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When a tree is too large, too broken, or too close to a roof to be taken apart from inside the canopy, a crane changes the geometry of the job — each section is lifted straight up and flown clear of the property instead of being rigged down through the tree. Pacific Arboriculture runs crane‑assisted removals across Auburn, Kent, Tacoma, Federal Way, Renton, Puyallup, Maple Valley and the surrounding South Puget Sound. Every pick is planned by an ISA Certified Arborist and flown by an NCCCO certified crane operator.
Free on-site assessment · 24/7 emergency response available
A crane is not the answer to every removal. It is the right call when the drop zone is too small, the wood is too heavy to rig, or the tree is already leaning on something that matters.
A tree overhanging a house, garage or outbuilding is dismantled from above. Sections are cut, held on the hook, and swung to the drop zone rather than lowered through the canopy over the roof.
A trunk that has failed onto a structure, or a broken top hung in the canopy, is often unsafe to climb. The crane takes the weight before anyone works near it. Emergency response is available 24/7.
Mature Douglas fir, cedar and big‑leaf maple on a narrow city lot leave almost no room to drop wood. Crane picks move the wood over the property line to the truck instead of across the yard.
Parking lots, private drives and common areas need the work zone contained and the schedule respected. See commercial tree services and HOA & multifamily.
Not every removal needs a crane. If the tree has a clear drop zone, standard tree removal is usually the more direct approach, and stump grinding can be added either way.
The sequence below is what a crane day looks like, from the survey that decides the crane size to the walkthrough at the end.
An ISA Certified Arborist estimates tree height and section weights, measures the set‑up zone and checks overhead obstructions, then sizes the crane to the heaviest pick at its working radius.
If the set‑up needs a lane, sidewalk or right‑of‑way closure, Pacific Arboriculture handles the permit and the traffic control plan with the city before the work date.
An 811 locate goes in ahead of the date, outriggers are set on cribbing to spread the load, and lawns or driveways are matted where the machine has to sit or travel.
A climber attaches each pick before the cut. Cut sequence is planned so the load stays balanced on the hook and swings toward the drop zone rather than over the structure.
Each section is cut, lifted clear, swung to the drop zone and lowered to the ground crew. Nothing is dragged across a roof, a walkway or a planting bed.
The crane breaks down, wood and brush are chipped and hauled, and the site is walked with you before the crew leaves.
Crane work near a house is regulated differently than climbing work, and the two panels below cover the parts that change how a job gets scheduled and priced.
Federal rule 29 CFR 1926.1408 requires the employer to determine, before operations begin, whether any part of the equipment, load line or load could get closer than 20 feet to a power line anywhere inside the work zone. If it could, only three options are allowed: confirm with the utility that the line is de‑energized and visibly grounded, keep everything 20 feet clear, or work to the Table A minimum approach distance with the added encroachment precautions in the rule. Washington’s own crane rule, WAC 296‑155‑53408, sets a minimum clearance of 10 feet for lines up to 50 kV and more as voltage climbs.
In practice that is why a crane removal beside a service drop or a distribution line gets a phone call to the utility before a date is set. Pacific Arboriculture does not perform line clearance work, but does remove and prune trees growing next to energized lines, with the clearance requirement built into where the crane sits and how the boom is allowed to swing.
If the only viable set‑up would put the boom inside the clearance distance, the honest answer is a utility de‑energize appointment or a different removal method — and that gets said at the estimate, not on the work day.
Washington does not treat crane operation as something a general laborer can pick up on site. Under RCW 49.17.430, an operator must hold a valid certificate for the type of crane being operated, issued by a testing organization accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency that gives both written and practical exams, plus documented operating experience and a substance abuse test. A trainee may run the machine only under the direct and continuous supervision of a qualified operator. Certification requirements for construction cranes sit in 29 CFR 1926.1427.
