Quick answer
Yes, we work throughout Abington Township. Tree work here leans toward care as much as removal. The township marked its 16th year as a Tree City USA in 2023, its Shade Tree Commission handed out 1,100 trees in 2023-2024, and a tree protection ordinance is on its priority list. So the calls are young trees needing structure and mature ones needing a careful decision.
1,100 giveaway trees and the pruning they will need
Abington's Shade Tree Commission gave away 1,100 trees to residents in 2023-2024 and logged more than 1,740 volunteer hours over the same stretch. In March 2023 the township marked its 16th year as a Tree City USA. That is a lot of young trees going into yards at the same time.
A young tree's shape is set in its first years. Cutting out a second leader or a crossing limb now takes a hand saw and a few minutes; leaving it grows a weak fork that may split in a storm decades later. Structural pruning on a young tree is one of the smallest bills in tree care, and timing matters, which our guide on when to trim explains.
If you planted one of the giveaway trees, let it settle in for a season or two, then have its structure looked at before it reaches the gutters.
Typical tree jobs in Abington
In a township that counts its trees, the jobs lean toward keeping good ones and replacing the ones that fail.
- Young Tree Structural PruningGiveaway and newly planted trees, shaped early so each grows one strong leader.
- Tree TrimmingMature yard trees thinned and cleared off roofs without topping, which only leaves weak regrowth.
- Tree RemovalTrees that are dead, split or failing, lowered in sections, with a written reason you can keep on file.
- Tree PlantingReplacement trees for ones that had to come out, in step with the township's replacement priority.
- Tree Inspection & Risk AssessmentA second look at a big tree before you decide, useful while protection rules are being worked out.
A Master Tree Action Plan and an ordinance on the list
Abington created its Shade Tree Commission in 1975 under Chapter 42 of the township code. In 2023 it adopted a Master Tree Action Plan, and it lists a tree preservation, protection and replacement ordinance as a 2024-2025 priority.
Whether and how that ordinance has been adopted is a question for the township, so we check before any large removal. Two habits help either way: confirm the current rule before taking down a big healthy tree, and keep a written note of why a hazardous one had to come down. A tree risk assessment gives you that record.
When a tree does have to go, with a split trunk, a dead crown or roots heaving the soil, we take it down in sections, grind the stump if you plan to replant, and talk through a replacement. Neighboring Cheltenham already has a detailed ordinance, if you want a sense of where township rules can go.
Abington tree questions
Check with the township first. Abington listed a tree preservation, protection and replacement ordinance as a 2024-2025 priority, so the rules may have changed. We confirm the current position before a large removal.
Let it settle for a season or two, then prune lightly for structure while it is dormant. Remove competing leaders and crossing branches early, while the cuts are still small.
It is a national recognition for towns that manage their trees, and Abington marked its 16th year in 2023. It adds no rules for you by itself, but it shows how seriously the township takes its canopy.
If you want one, yes. We grind the old stump and set the new tree a few feet away, where undisturbed soil gives its roots a cleaner start.
Near Abington
A tree in Abington you want looked at?
Call us any hour. Describe the tree and what worries you about it, and we will tell you whether it needs pruning or has to go.