Town coverage
Oak Trimming and Careful Lot Clearing Around Magnolia
Magnolia work runs from pruning old live oaks and magnolias to clearing lots for a build, planned around the city code. The phone is answered 24/7.
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MagnoliaShort answer
Magnolia is named for the magnolia trees that grow in the area, and its 2015 Unified Development Code includes the protection of live oak and magnolia trees. We prune protected trees to keep them sound, and check the code before clearing any lot ahead of construction.
Local conditions
Mink Prairie, the railroad and protected oaks
Magnolia began as Mink Prairie, founded in about 1845 and shortened to Mink by 1850. In 1902 the International-Great Northern Railroad planned a line north of Mink, and most residents moved closer to the tracks. Today the city, in the western part of Montgomery County, carries the name of the magnolia trees that grow in the area.
Growth is planned here. A 20-year comprehensive plan adopted in 2013 covers projected business and residential growth, and the 2015 code that followed protects live oak and magnolia trees. On a lot with an old oak, that points to pruning over removal: we raise and thin the oak crown to clear roofs and drives.
Before clearing a pad or driveway, we mark the trees worth keeping and the root zones machines stay out of. Then fencing goes up around those roots so trenching and grading spare the trees the code asks you to save.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, zoneomics.com
Magnolia's land clearing permit and five-day notice
Magnolia's zoning code counts removing five or more trees six inches or greater in diameter on one platted lot as land clearing. Land clearing or protected tree removal in preparation for development needs a permit, plus written notice to the city Administrator at least five days ahead. Sites with significant stands or protected trees cannot be clear cut for development. We confirm the current rules with the city before pricing clearing work.
Most called-for work
Work that fits Magnolia lots and the city code
- How to trim a live oakLive oaks are protected under Magnolia's code, so pruning that keeps them sound beats removal, and we never top them.
- Land clearingClearing five or more trees six inches or larger on a platted lot counts as land clearing here, so permits come first.
- Fencing a tree's root zoneSaved oaks and magnolias on a building lot need fenced root zones and careful trenching to survive.
- Help with HOA tree approvalPhotos, trunk measurements and a site sketch give the city what it needs for a clearing permit.
- Getting rid of an old stumpStumps left after clearing get ground below grade so the pad, drive or lawn grades flat.
Close by, see tree work in Tomball, tree care around The Woodlands, crews working in Conroe and tree care around Waller County, or the whole coverage map.
The city's 2015 Unified Development Code includes the protection of live oak and magnolia trees. Before removing either, especially during a build, check with the city. We gather the photos and trunk measurements a permit file needs.
Yes, when the cuts are small and spread through the crown. We take out crossing and dead limbs and raise the lowest ones for clearance, keeping most of the leaf area so the oak keeps feeding its roots.
Usually not. Southern magnolias carry dense, low limbs and shed leaves all year, but they rarely need heavy pruning. We lift the lowest limbs for clearance, take out dead wood, and save removal for a tree that is failing.
Brush and saplings differ from tree removal, since the land clearing count is based on trees six inches and larger, protected trees and significant stands. Tell us what grows on the lot and we will check the code with you.
Planning work on a Magnolia lot?
Talk to a crew lead before the first cut. We walk the lot, mark the keepers and go over the city rules with you.