A tree comes down. The hard part feels done. Then you look at the pile — logs, branches, root mass, wood chips — and realize you still have a significant job ahead of you. In NE Ohio, a medium-sized tree removal generates anywhere from a half cord to several full cords of material. That doesn't fit in a pickup truck, and it doesn't belong in your recycling bin.
Here's what full-service haul away actually involves, and why the DIY math usually doesn't work in your favor.
What's Left After a Tree Removal
When we take down a tree, the material breaks into several categories:
Large-diameter logs — the trunk sections and major scaffold limbs. Depending on species and condition, these can be valuable (walnut, cherry, large-diameter oak) or just bulk wood. Most homeowners don't have a use for half a dozen 200-pound log sections.
Medium branches — the material that comes off the canopy. This gets chipped on-site by our chipper, which reduces it to a fraction of its original volume. Wood chips can be left on the property (useful for garden beds and paths) or hauled away.
Fine brush — the small-diameter twigs and leaves at the end of every branch. This chips well and is typically the easiest material to handle.
Stump grindings — if we grind the stump, you're left with a significant pile of wood chips and soil at the stump site. This material is high in wood fiber and decomposes slowly. Most homeowners either spread it, use it for fill, or have it hauled.
Root mass — if we're doing full stump removal (not grinding), we're pulling a root ball. Depending on the tree, that root mass can be substantial. It doesn't chip easily. It gets loaded and hauled.
Why a Rental Trailer Usually Doesn't Work
The math on DIY haul away looks good until you're standing in your driveway at 9am with a rented trailer and a pile that's four times bigger than it looked from the back window.
A single mature shade tree — say a silver maple at 18 inches diameter — generates roughly 1.5 to 2 cords of wood once it's broken down, plus the chipped brush volume. That's multiple trailer loads to a facility that accepts green waste, and most NE Ohio transfer stations charge by weight. By the time you account for trailer rental, dump fees, and the labor of loading it all yourself, you've often spent more than you would have paid for professional haul away as part of the removal job.
We chip on-site. We own the equipment. We know which facilities take what material. And we've already got the truck there.
When to Leave vs. When to Haul
Not all material needs to go. Some options that make sense for NE Ohio properties:
Leave the chips. Wood chips from chipping the brush are excellent mulch. A thick layer around your garden beds or under trees suppresses weeds and retains moisture through NE Ohio's dry summers. If you have a use for chips, tell us and we'll pile them where you want them.
Keep the firewood. If you heat with wood or have a fire pit, log sections from hardwood species (oak, cherry, ash, maple) are firewood with a year or two of drying. We can cut them to length and stack them. This saves you real money compared to buying seasoned firewood.
Haul the rest. Whatever you don't want — root mass, stump grindings you can't use, species that don't burn well — we load and haul.
Haul Away for Storm Events
After a major storm, haul away becomes urgent. NE Ohio ice storms and summer thunderstorm systems can drop a significant amount of material across a property in a single event. Multiple trees, structural limbs, debris from neighboring properties — the cleanup volume can be substantial.
We offer 24/7 emergency response for storm damage, and haul away is part of what we do in those situations. Getting debris off your property quickly matters for access, safety, and insurance documentation.
What to Expect When You Book
When you get an estimate from us, ask specifically what's included in haul away. We include chipping and haul of brush material as a standard part of any removal. Logs, stumps, and root mass are priced based on volume and species. There's no guessing — we tell you exactly what's hauled and what's left before we start.
Big Creek Tree Service provides full-service haul away throughout Greater Cleveland and NE Ohio. Licensed, insured, and equipped to handle everything from a single tree cleanup to post-storm multi-property debris removal.
📞 Call (216) 551-6445 or use the contact form for a free estimate.
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Licensed & insured. Serving Greater Cleveland & NE Ohio.