At R & R Tree Service, we proudly provide dependable, affordable tree care to homeowners and businesses across Cumming, GA. Whether you need a hazardous tree removed, your trees pruned for health and appearance, a stump eliminated, or help after a storm, our skilled team is ready to help you protect and beautify your property.
We’re familiar with the landscapes and tree care needs unique to Cumming and take pride in keeping your yard safe and stunning year-round.
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In unincorporated Forsyth County, an existing single-family homeowner is written into the ordinance as exempt. The Forsyth County Tree Protection and Replacement Ordinance is keyed to the Land Disturbance Permit — it sets standards for property that requires an LDP within the unincorporated areas of the county. Its exemption list then removes homeowners from the picture explicitly. 'Tree removal by an existing, single family homeowner' is listed as specifically exempt, and so are additions, alterations, improvements and minor remodelling of an existing residence, and accessory structures built alongside one.
Construction of a single-family detached dwelling is also exempt provided it is not part of a major subdivision as the county's Unified Development Code defines that term — which is the line where a self-build stops being exempt and a developer's site begins. Two things sit outside all of this. The City of Cumming is incorporated and runs its own code inside the city limits, so a Cumming address is not automatically under the county ordinance. And landmark or historic trees are protected separately regardless: any tree on the Georgia Landmark and Historic Tree Register may not be damaged and may only be removed with prior county approval.
Rules change. Confirm anything load-bearing with the local office before you cut — we do that check as part of every quote.
The ordinance defines a boundary tree as one growing along a property line with any part of its trunk crossing that line, and protects it by keeping machinery away: no land-disturbing activity within twenty-five feet of a property line, utilities excepted. It is a blunt but effective rule, and it is worth knowing before a contractor starts grading up to the fence. Damage to a neighbour's root plate is far harder to argue about after the fact than before.
Forsyth does not publish a diameter you can check with a tape. A specimen tree or stand is whatever the County Arborist determines to be of high value because of species, size, age or other professional criteria — and notably, not every tree within a specimen stand has to be specimen size for the stand as a whole to qualify. That makes the arborist's view the deciding factor, and it makes an early conversation more useful than a late appeal.
For the purposes of the ordinance a tree is a self-supporting woody perennial that at maturity would normally exceed three inches of trunk diameter at any point and stand over ten feet tall. That definition matters because it is what the density calculations and replacement obligations are built on — it captures a great deal of what an owner would call scrub or a large shrub.
A state waters buffer is the strip along any watercourse that federal, state or local rules require to be kept undisturbed and natural. A zoning buffer is the landscaped or natural screen the Unified Development Code requires between incompatible land uses. They are frequently confused, they overlap on some lots, and clearing either one is a different order of problem from taking a tree out of a lawn.
Forsyth County holds a substantial share of Lake Lanier's shoreline, and the strip between a lakefront lot line and the water is not part of the property at all — it is federal land managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Clearing trees or understory there is not the homeowner's to authorise, whatever the fence line suggests. Genuinely hazardous trees are handled through the Corps, with a ranger assessing the tree first.
The Georgia Tree Council maintains a Landmark and Historic Tree Register, listing trees recognised for their importance in national, state or local history. Any tree on that register is prohibited from being damaged and may only be removed with prior county approval — no homeowner exemption reaches it. Removing or damaging one without approval brings a replacement obligation calculated on total density rather than a flat fine, which can be a very large number for an old tree.
Forsyth has been among the quickest-growing counties in the state for years, and a lot of Cumming subdivisions were cut straight out of standing timber. Trees left along a new boundary spent their lives sheltered inside a stand, growing tall and slender without the taper or reaction wood a solitary tree develops. Once the shelter goes, the first serious gust front finds them. If your lot was cleared in the last few years, those edge stems are the ones to have looked at.
R & R Tree Service offers licensed, bonded, and insured tree removal, trimming, stump grinding, mulching, and more throughout Cumming, GA.
Regular trimming keeps your trees healthy, improves their appearance, and reduces the risk of falling limbs, especially during storm season. Our certified team members use proper techniques to promote long-term tree health.
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Most RequestedWe safely remove hazardous, dead, or unwanted trees of all sizes, using the right equipment and techniques to prevent damage to your property. From single trees to full lot clearing.
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24/7 AvailableStorm damage? Fallen trees? We're available for fast, reliable emergency response to protect your property and restore safety. Our crew responds 24/7 across Cumming and surrounding areas.
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After a tree is removed, we can grind down the stump to restore your yard and prevent regrowth or pest infestations. We remove all debris for a clean, finished result.
