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The top of my tree is dying — what should I do?

Answered for Bargersville, Johnson County.

The top of a tree is the far end of the supply line and the hardest place to push water to. When a tree cannot meet demand it abandons its most expensive real estate first, dying back from the top and from the outside in. So dieback that starts high is a message about the bottom of the tree. In most cases the trouble is in the roots or in the water-conducting tissue of the stem, not in the branches you are actually looking at. In Bargersville — Saddle Club, Kerrington Proper and Whitetail Woods included, that's normally a tree trimming job at $250–$1,400. Within weeks.

Why this comes up in Bargersville

Bargersville is one of the newest housing stocks in the region: population went from 4,013 in 2010 to 9,560 in 2020, a 138% jump, and the town annexed White River Township ground in 2011, sharply enlarging its land area. Recorded subdivisions cluster in the 2000s and 2010s — Harvest Grove, Kerrington Proper, Whitetail Woods, Shadowood, Country Meadows, Saddle Club, Wyncrest, Morningside, Highland Knoll and Aberdeen — with only Old Bargersville, Three Notch Village and a scattering of pre-war places predating them.

Bargersville's canopy

No street tree inventory exists for Bargersville and it is not among the 23 communities in the Indiana DNR street tree sample, so the picture is an expectation from the build-out pattern: most of the canopy should be nursery stock roughly five to twenty-five years old, not yet over the roofline, with mature shade trees concentrated in Old Bargersville, Three Notch Village and the few pre-war properties. The UDC's Approved Plant List steers new planting toward natives and flags which species may go under utility lines, though the list's contents are unverified.

Johnson County rules

No permit is required for a homeowner to take down a tree in their own yard — the UDC's landscape standards do not reach detached single-family and two-family dwellings outside a subdivision. Subdivision, commercial and new-development sites are subject to those standards, which are reported to include plotting existing trees above a caliper threshold as "To Be Removed" or "To Be Saved," an Approved Plant List and a Prohibited Plant List, a prohibition on topping, and separately enforceable recorded Tree Preservation Easements. Those provisions could not be verified against the adopted UDC text — in particular whether the prohibited list names American elm or only Siberian elm — so confirm with the Town before quoting development-site work.

The tree lawn in Bargersville

Not settled in the town code. The UDC requires street trees to be shown within the platted street right-of-way on construction plans, and makes the property owner responsible for maintaining, repairing and replacing required landscaping — but no section I could find assigns ownership of the strip itself. Confirm with the Town before removing a curb-strip tree.

Crews near Bargersville

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
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
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
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

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