Tree Service in Johns Island, SC

Tree Service in Johns Island means working at a bigger scale than most of the Charleston area. At about 84 square miles, it's the largest island in South Carolina, separated from the mainland by the tidal Stono River. Much of it still feels rural, with farms along River Road, long dirt drives under oaks and wooded parcels where a single job might involve a dozen trees. We plan those jobs around access, soil conditions and how far the brush has to travel.

Living in the shadow of the Angel Oak

The Angel Oak, owned by the City of Charleston since 1991, is estimated at 400 to 500 years old. It stands about 66.5 feet tall with a trunk circumference of 28 feet, shades roughly 17,200 square feet, and has a limb reaching 187 feet. Hurricane Hugo damaged it badly in 1989, and it recovered. The lesson for homeowners with their own big live oaks: these trees can live a very long time if their long, low limbs are supported or lightened instead of hacked off. Live oaks can tolerate selective reduction well, but large flush cuts invite decay.

City lot or county lot?

Roughly one-third of the island is inside the City of Charleston and the rest falls under Charleston County. The county treats trees 24 inches or more in diameter as grand trees, excluding pine and sweet gum, and trees of 8 inches or more as protected. Its residential zoning fee for a tree removal permit is $25, and applications go through the county's online portal. The city's rules are similar at the 24-inch line but have their own process. We'll confirm which applies before quoting a removal.

Farmland edges and growth

Working farms on the island include Legare Farms, established in 1725. An Urban Growth Boundary in place since 1999 is meant to limit suburban expansion, but new neighborhoods keep arriving, and that's where we see the classic problems: oaks with roots cut by new driveways, pines left standing alone after clearing, and drainage changes that drown roots. If construction happened near your trees in the last few years, have them checked; decline often shows up three to five years later.

Power on the island

Berkeley Electric Cooperative serves parts of Johns Island; in June 2026 it restored power to about 3,000 members near Maybank Highway after an equipment failure. If a limb is resting on a co-op line, call the co-op's outage line. Don't let anyone without line-clearance training work within 10 feet of an energized line.

Estimates for small lots and big ones

Whether it's one oak over a cottage or a few acres of overgrown woods, call (843) 202-4599 or use the form. Tell us about gates, soft ground and how far the trees are from the drive. call (843) 202-4599