Franklin Tree Service

Franklin Tree Service Tree Removal, Tree Pruning, Stump Grinding, ISA Certified Arborist, ISA Tree Risk Assessor Franklin Tree Service of Franklin TN.

We provide tree removal, pruning, planting, stump grinding, land clearing, soil decompaction, consulting.

If your dogwood, oak, sycamore, or maple has developed irregular brown spots, dead patches along leaf margins, or premat...
06/03/2026

If your dogwood, oak, sycamore, or maple has developed irregular brown spots, dead patches along leaf margins, or premature leaf drop this spring, you may be looking at anthracnose, and it's showing up across Middle Tennessee right now.

Anthracnose is a fungal leaf disease that thrives during cool, wet spring conditions, exactly the kind of weather we've had heading into early summer. It looks alarming, especially on dogwoods, where the blotching can affect a significant portion of the canopy. In most established, healthy trees, one season of anthracnose doesn't cause permanent damage. But in trees already under stress, or if infections recur year after year, the cumulative effect on tree health becomes a real concern.

What separates a manageable case from a serious one depends on the tree species, the severity of infection, and the overall health of the tree going into the season. This is exactly the kind of evaluation our ISA Certified Arborist is trained to make accurately.

If you're seeing unusual leaf symptoms on any of your trees right now, don't wait for them to get worse.

Have you noticed any brown spots, blotching, or early leaf drop on your trees this spring? Which trees are you watching?

Storm season has arrived in Middle Tennessee, and if you have a Bradford Pear or other weak-wooded tree on your property...
06/02/2026

Storm season has arrived in Middle Tennessee, and if you have a Bradford Pear or other weak-wooded tree on your property, now is the time to have it assessed, not after the next round of severe weather.

Bradford Pears are the most common example, but they're far from the only concern. Silver Maple, Mimosa, Siberian Elm, and several ornamental cherry varieties share the same structural problem: fast growth that produces wood with tight, included bark unions at branch attachments. Those unions look fine in calm weather. In a high-wind event with saturated soil, they fail quickly and without much warning.

In the Franklin and Williamson County area, we perform risk assessments on trees like these regularly, especially heading into June and July when afternoon storm lines move through. A qualified arborist can tell you whether a tree can be structurally improved through selective pruning, whether removal is the responsible call, or whether you're genuinely fine to monitor it for now.

Our ISA Tree Risk Assessor designation means we give you an honest, documented answer, not a guess.

Do you have a Bradford Pear or a tree with some noticeable split branching on your property? How long have you been watching it?

After a tree comes down, it's tempting to consider the job done. But the stump left behind is where problems often begin...
06/01/2026

After a tree comes down, it's tempting to consider the job done. But the stump left behind is where problems often begin, not end.

Stumps left in the ground attract wood-boring insects, fungi, and decay organisms that can spread to healthy trees nearby. In Franklin and Williamson County, we see this regularly, especially in yards where oaks, maples, or Bradford pears were removed and the stump was left to "rot on its own."

Beyond tree health, stumps create practical headaches: mowing obstacles, tripping hazards, and aesthetics that work against the property you've invested in. Some stumps also continue to send up root sprouts for years, pulling energy from surrounding plantings.

Our stump grinding process removes the stump below grade, so your yard is clean, level, and ready for replanting, sod, or simply restored. It's a straightforward add-on to any removal, and one we always recommend completing at the same time.

Do you have an old stump on your property you've been working around? How long has it been there?

After a tree comes down, the stump is almost always an afterthought. Then spring rolls around, and suddenly it's the mos...
05/29/2026

After a tree comes down, the stump is almost always an afterthought. Then spring rolls around, and suddenly it's the most annoying thing in your yard.

Left in place, stumps create a few ongoing headaches. They're a tripping hazard, they make mowing a pain, and they create habitat for carpenter ants, termites, and other insects that you'd generally rather not establish a foothold that close to your home. Some species also send up sprouts from the root system, which means you're now managing a small thicket where you used to have a clean yard.

Stump grinding removes the stump down below grade, leaving behind a layer of wood chips you can either use as mulch or cover with soil. The root system stays in the ground and breaks down naturally, which is fine — the root mass isn't going anywhere fast, but it's not a problem either.

If you had tree work done last fall or this spring and the stump is still sitting there, now is a good time to get it taken care of before summer settles in. Franklin Tree Service handles stump grinding across Franklin, Brentwood, Leiper's Fork, and surrounding Williamson County communities. Free estimate at franklintree.com or (615) 866-7056.

Is there a stump on your property you've been meaning to deal with — or did you finally get one ground down recently? How long did it sit there before you made the call?

Most people have heard of an ISA Certified Arborist. Fewer know that there's a separate, more specialized credential bey...
05/28/2026

Most people have heard of an ISA Certified Arborist. Fewer know that there's a separate, more specialized credential beyond it: ISA Tree Risk Assessor.

A Tree Risk Assessor is trained specifically in the systematic evaluation of trees for the likelihood of failure and the potential consequences if one does. It's not just a general arborist opinion — it's a structured process with documented methodology, used by municipalities, utilities, insurance companies, and property owners who need more than a rough guess about a tree's stability.

Zack Poteet, the founder of Franklin Tree Service, holds both credentials. It's one of the reasons we're regularly called in for situations where the stakes are higher than a routine trim — large trees over structures, high-traffic areas, or properties where a tree assessment needs to hold up to scrutiny.

Most tree companies in Middle Tennessee do not have a Tree Risk Assessor on staff. It's a distinction worth understanding if you have a tree on your property that's giving you pause.

Has a tree on your property ever made you a little uneasy, or is that something you've been putting off getting a second opinion on?

