Tree Removal, Tree Care & Land Clearing in Winter Haven, FL

Few Florida towns are as tied to their water as Winter Haven. The Chain of Lakes links Lake Howard, Lake Eloise, Lake Shipp, Lake Lulu, Lake Hartridge and many others through a network of boat canals, so a surprising number of homes here back up to a shoreline. Those lots tend to have the biggest trees in town: broad live oaks, tall laurel oaks, sabal palms leaning out over the water, and cypress standing in the shallows.

Shoreline jobs bring their own puzzles. Ground near the water stays soft for much of the year, access is often down a narrow side yard, and nobody wants tree debris floating across the lake. We plan these removals so wood comes back toward the street rather than out over the water, use a bucket truck where a crane would be overkill, and keep heavy equipment on firm ground. When a tree has to be taken down beside a seawall or dock, we cut it in manageable pieces and lower them instead of letting them fall.

Cypress and other wetland vegetation right at the water's edge may be protected, so it is smart to confirm with the City of Winter Haven or Polk County before removing anything below the shoreline. We are glad to explain what is usually involved.

For generations, the land around Winter Haven was planted in oranges and grapefruit. Citrus is still part of the local identity, but disease and freezes have taken many groves out of production, and a lot of that acreage is now being sold for housing. New subdivisions have spread along US-17, SR-540 (Cypress Gardens Boulevard) and toward US-27, and the CSX Central Florida Intermodal Logistics Center on the south side of town has drawn warehouse and distribution projects to the area.

Every one of those projects starts with getting the old vegetation off the ground. A retired grove is rarely a clean slate: there are dead trunks, root balls, irrigation lines, volunteer oaks and thick grass to deal with. Our land clearing work removes trees and stumps, and our site preparation and land leveling services get the pad ready for surveyors and builders. On larger tracts we can also cut and grade a temporary access road so trucks can reach the back of the property during construction.

Homeowners

In established neighborhoods near downtown and around the lakes, the most common calls are for tree removal of dead or declining oaks and pines, crown thinning to lighten heavy limbs before storm season, and clearing branches away from roofs and screen enclosures. Once a tree is down, grinding chews the stump out beneath the soil line, letting you patch the lawn or reuse the spot.

Builders and developers

For new construction we offer clearing, grubbing of stumps and roots, debris hauling and rough grading. Work can be phased to match a build schedule, starting with the road and pad areas and finishing with the lots.

Grove and pasture owners

Owners who want to hold their land, sell it later or turn it into pasture often choose forestry mulching. Our track loader with a mulcher head grinds brush and small trees into a layer of chips that protects the soil, without burn piles or truckloads of debris.

Winter Haven's summer rainy season is good for the lakes but hard on trees. When the soil is saturated for weeks, shallow-rooted laurel oaks and pines lose their grip, and a strong gust can tip a whole root plate out of the ground. Hurricane bands that pass through Polk County add the wind needed to finish the job. Trees that already lean toward a house, have mushrooms at the base or show cracks where large limbs join the trunk deserve a closer look before the next storm.

After a storm, we handle hanging limbs, trees on fences and roofs, and the long piles of debris that follow. Lakeside neighborhoods also deal with storm drains and swales clogged with leaves, sand and branches. Our stormwater drain cleaning service clears those inlets and ditches so water can move again instead of pooling in yards and streets.

FTDF Services is based in northwest Tampa, and Winter Haven falls well inside the 100-mile radius we cover. We come out to look at the job in person, explain what we recommend and why, and give you a free estimate. Calls are taken from 6 in the morning until 10 at night, any day of the week, in either English or Spanish.

Depending on the job, we roll in with a bucket truck for lakeside canopies, a skid steer carrying a forestry mulcher for acreage, a grapple-equipped wheel loader for logs, plus our stump grinder and dump trailer. We also work regularly in neighboring Auburndale, Bartow and Lake Wales. The easiest way to start is to send a short description and a few photos through our contact form.