Tree Removal in Clarence, NY

Tree Removal in Clarence usually happens on bigger, more wooded property than elsewhere in the Buffalo suburbs, and it happens under a specific local law. Chapter 131 of the Town Code, Landscape and Tree Conservation, was adopted in 2006. For most homeowners it is not a barrier: the law lets owners in existing residential neighborhoods trim, prune, remove and plant trees on their own lots, and it allows emergency removals and the removal of dead or diseased hazard trees by right. The permit triggers are aimed at clearing and development.

When a permit comes into play

Under Section 131-6, you need approval to clear more than a quarter acre on a new single-family home site (not counting the driveway and septic area), to remove more than 10 trees per lot within a regulated setback area, to clear-cut, to harvest timber with haul roads or stream crossings, or to remove any street or park tree. Street tree removals require at least two replacement trees for each one removed, at least 2.5 inches in caliper, chosen from the town's species list. Applications go in at least 14 days ahead, and permits last up to 18 months.

If you are building a new home, adding a pole barn or opening up a wooded backyard, we can mark the trees involved and help you see whether you are near one of those thresholds before you apply.

Land and stone

Clarence was the first town established in Erie County, in 1808, and its Native name, Ta-Num-No-Ga-O, is recorded as meaning Place of Hickory Bark. The Onondaga Escarpment runs east to west south of the town center, and the area's history includes quarries, gypsum mining and brick kilns; Spaulding Lake north of Main Street is a former quarry now ringed by homes. Shallow soil over rock on parts of the escarpment limits how deep roots can go, which affects how trees hold in wind. Wetter ground elsewhere in town has the opposite problem.

The households

Clarence has 32,950 residents on about 53.5 square miles of land. Census QuickFacts shows an 84.2% owner-occupied rate and a median owner-occupied home value of $408,500. Lots in Clarence Center, Harris Hill and Clarence Hollow range from village-sized parcels to several wooded acres. We price each job on what the trees and access actually involve.

Power and debris

Parts of the town are served by NYSEG; a March 2019 pole fire cut power to about 1,200 NYSEG customers in Clarence. For brush, the town collects pieces up to 8 feet laid parallel to the road, and residents can drop brush at the Highway Department on Goodrich Road in the brush-only area. Grass clippings are not collected. For larger jobs we chip and haul, or leave the wood for you if you heat with it. Get a free estimate