If you have ash trees on your property in the Franklin or Williamson County area, Emerald Ash Borer is something you nee...
05/27/2026

If you have ash trees on your property in the Franklin or Williamson County area, Emerald Ash Borer is something you need to be thinking about.

EAB is a small, invasive beetle that kills ash trees by disrupting their ability to move water and nutrients. Once an ash is infested, the decline is often rapid and the damage is irreversible if it goes untreated. Middle Tennessee has confirmed EAB pressure, and untreated ash trees in this region face a serious prognosis without intervention.

The warning signs aren't always obvious early on. Canopy thinning from the top down, S-shaped galleries under the bark, and D-shaped exit holes (about the width of a pencil eraser) are the clearest indicators. Woodpecker activity on the trunk is another signal, since birds go after the larvae. By the time those signs are highly visible, the infestation is typically well-established.

The good news: EAB is treatable, especially when caught early. Franklin Tree Service offers EAB assessments and treatment programs for ash trees across our service area. Treatment is most effective on trees that still have a healthy portion of their canopy intact.

If you have ash trees, we'd encourage you to have them looked at this season. Free estimate at franklintree.com or (615) 866-7056.

Do you know whether the trees on your property include any ash species? Many homeowners aren't sure — it's one of the most common questions we get.

Late May in Williamson County means one thing is coming: afternoon thunderstorms. And while a single storm rarely topple...
05/26/2026

Late May in Williamson County means one thing is coming: afternoon thunderstorms. And while a single storm rarely topples a healthy, well-maintained tree, it's the ones that have been quietly declining for months that become problems when the wind picks up.

There are a few things worth checking on your property before storm season gets into full swing. Large deadwood in the canopy is the first thing an arborist looks for — dead branches don't flex in wind the way live wood does, and they tend to break at the worst times. Tight "V-shaped" branch unions, where two major limbs originate from the same point at a narrow angle, are another warning sign. Cracks or splits in a trunk or major branch are never something to wait on.

This time of year is also when we start seeing heat stress show up in trees that had a tough winter or spring. If your trees leafed out looking thinner than usual, or if you're noticing leaf scorch on the outer edges of the canopy, that's worth a closer look.

Franklin Tree Service offers free property assessments across Williamson County. A quick walk with one of our certified arborists can tell you exactly what to watch and what to address before summer storms arrive. Visit franklintree.com or call (615) 866-7056.

Have you had any storm damage to trees on your property in the last year or two, and did you end up getting it assessed before you assumed it was fine?

This Memorial Day, we pause in gratitude for those who gave everything for the freedoms we enjoy every day. We honor and...
05/25/2026

This Memorial Day, we pause in gratitude for those who gave everything for the freedoms we enjoy every day.
We honor and remember the courageous men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.

Their bravery and dedication will never be forgotten.❤️🤍💙

Not every tree with a structural problem needs to come down. For mature, established hardwoods in Franklin, Brentwood, a...
05/22/2026

Not every tree with a structural problem needs to come down. For mature, established hardwoods in Franklin, Brentwood, and Belle Meade, there are situations where cabling and bracing is the right answer, and a far less disruptive one than full removal.

Cabling involves installing high-strength steel cables between major limbs or co-dominant stems to redistribute weight and reduce the risk of failure under wind load or heavy growth. Bracing uses threaded rods installed through weak branch unions or split trunks to hold sections together. Neither approach is a quick fix, and neither is appropriate for every tree, but for the right candidates, they can extend the life of a valuable specimen by decades.

This is one area where an ISA Tree Risk Assessor credential matters. The assessment has to determine whether the tree's structure can actually be stabilized, whether the failure risk is in the root system or the canopy, and whether the tree is worth the investment given its current health. That's a judgment call that takes training and experience to make correctly.

Franklin Tree Service is one of the few local companies with an ISA Tree Risk Assessor on staff, so when we evaluate a tree, we're giving you a genuinely informed recommendation, not a guess or a default toward removal because it's simpler.

If you have a mature tree on your property with a visible split, heavy lean, or co-dominant stem structure, it may be worth having it looked at before a storm makes the decision for you. Visit franklintree.com or call (615) 866-7056 for a free consultation.

Do you have any old trees on your property that you've been unsure about, whether to remove them or try to preserve them?

Most people see the end of a tree removal, the clean yard, the stump, the before-and-after. What's less visible is every...
05/21/2026

Most people see the end of a tree removal, the clean yard, the stump, the before-and-after. What's less visible is everything that happens before the first cut is made, and that planning is actually where the safety and quality of a job are determined.

On larger removals, especially in tight residential spaces in Franklin and Brentwood where houses, fences, power lines, and landscaping are all close together, the crew walks the site before any equipment is staged. Rigging points are identified. Sections are planned in sequence. Drop zones are established and checked. If neighboring property is involved, that's accounted for too. On especially complex jobs, a crane may be brought in specifically to avoid any risk of uncontrolled drop.

This approach takes more time up front, but it's the reason jobs get done without damage to property or risk to anyone on the ground. Skipping that process to move faster is where things go wrong, and that's a risk a professional crew won't take.

It's also one of the reasons using a crew without proper training and insurance is a significant gamble for homeowners. A tree that goes wrong goes wrong fast. The planning, equipment, and skill to do it right isn't something you can improvise.

We're happy to walk through our approach on any job before work begins. Call (615) 866-7056 or visit franklintree.com to get a free estimate and ask us anything about the process.

Have you ever watched a large tree removal up close? Anything about the process that surprised you?

Address

2231 Hillsboro Road
Franklin, TN
37069

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+16158667056

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