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The bark is falling off my tree — what should I do?

Answered for Franklin, Johnson County.

Bark does not fall off living wood. Wherever it sloughs, the cambium underneath died some time ago and that section of trunk stopped moving water and sugar — the shedding is the aftermath, not the event. The number that decides everything is how much of the trunk's circumference is involved. A strip is a wound the tree grows around. A band all the way around is a girdle, and everything above it is finished whether it looks green today or not. In Franklin — Martin Place Historic District, Franklin Lakes and Knollwood Farms included, that's normally a tree trimming job at $250–$1,400. Not urgent.

Why this comes up in Franklin

Duke Energy Indiana serves Franklin, with Johnson County REMC on rural fringes. Because Duke is investor-owned it falls under the IURC's tree-trimming rule (170 IAC 4-9, from Cause 43663): at least two weeks' notice before planned trimming, and no removal of more than 25% of your tree and no topping without your permission, except in emergencies or where safe and reliable service cannot otherwise be achieved. JCREMC, as a co-op, is not IURC-jurisdictional.

Franklin's canopy

Franklin is not among the 23 communities in the Indiana DNR street tree sample, so the two-tier picture here is inference from build dates rather than inventory: the pre-1935 blocks around Martin Place and the courthouse square carry the oldest, largest shade trees, while the late-1990s subdivision belt is now 25-30 years old and big enough that crowns are into rooflines and service drops. Ash is effectively gone to emerald ash borer, and the city Tree Board's approved street tree list governs what goes back into the right-of-way.

Johnson County rules

No permit is required to remove a tree in your own yard. Franklin's tree ordinance regulates STREET trees only: pruning, planting, treating, spraying or removing a street tree goes through a Tree Board permit, and topping is restricted. The ordinance's specific conditions — who may hold a removal permit, the trimming threshold, insurance and bond requirements and penalty terms — could not be verified from a retrievable source, so confirm them with the City before quoting right-of-way work.

The tree lawn in Franklin

The strip is the city's. Franklin's ordinance defines a street tree as one on real estate owned or controlled by the City, including anything in the public right-of-way, and an abutting owner may apply for a permit to plant or maintain a street tree at their own risk and expense. The ordinance is reported to treat trees within a set distance of the curb as city street trees where the right-of-way line cannot be determined — that presumption is unverified, so confirm the right-of-way line with the City before removing any tree near the curb.

Crews near Franklin

Sorted by distance
Brown's Tree Service LLC, photo 1 of 3

Brown's Tree Service LLC

201 S Morton St, Franklin, IN 46131

4.8335
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Trimming
  • Stump Grinding
  • +1

Browns tree service provided A-1 service from the estimate from Kevin to crew supervisor Eliel and his amazing crew. They arrived on job site and…

Mike Synesael · 3 months ago · Google
Center Grove Tree Service., photo 1 of 1

Center Grove Tree Service.

1251 U.S. Hwy 31 N, Greenwood, IN 46142

4.526
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Trimming
  • Stump Grinding
  • +1

Our pear tree broke in half and was blocking part of our neighborhood road. These guys came out quickly, trimmed the fallen branch down and removed…

Steve Sewell · 4 years ago · Google
Black Cherry Tree Service, photo 1 of 3

Black Cherry Tree Service

4035 E Stop 11 Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46237

4.894
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Trimming
  • Stump Grinding
  • +2

They were 1 of 3 tree companies (highly regarded) I called for estimates after a storm took down a huge limb in our backyard. 1 never called back, 1…

Wendy Foley · 3 years ago · Google
Airbourne Tree Service Inc., photo 1 of 3

Airbourne Tree Service Inc.

8909 Chitwood Dr, Indianapolis, IN 46227

4.932
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Trimming
  • Stump Grinding
  • +2

If you need a fast, reliable, and AFFORDABLE tree services, I highly recommend speaking with Paul at Airbourne Tree Services. Paul came and gave me a…

Desiree Kirk · a year ago · Google
McDaniel’s Tree Service, photo 1 of 3

McDaniel’s Tree Service

5741 Gallagher Dr, Greenwood, IN 46142

4.640
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Trimming
  • Stump Grinding
  • +1

McDaniels Tree Service did an excellent job on a recent work order for tree removal. Their crew arrived on time, worked efficiently, and handled the…

Carl Schwander · 5 months ago · Google
Jimmy's Tree Service, photo 1 of 2Photo author: Dena Marks

Jimmy's Tree Service

597 Shady Brook Hts, Greenwood, IN 46142

4.115
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Trimming
  • Stump Grinding
  • +2

I had a tree blow over and hired Jimmy’s crew to cut it up and haul it away. I was expecting to have to do clean up after the job, but I came home to…

Tim Doyle · 3 months ago · Google

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