A postwar suburb whose trees are now 60 to 70 years old

Tree Service in Kettering, OH

Care for the shade trees planted when Kettering's streets were new and are now big enough to matter.

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The Trees That Came With the Houses

Tree Service in Kettering mostly means looking after trees that were planted in a building boom. The village of Kettering incorporated in 1952, became a city in 1955, and added more than 30,000 people from the 1950s into the 1970s as families moved out of Dayton after the war. The population peaked at 69,599 in 1970. Many of the maples, oaks and ash that went in with those houses are now 60 or 70 years old, at the size where a failure can do real damage to a roof or a car.

What age does to a yard tree

A shade tree planted in 1960 behaves differently today than it did in 1990. Silver maples develop tight, V-shaped unions between trunks that can split under ice. Pin oaks in alkaline Ohio soils may yellow and thin. Branches that were cleared from a roof thirty years ago have since grown back across it. And roots planted beside a narrow driveway have now lifted the concrete. On a Kettering lot, our first visit is usually a walk around the house to sort these issues into what needs work now, what can wait for the next pruning cycle and what is fine.

Long-time owners, practical needs

Census figures show 64.9% of Kettering homes are owner-occupied, the median owner-occupied value is $208,500, and 86.5% of residents lived in the same house a year earlier. Nearly one in five residents (19.7%) is 65 or older. In practice, we hear from a lot of people who have handled their own trimming for decades and no longer want to be on a ladder with a pole saw. We do the climbing and the cleanup, and we can set a schedule for the larger trees so work is planned rather than rushed after a storm.

Hills and Dales and the city's southern edge

Hills & Dales MetroPark sits in Kettering, and not every lot in the city is a standard tract parcel. Larger and older properties, wherever they are, often need crane or rope-rigged removals, because a tall oak with a house on one side and a neighbor's garage on the other cannot simply be felled. Further out, some yards back onto ravines and creek corridors where access for equipment takes some planning.

Emerald ash borer in Kettering yards

Ash was a popular street and yard tree in postwar subdivisions. Emerald ash borer larvae feed under the bark, cut off the tree's water and nutrient flow, and without treatment can kill the ash in an area within about ten years. Dead ash becomes brittle and dangerous to climb, so removal is safer and often cheaper before the tree is fully dead. If you still have an ash with a thinning top, or bark with D-shaped exit holes, have it looked at.

Services Kettering homeowners ask for

Roof and gutter clearance pruning
Thinning heavy maples before ice season
Removing dead ash and declining pin oaks
Stump grinding so a lawn or bed can be replanted
Cleanup after summer thunderstorms

Call (937) 884-1695 or ask for a visit online. The estimate is written, itemized, and includes cleanup. Get a free estimate

Kettering, by the Numbers

A postwar boom. Kettering became a village in November 1952 and a city on June 24, 1955, when it already had 38,118 residents; it grew by more than 30,000 people from the 1950s through the 1970s.
Owners who stay. Census QuickFacts reports a 64.9% owner-occupied rate, a $208,500 median owner-occupied home value and 86.5% of residents in the same house as a year earlier (2020-2024).
Permit for street-side removals. Kettering requires a Right-of-Way Construction Permit, applied for through Access Kettering, before tree removals in the public right-of-way, which includes the tree lawn.
Parks within the city. Hills & Dales MetroPark is one of Five Rivers MetroParks' facilities in Kettering, and the city's own Pondview Park has trails and six ponds.

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Our Services in Kettering, OH

Kettering Questions

My silver maple has two trunks with a crack between them. What should I do?

Keep people and cars out from under it and call (937) 884-1695. A crack at a V-shaped union is a common failure point on older Kettering maples. Depending on the tree, cabling, a reduction or removal may be the right answer.

How often should a mature yard tree in Kettering be pruned?

For large shade trees, every three to five years is typical. Trees over roofs or driveways may need attention more often. We can note what was done on each visit so the next one picks up where the last left off.

Is it worth treating an ash tree instead of removing it?

Sometimes. A healthy, valuable ash with a full crown can be a candidate for treatment by a pesticide applicator. One that has lost a third or more of its canopy is usually past saving, and removal is the safer path.

Do you grind the stump the same day as the removal?

Often, if the stump is reachable and utilities are marked. If not, we schedule grinding as a separate visit, and the estimate lists it as its own line.

Does Kettering need a permit for removing a tree on the tree lawn?

Yes. The city counts the tree lawn as public right-of-way, and its engineering department requires a Right-of-Way Construction Permit for tree removals there before work starts. Questions go to Kettering Engineering at 937-296-2436.

Free Estimates in Kettering, OH

Free written estimates on any Kettering street, from Hills & Dales to the eastern subdivisions.

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