Our Tree Services
Stump Grinding, Tree Removal, Trimming, Land Clearing & 24/7 Storm Work
This page brings together everything Backcountry Tree Service Greer does, with a short summary of each job and a link to its full page. Every service starts with a free estimate at your property, and you can book one by calling (864) 334-7887 or sending the form.
We cover the parts of the city that fall in Greenville County and in Spartanburg County, as well as Taylors, Duncan, Lyman, Wellford and the city of Greenville. Our homepage covers our tree service in Greer as a whole.
Choose the Work You Need
- Stump grinding. A grinder chips the stump and the flare of roots around it to below ground level, so the spot can be mowed, planted or turfed. It suits the oak, pine and sweetgum stumps left behind after a tree comes down.
- Tree removal. Trees that have died, started to lean or split in a storm, taken down in sections where a house, fence or line sits close by. The wood is hauled off afterwards.
- Tree trimming. Deadwood, rubbing limbs and branches hanging over the roof cut back to sound wood. We don't top trees.
- Land clearing. Overgrown lots, fence lines and old pasture cleared of trees, brush and stumps ahead of a build, a driveway or a new garden.
- 24/7 emergency tree service. A tree on the roof, across the drive or caught in a service line, answered at any hour.
Upstate Trees That Often Need Work
Plenty of the trees in local yards grow fast and age badly. According to Clemson Extension, water oak's wood is weaker than most oaks', it's prone to damage from wind, snow and ice, and its trunk has often started to rot by the time the tree is 50 years old. A big water oak leaning toward a house is worth having looked at.
Bradford pear is the other usual suspect. Clemson traces its habit of splitting in half to narrow branch angles, a risk that rises in ice and storms, says the splitting is worst in older trees of 15 years or more, and notes that it's on South Carolina's list of invasive plant pests. Red maple, Clemson adds, has somewhat brittle wood and weak branches that storms can break, with its feeding roots close to the surface.
Loblolly pines can reach 90 feet, though Clemson says landscape trees usually stay around 40 to 50. The species is prone to fusiform rust, and pines with that disease are more likely to break in a windstorm. Sweetgum causes a different kind of nuisance: a shallow root system and spiky seed balls that litter the lawn from December to April.
Jobs That Go Together
A lot of tree work needs more than one service, and it goes faster when it's planned as one job. When a tree comes down, its stump stays in the ground, so ask for grinding in the same estimate and we'll schedule both together. A lot cleared for building usually has its stumps ground out as well, so stump work goes into the land clearing quote.
Storm calls often run in two stages. The first visit makes the property safe by lifting a tree off the roof or opening up a blocked drive. Once that's done, the rest of the broken tree, and any neighbour that was split by the same storm, can be taken down on a calmer day.
Trimming and removal meet too. While we're in the yard pricing one dead tree, we'll point out any limbs over the roof or the drive that are worth cutting back at the same time.
Trimming at the Right Time, Without Topping
Clemson Extension advises pruning most shade trees in late winter or early spring. It also says to hold off during the 10 weeks or so leading up to the local first hard frost, because late cuts push out tender growth that the cold can damage. Maples and other trees that bleed sap are best pruned once their leaves have matured, and spring-flowering trees after they've bloomed.
Topping is the one cut we won't make. Clemson notes that it's sometimes called a “ten year takedown”: decay can spread from the cuts into the trunk, the shoots that grow back are usually weakly attached, and severely topped trees often have to come down within ten years. If a tree has outgrown its spot, thinning it or removing it is the better answer.
Who looks after the line to your house? Greer CPW supplies electricity to about 26,000 customers, mostly inside the city limits. If your power comes from Duke Energy, Duke says the property owner has primary responsibility for keeping the service line from the pole to your meter clear, and it will switch that line off at no cost so tree work can be done safely. Whoever your provider is, check with them before any branch near a wire is cut.
When Storms and Ice Hit the Upstate
Hurricane Helene brought a 59-knot gust to GSP airport in late September 2024, and the National Weather Service office there reported widespread wind damage, with large numbers of trees and power lines down across the region. Just over 90% of Greer CPW's customers lost power, according to local news reports at the time.
Ice does its damage more quietly. In the December 2005 ice storm, weather spotters reported 0.63 inches of ice in 12 hours and tree limbs down five miles north of Greer, and 0.38 inches in Taylors. The local weather service's threshold for an Ice Storm Warning is a quarter inch of ice or more.
Leave limbs near wires alone. Duke Energy advises that no one climb a tree near power lines, and that anyone who isn't qualified shouldn't work within 10 feet of lines under 50,000 volts. If a line is down, keep everyone back and call your utility or 911 before you call us.
Every Job Ends the Same Way
Whichever service you book, you get a free estimate first and a firm price before anything goes on the calendar. The crews who carry out our work are licensed and insured. When the cutting is finished, we haul off the wood and brush unless you'd rather hang on to the logs, then rake the yard before leaving.
Hauling it off also saves you a pile to deal with. South Carolina's fire marshal advises notifying the Forestry Commission before you burn yard debris and checking with your local fire department first, since some towns ban outdoor burning and others require a permit. Call (864) 334-7887 to set up your estimate.
Services FAQs
Short answers about which service fits your job.
Which service do I need for an old stump?
Stump grinding. It takes the stump down below ground level along with the surface roots right around it, so the spot can be levelled and seeded. The deeper roots stay put and rot away slowly underground.
Can you remove a tree and grind the stump on the same job?
Yes. Ask for both when we price the work and we'll plan them together, so you aren't left waiting on a second visit.
Do you trim branches near power lines?
Branches near the line running to your house can be cut once your utility has switched it off. For trees near the main lines along the street, contact your power provider. Utilities such as Duke manage the trees along their distribution lines and will look at any that threaten them.
Do you spray or treat sick trees?
No. We don't offer spraying, fertilising or disease treatment. If a tree has died or become a hazard, we can remove it, and a tree that's still healthy can have its dead limbs trimmed out.
Do you work outside Greer?
Yes, in Duncan, Lyman and Wellford, and in Taylors, which has its own Taylors tree service page. We also work in the city of Greenville, which has a page of its own on tree service in Greenville.
Is there a charge for the estimate?
No. Someone visits, sizes up the tree and quotes the work at no charge, and you're under no obligation to book.
Do you clear whole lots or only single trees?
Both. Land clearing covers anything from a strip of overgrown fence line to a wooded lot, while single trees come under tree removal.
Still have a question?
Pick up the phone and dial (864) 334-7887, or write it in the last box of the quote form.
