.

Call (608) 820-8710 or fill out the short form for a free estimate. For lakeshore lots, let us know whether there is boat or dock access; it can affect how the job is set up. Get a free estimate