Land Clearing in Detroit, MI

Detroit's Dead, Dangerous and Diseased Tree Program lets residents request an inspection of a private-property tree; if it qualifies, the city schedules a contractor to trim or remove it. There's no city permit required to remove a tree entirely on your own private lot.

Siberian elm: weak-wooded vacant-lot volunteer; frequent limb failure Tree-of-heaven: invasive; resprouts when cut Cottonwood and boxelder: fast-growing, brittle, short-lived

Siberian elm, tree-of-heaven, cottonwood and boxelder overgrow empty parcels and lean onto occupied lots.

Left over from the first U.S. emerald ash borer outbreak; brittle and unpredictable.

Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, like August 2023's, bring down weak and neglected trees onto houses and lines.

Older neighborhoods have alleys, detached garages and overhead lines; many alleys are overgrown, which complicates access. Jobs often involve a tree on a neighboring vacant lot leaning over an occupied home.