Ryan Seeley and Jared Sweers hold NCCCO crane operator certification, and both certificates are public — Ryan’s record and Jared’s record can be pulled up directly on the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators verification site. The climber tying in each pick is an ISA Certified Arborist, and the ISA certification numbers further down this page link to their credential records too.
Ask any crane outfit for the operator’s certificate number and the crane type it covers. A certificate for one crane configuration does not carry to another.
When the drop zone is too small to lower wood safely, when the tree is leaning over a structure, when a storm has already broken or hung up the top, or when the wood is heavy enough that rigging it through the canopy is the most dangerous part of the job. On a tree with open ground around it, a standard climbing removal is usually the more direct approach.
Yes. Washington requires a valid operator certificate for the specific type of crane being run, issued by an accredited testing organization, along with documented operating experience. Ryan Seeley and Jared Sweers hold NCCCO crane operator certification and both records can be looked up publicly on the NCCCO verification site. The climber tying in each pick is an ISA Certified Arborist.
Roughly 12 to 14 feet of width for the machine and outriggers, plus clear overhead room to boom up and swing. The site survey during the free assessment confirms whether the driveway or street frontage works, whether a smaller machine is needed, or whether a lane closure permit has to be pulled first.
This is one of the most common reasons to bring one in. Each section is lifted vertically off the structure instead of being cut and dragged, so weight comes off the roof rather than shifting across it. The crew documents the position of the tree before anything moves, which usually helps with an insurance claim.
Outriggers sit on cribbing to spread the load, and matting goes down where the machine has to sit or travel over turf. Soft ground after a wet week is the main variable, and it gets assessed at the survey rather than discovered on the work day. Any spot that cannot be protected is flagged before the job is booked.
Each section is lowered to the ground crew, cut down, and run through the chipper or loaded as rounds. Haul-off is included on every tree removal. Rounds can be left on site on request, and the grindings from stump work can be backfilled or spread as mulch instead of hauled.
A single large tree normally runs four to eight hours from crane set-up through final cleanup. Multiple trees, or a set-up that needs traffic control, run a full day or longer. The estimate gives a scheduled window rather than an open-ended day.
Pacific Arboriculture works across south King County and north Pierce County from our shop in Auburn. These are the 20 communities we serve and the ZIP codes they cover.
King County
Pierce County
Several of these communities share a ZIP code with a neighbor, so seeing the same number twice is normal. Puyallup includes South Hill, and the Tacoma list covers the Midland, Summit and Parkland areas. Not sure whether you are in range? Call (206) 909-2170 with your address and you will get a straight answer. City-by-city detail is on the areas we serve page.
A trunk down on a structure, or a broken top hung up in the canopy, is not a wait-until-Monday problem. Call and a crew is dispatched to make the site safe; the crane is scheduled as soon as the survey confirms a set-up. Emergency work is quoted on its own hourly structure.
Crane-assisted removals are quoted the same way as any other removal — by tree size, site condition and access — with the crane time built into that number rather than added on top of it. Because a crane day compresses work that would otherwise run across several days of climbing, the labor side of the quote looks different from a conventional removal even when the tree is the same size.
The published size-and-diameter ranges live on one page rather than being repeated across the site: see tree removal cost for the current ranges, and tree removal for how a standard, non-crane removal is carried out.
A $500 minimum applies to tree service work booked as a standalone visit. Every quote depends on site access, work zone obstacles, the equipment required, any priority service scheduling, and the removal options you choose. Debris haul-off is included on every tree removal. Stump grinding is quoted separately and is normally handled on the same visit. Permits for a lane, sidewalk or right-of-way closure, when one is needed, are coordinated by Pacific Arboriculture.
Every certification number below links to that arborist’s credential record with the International Society of Arboriculture, so you can verify it before anyone sets foot on your property.
Washington L&I Contractor License PACIFA*813KG · WSDA Pesticide Applicator #109480 · $1M liability insured
Not sure whether the tree actually needs a crane? That is what the free on-site assessment settles. Send an address and a photo of the tree and you will get a straight answer on the method and a written number.
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