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SpecialtyFor large or hard-to-reach trees, our specialized crane equipment provides the safest solution, protecting your property, fencing, and landscaping during removal.
Get a Quote →We serve residential and commercial clients throughout Cumming, including these neighborhoods and surrounding areas.
We understand the unique tree care needs in Cumming's neighborhoods and take pride in protecting your home or business while enhancing the natural beauty of your landscape.
From first call to final cleanup, we make professional tree care easy for Cumming homeowners.
Call or message us. We visit your Cumming property, assess the situation, and answer all your questions, with no obligation.
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We remove all debris, branches, and wood. Your Cumming yard is left immaculate. We follow up to confirm your satisfaction.
"For the past eight years, R and R Tree Service has meticulously tended to our landscape needs. From pine tree removal to diagnosing damaged or diseased trees, I fully and completely trust this honest and hard working crew. They estimate fairly and give competitive prices. It's reassuring to know they will 'take care of business'."
"We have used R and R Tree Service since we moved to the Cumming area over 16 years ago. They are professional, dependable, and do an excellent job. Their crane service is a definite advantage. There is never any damage to surrounding trees."
"Within 24-hours of being contacted, Randy and his team gave me a quote and removed two mature trees uprooted during Hurricane Helene. Arrived at the crack of dawn and finished before lunch. True professionals."
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In unincorporated Forsyth County the ordinance lists tree removal by an existing single-family homeowner as specifically exempt, so generally no. Inside the City of Cumming limits the city's own code applies instead, so confirm which you are in — an address alone does not settle it.
Additions, alterations, improvements and minor remodelling of an existing residence are on the exemption list, as is construction of structures accessory to an existing residence. Building a new single-family detached dwelling is also exempt unless it forms part of a major subdivision as defined by the county Unified Development Code — that is the point at which it stops being exempt.
A tree growing along a property line with any part of its trunk crossing that line. Forsyth protects them by prohibiting land-disturbing activity within twenty-five feet of the property line, utilities excepted. If the tree you are dealing with straddles a boundary, treat it as a shared matter from the outset.
Not a published one. Forsyth leaves specimen status to the County Arborist, who judges high value on species, size, age or other professional criteria — and a stand can qualify as a specimen stand even where not every tree in it is specimen size. Separately, any tree on the Georgia Landmark and Historic Tree Register cannot be damaged and needs prior county approval before removal.
Not on your own authority. The land between the lot line and the water is federal, managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, and clearing trees or understory there is prohibited without authorisation. Hazardous trees are the exception and go through the Corps, with a ranger determining whether the tree qualifies. It is not a rule worth testing.
Edge exposure, usually with root damage underneath it. Trees grown inside a closed stand never carried wind individually and never built the taper for it; expose them and they are suddenly load-bearing. Add roots cut for footings, drives and service runs and the decline surfaces two to four years later as a thinning crown and dieback starting at the top.
Late autumn through late winter for most hardwoods — structure is visible with the leaves off, cuts close before the spring flush, and insect and disease pressure around fresh wounds is much lower. Deadwood and clearance work is fine year-round, and anything genuinely hazardous should not wait for a season.
Get fencing up before machinery arrives, not after. Protective fencing set at the edge of the critical root zone is the single most effective measure, because most construction damage is not a saw touching the tree at all — it is compaction. Repeated plant traffic over a root plate crushes the pore space soil needs to hold air and water, and roots suffocate slowly. Add trench cuts for footings, drains and service runs and you can remove a third of a root system without anyone noticing. Also watch where spoil and washout are dumped: two feet of fill over a root plate will kill a mature tree as surely as cutting it.
Typically two to four years, which is why the connection so often gets missed. The tree draws on stored reserves to push a normal-looking canopy for a season or two, then the crown thins from the top, leaves come smaller, and deadwood starts appearing in the upper third. By the point it is obvious, the root loss is long done. If there has been digging inside the drip line, an inspection then is far more useful than one later.
Yes. We work out of Buford Highway in Buford, a short run across to Forsyth, and Cumming is part of our regular coverage. R & R has been family-owned in North Georgia since 1987, is licensed and insured and a member of the Tree Care Industry Association, owns all its equipment including the crane, and never subcontracts. Free on-site estimates; emergencies 24/7 on (678) 482-9994.
Sources: Forsyth County Tree Protection and Replacement Ordinance (Ordinance 98, adopted 6 May 2021)
When you need trusted tree service in Cumming, GA, turn to the professionals at R & R Tree Service. We deliver quality work, excellent customer service, and affordable rates every time.
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