Tree Service in Stoughton, WI

Stoughton straddles the Yahara River about 20 miles southeast of Madison, and it takes its trees seriously. The city's Forestry Division maintains more than 5,000 terrace trees and over 100 species and cultivars on city land, and Stoughton has been a Tree City USA every year since 1994, with more than 20 Growth Awards. Tree service in Stoughton for private owners works around that program: the city looks after the terrace, and the yard is yours.

Rules for terrace trees

The city says not to remove, trim or plant a terrace tree or any tree on public land without permission from the City Forester. Pruning requests go to the Forestry Division and are judged case by case, and the city typically prunes from late October through the first of April. The Forestry page also publishes an Annual Arboricultural Services License application for companies doing that kind of work. If a terrace tree is the problem, the right first call is to Stoughton Public Works at 608-873-6303.

The ash story here

Emerald ash borer was first found in Stoughton in 2016. The city had already stopped planting ash before then, and it has since removed several hundred ash from public property; of nearly 1,000 ash it once had, fewer than 100 remain on city land. Private ash are a different matter. The city encourages residents to work with an arborist and notes that chemical treatments are available. Dead ash become brittle quickly, which makes them harder and riskier to climb the longer they stand, so removal of a confirmed dead ash should not wait.

Old houses, old trees

Stoughton's Main Street commercial district is a historic district, and the city celebrates its Victorian homes each year. Older houses on established lots often sit close to big trees, with limbs over porches, garages and the service line to the house. That is fine-grained work: pruning to clear a roofline, removing deadwood over a sidewalk, or dismantling a declining tree piece by piece so nothing hits the house.

2005 and the rural subdivisions

On August 18, 2005, an F3 tornado cut a 10-mile path across rural subdivisions and farms north of Stoughton, killing one person and damaging hundreds of homes. Trees on those properties that survived with broken tops or split trunks may still carry the damage, often hidden under regrowth. If you live out that way and have never had a tree looked at since, it is worth a visit.

Brush and the Collins Road site

Stoughton's 2026 curbside brush pickups are April 27, June 22, August 24 and October 26, with branches up to 6 inches across and 8 feet long, piles no longer than 20 feet, and no contractor-generated brush. The yard waste site at 1101 Collins Road requires a $25 resident permit. For our jobs, chipping and hauling are included in the quote.

Call (608) 820-8710 or use the form to set up a free on-site estimate. Tell us whether the tree is on the terrace or in the yard and we will plan accordingly. Get a free estimate