Arborist in Purvciems — tree removal and tree care

The courtyard trees of Purvciems were planted while the buildings were going up, and fifty years on they have outgrown the space they were meant for. The maple that was below the window is now above the roof; the poplar at the gable end now drops branches onto the parking bays. The inner courtyards of the neighbourhood are generous, but full of cars, and that dictates the method.

Who is allowed to order work in a courtyard

This is the question we are asked most often in Purvciems, and the answer usually comes as a surprise. Courtyard land is most often in shared ownership or belongs to the local authority, so an individual flat owner cannot order tree work — even if the tree grows directly below their window.

The practical route is this: we survey the tree, prepare a quote and a clear description of the work, and you submit that to the managing agent or the flat owners' association. With a concrete document in hand the process moves considerably faster than with a verbal complaint. More on this: tree removal in apartment-block courtyards.

The commonest jobs in Purvciems courtyards

Contrary to what people expect, most courtyard work is not felling. More often something smaller and cheaper is what is needed:

• Deadwood removal above a footpath, a parking bay or a playground — the dead branches come off, the living crown stays.
• Crown reduction where branches reach over a roof or balconies.
• Poplars. They were planted in quantity in the Soviet period; they grow fast, and the inside of the trunk tends to rot before there is anything to see from outside.
• Emergency work after a storm — a branch that has torn out but hung up in the crown is one of the most dangerous cases there is.

The squeeze between the cars

In the inner courtyards of Purvciems there is virtually no free ground: the courtyard is full of cars, and a tree can almost never be felled whole. The standard answer is sectional dismantling using rope access.

Before the job we cordon off the zone and agree that the parking bays concerned will be cleared for a few hours — that is usually handled by the managing agent, who gives the residents notice. We chip the branches and take them away; we do not leave wood chip in the courtyard. If you want, the stump can be ground out on the same visit.

Trees at schools, nurseries and playgrounds in Purvciems

In the inner courtyards of Purvciems the playgrounds, nursery fences and school paths sit almost invariably under the crowns of the very trees planted alongside the buildings. These are the trees we look at first, because here a dead branch has nowhere empty to fall — underneath is a sandpit, a bench, or a path children walk along every morning. We assess deadwood in the crown, cracks at branch junctions, bracket fungi on the trunk and the condition of the root collar, and after the inspection we say what has to be done now and what can wait.

We agree the timing with the management of the institution. In practice that means:

• cutting during the school holidays or at weekends;
• at nurseries — after outdoor play has finished, or on a day when the groups are on a different playground;
• a cordoned-off work zone with a responsible person at the entrance;
• branches and chip taken away the same day, so the playground is clean the next morning.

If a tree really is dangerous, we cordon the playground off straight away and agree emergency work.

How a resident's complaint in Purvciems turns into actual work

Most calls from Purvciems start the same way — somebody notices a dead branch over the parking near Dzelzavas iela or Stirnu iela, or a tree that has been standing at more of an angle since the last wind. The road from there to a felled tree is longer than people usually expect. First somebody from the building submits a request to the managing agent, the agent orders an inspection, we prepare a quote, and only once that is approved does the crew come out. On city-owned land there is also the matter of a felling permit, which we handle.

We are honest about the other side of it too. The fact that a tree blocks a window, or that a courtyard is dark, is not in itself grounds for felling — a healthy tree in an urban setting is kept. In cases like that we usually work with crown thinning: we open the crown up, take off the lowest and the dead branches, and the flat gains noticeably more light without losing the tree.

We act quickly when a tree is leaning, split or rotten and puts people at risk — a dangerous tree we inspect and make safe the same day.

What we do in Purvciems

Every one of our services is available in Purvciems. The ones most often requested in this neighbourhood:

• Dangerous tree removal — Dead, rotten, leaning and damaged trees. We assess first, then we cut.
• Emergency tree removal — Fallen and broken trees after a storm — we come out the same day.
• Tree crown care — Crown shaping, thinning and deadwood removal.
• Stump grinding — Stump grinding without digging — the lawn is left almost untouched.
• Tree health assessment — Is the tree dangerous? We survey it and tell you what to do.
• Branch and timber removal — Branch and timber removal, even if someone else did the cutting.

The full list with descriptions is in the services section.

How the work happens

1. We get back to you within 5 min. Fill in the form and attach photos showing the whole tree, its base and the route up to it. That is often enough for a ballpark quote.
2. Assessment. We reply with an approximate price and a method. If access in Purvciems is awkward, we come out and look before the job.
3. Permit, if one is needed. We check whether this particular tree in Rīga requires one, and we file it on your behalf.
4. The work. We agree a time, cordon off the work zone and arrive with everything needed.
5. Clearing up. We chip or collect the branches and take them away. We do not leave wood chip behind. If you want firewood, we cut it to length and stack it where you tell us.

What the price depends on in Purvciems

There is no flat rate per tree. In Purvciems the quote takes in the tree's height and girth, its species and condition, the distance to the building and the parking bays, the amount of rope work in the courtyard and how far the material has to be carried to the chipper.

In Purvciems the price is affected by how close the chipper and trailer can be brought to the tree. Several trees done in one courtyard work out noticeably cheaper per tree than a separate visit. We have set out the full list with explanations on the prices page.