Fast alder and cottonwood kept in check, long laurel hedges brought back to size, and yard trees pruned for the wet Nooksack ground they grow in.
Ferndale sits on the Nooksack River, and a lot of the town is built on low, flat river ground. That shapes the trees here more than anything else. Red alder and black cottonwood love wet soil and grow quickly in it, so a property that was open a few years ago can have a wall of them along the back fence today. They are also among the shorter-lived, weaker-wooded trees in the county, and they shed limbs readily in wind.
Near the older part of town, around Main Street and the streets either side of Pioneer Park with its historic log buildings, the yards carry bigger, older trees: maples, firs and old fruit trees that have outlived several owners. Out on the rural lots and in the newer subdivisions, the recurring job is hedges. Long runs of English laurel, arborvitae and holly were planted for privacy along roads and property lines, and laurel in particular grows fast if nobody stops it.
So most of our Ferndale work is maintenance: thinning and reducing the fast growers before they get heavy, cutting hedges back to a height you can live with, and pruning the older yard trees so they stay sound. When an alder or cottonwood has outgrown its spot next to the house, we say so and take it down properly.
Hedge trimming for long laurel, arborvitae and holly screens, including hedges that have been left for years and need bringing down over more than one cut.
Tree trimming and pruning for alder, cottonwood, maple and fir, with deadwood out and heavy limbs over roofs and driveways shortened.
Fruit tree pruning for the old apples and pears in established yards around town.
Tree removal when a fast grower has simply got too big for where it was planted.
Storm tree work after a winter blow, blackberry removal along fence lines and ditches, and land clearing on overgrown rural lots.
Alder, cottonwood and laurel do not stay where you put them. A light, regular cut every couple of seasons keeps them healthy and in proportion. Waiting until they are huge means heavier cuts, bigger wounds and more brush to haul.
Saturated winter soil holds roots less firmly, and on soft river ground that is when whole trees go over, not just limbs. Removing dead wood and reducing long, heavy limbs lowers the load on the roots before the storms arrive.
An overgrown laurel can usually be brought back, but taking it from twenty feet to six in one go often leaves bare, dead-looking wood for a season or two. We reduce hard hedges in planned stages so they green back up between cuts.
Properties close to the Nooksack River, streams and wetlands can carry extra rules about cutting vegetation. If your lot backs onto water, check with the City of Ferndale or Whatcom County before heavy pruning or removal near it.
It is a town on the Nooksack River just north of Bellingham, with a historic downtown along Main Street and Pioneer Park, which keeps a collection of old log buildings from the town's early days. For tree work, it is known for wet river ground, fast-growing alder and cottonwood, and a lot of long laurel hedges.
Mild and wet for the most part, with long grey stretches of rain rather than deep cold. Ferndale shares that weather. The exceptions are the cold snaps when dry, freezing wind blows out of the Fraser Valley from the northeast, and the winter windstorms. Those two events cause most of the broken limbs and fallen trees we see.
On the day, trimming usually costs less. For a fast grower like alder or cottonwood sitting right beside the house, the honest answer can flip: it may need cutting back so often, and carry enough risk on wet ground, that removing it and planting something better suited costs less over time. For a healthy tree that fits its spot, trimming is the better spend.
We also trim and prune trees in Bellingham, Lynden and Blaine, and in Custer, Everson, Birch Bay, Sumas, Deming and Sudden Valley.
Tell us the address and what the tree or hedge is doing. A photo helps. We will come out, look at it with you, and give you a written price.
We will be in touch to set up a time to look at the tree. If it is urgent, call (360) 555-0137.
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