Salaspils is a compact town with clearly separated parts: the apartment blocks built in the Soviet era, districts of detached houses, the grounds of the scientific institutes, and allotment associations on the edge. The tree problems are different in each of them, and so is the question of who orders the work.
Apartment block courtyards
In the apartment districts of Salaspils the trees were planted at the same time as the buildings — which means they are now 40–60 years old and have reached full size. Maples, poplars and limes that were once below the window are now above the roof and above the car park.
The typical job here is not removing the whole tree but deadwood removal and reducing the crown above footpaths and cars. Where a tree does have to come down there is usually no drop zone in a courtyard, so we dismantle it in sections. Who may order work like this and how it is agreed with the managing agent — we explain here.
The Daugava bank and the reservoir
Salaspils sits by the Daugava and the reservoir of the Rīga hydroelectric station. In the bank zone the soil is wetter, and the trees growing there — most often willows, aspens, grey alders and birches — grow fast but are brittle. After storms it is precisely these trees that break first.
In wet soil the roots also hold less well: a tree can lean not because it is diseased but because the ground no longer holds it. If you notice that a tree has started to lean and the earth at the roots has lifted — that is an urgent case. On telling an established lean from a new one, read leaning trees.
Institute and business grounds
Salaspils has scientific institutes, production and logistics sites where tree care means an area rather than an individual tree: parts of a park, an avenue, car park planting, the fence line and trees along the access roads.
For clients like these we usually start with a survey recording every problem tree and grading them by urgency — what must be done now, what next season, what merely needs watching. It can then be tackled in stages or under a maintenance contract.
Getting here on the A6
The A6 and the electrified railway connect Salaspils with Rīga and Ogre — the journey is quick and predictable. In practice that means we can often plan Salaspils jobs for the same day as Ikšķile or Ogre, which are on the same corridor.
The only thing that can lengthen the route here is the railway and trunk-road crossings between separate parts of the town — so an exact address in your enquiry helps, rather than just "Salaspils".
Allotment associations on the edge of Salaspils
There are many old allotment associations around Salaspils, and work there looks quite different from the town streets. The tracks between plots are narrow, with deep ditch edges and low overhanging branches — heavy machinery simply will not get in, and in spring or after prolonged rain we do not attempt to drive on soft ground at all. So for the most part we work with rope access and hand tools, lowering the tree in sections exactly where it stands.
The typical situations we are called to on these properties:
- old apple and plum orchards that have not been pruned for years — the crown has thickened and branches break under their own weight;
- overgrown boundary strips with maple, aspen and bird cherry suckers already closing over the neighbour's plot;
- birches and spruces once planted as a hedge and now grown above the roof of the cabin.
Before the visit we always discuss where the vehicle can be parked and whether the gate is wide enough to take the branches out. If there is no access, we solve it with removal without vehicle access, while orchard work is better planned for late winter — see fruit tree pruning.
Old conifers beside detached houses
In the private housing quarters of Salaspils there is a whole generation of trees planted 30–40 years ago, when they were saplings. Back then a spruce or a pine two metres from the corner of the house seemed harmless. Today it is a large tree with its crown above the roof, roots under the path and permanent shade on the north side. The calls to us usually start in autumn, when the wind begins throwing cones and dead branches onto the roof.
What can realistically be done in that situation: conifers cannot be "shortened" the way a lime can — cut the top out of a spruce or a pine and it will not form a new crown, you are simply left with a dying stem. So we either take off the particular branches touching the roof and the façade or, if the tree is already dangerously close to the building and there are signs of decay in the trunk, we advise taking it down in sections and planting something better suited to the distance in its place.
In the assessment we always look for signs of bark beetle too — drops of resin, boring dust at the base of the trunk and needles yellowing suddenly; there is more on that in the article on the spruce bark beetle. If the tree stands between two buildings, we use removal between buildings so that nothing falls freely.
What we do in Salaspils
In Salaspils we offer our full range of services — from a single dangerous tree to clearing an entire site. The most frequently requested:
- Dangerous tree removal — Dead, rotten, leaning and damaged trees. We assess first, then 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 stays almost untouched.
- Tree health assessment — Is the tree dangerous? We survey it and tell you what to do.
- Branch and timber removal — Removal of branches and timber, including where someone else did the cutting.
The full list with descriptions is in the services section.
How the work happens
- We get back to you within 5 minutes. Fill in the form and attach photos showing the tree at full height, its base and its surroundings. That is often enough for a rough quote.
- Assessment. We reply with an approximate price and method. In more complicated cases we come out to Salaspils to look before the work.
- A permit, if one is needed. We check whether the Salaspils local authority requires one for that particular tree, and we handle the paperwork for you.
- The work. We agree a time, arrive with everything needed and cordon off the working area.
- Clearing up. We chip or collect the branches and take them away. We don't leave wood chip in the garden. If you want the firewood, we cut it to length and stack it where you ask.
What the price depends on in Salaspils
There is no flat rate per tree — a tree of the same size in the garden of a detached house and in an apartment courtyard are two different jobs. The price is made up of the height and girth of the tree, the species, the condition, the distance to buildings and cables, the drop zone, whether climbing or machinery is needed, and the volume to be taken away.
In Salaspils the price differs substantially between the garden of a detached house with clear access and an apartment block courtyard where the tree has to be lowered in sections and the material carried out to the street. We have set out the full list with explanations on the prices page.