Dundee: A Ridge Town Between Bigger Neighbors
Dundee has always been tied to citrus. The town grew up among groves on the high sand of the Lake Wales Ridge, with lakes tucked into the low spots between the hills. Today it sits between faster-growing neighbors, with Haines City to the north, Lake Wales to the south and Winter Haven just west along SR-542. That location has brought new subdivisions onto former grove land while the older part of town keeps its small-town streets and big shade trees.
The mix means our work in Dundee is varied: a dead pine behind a house one day, a half-acre lot full of citrus stumps the next.
Tree Problems We See Often in Dundee
Lightning-struck pines
Tall slash and longleaf pines on high ground take frequent summer strikes. A struck pine often looks fine for weeks before the needles brown and bark beetles move in. Once that happens, tree removal before it drops a limb on the roof is the safe call.
Hollow laurel oaks
Laurel oaks grow fast and shade many older Dundee yards, but they commonly decay at the trunk and major unions. Mushrooms at the base or cavities in the trunk are warning signs worth having checked.
Leftover grove stumps
Homes built on old groves frequently have citrus stumps and roots hidden under the lawn. They sprout, rot and leave soft spots. Stump removal pulls the whole root mass, while grinding is faster when you just need the surface flat.
Palms and camphor crowding the house
Sabal palms and camphor trees planted close to walls can lift slabs, clog gutters and rub roofs. Removal or pruning keeps them from causing bigger repairs.

Turning Grove Land and Vacant Lots Into Homesites
Much of the new building around Dundee is happening on parcels that held citrus not long ago. Before a foundation goes in, the lot has to be free of trees, roots, old irrigation and debris. Our lot clearing service covers the whole job: cutting and pulling trees, grinding or extracting stumps, loading out wood and brush, and smoothing the surface so the surveyor and builder can work. For lots that already have a house and just need cleanup after construction or a storm, debris removal takes care of logs, limbs and brush piles.
Lakes, Low Spots and Stormwater
Ridge sand soaks up rain quickly, but the water has to go somewhere. In Dundee, runoff flows downhill toward the lakes and low areas, and ditches, swales and drain inlets collect leaves, pine needles and sand along the way. When those clog, yards and driveways flood during heavy summer storms.
Our stormwater drain restoration and cleaning clears out debris, overgrowth and sediment so water can move again, and we can remove trees and roots that are crowding drainage paths. For work in or right next to lakes and wetlands, check with the county about permits first; we can explain what is usually required.

Dry Months on Undeveloped Ridge Parcels
Vacant tracts around Dundee that have sat unmanaged for years can grow thick with palmetto, scrub oak and vines. From late winter into May, that growth dries out and can carry a brush fire toward nearby homes. Fire risk reduction, including mulching undergrowth, removing low limbs and opening a buffer along property lines, keeps that fuel in check. It also makes the land far easier to show to a buyer.
Serving Dundee and the US-27 Ridge Towns
We work in town, in the neighborhoods off US-27 and SR-542, along the lakeshores and on the rural acreage and groves surrounding Dundee. The same trip easily covers Lake Hamilton, Lake Wales and the Haines City area, so neighbors on the ridge can often be scheduled together.
FTDF Services is headquartered in Tampa and works up to about 100 miles out. For Dundee jobs we bring the pieces each site calls for, such as a bucket truck for trees over roofs, a stump grinder, a skid steer with a mulching head, and a dump trailer to take the debris away. Calls are answered daily between 6 AM and 10 PM, and our Spanish-speaking crew members are glad to handle the conversation en español.
Getting Your Free Dundee Estimate
Tell us what is going on, whether it is one tree, a stump-filled yard or a grove lot you plan to build on. Photos help. Upload them on our contact page, and after a visit to your Dundee property you get a free estimate listing the work, the cleanup and where the wood ends up.


