Something is running down my trunk — sap, or dark wet streaks in Fortville

What is coming out tells you most of it. A wet, dark, slimy streak running down from a crack, an old pruning wound, or a branch crotch, drying gray or tan, sometimes smelling sour or fermented, with flies and wasps working it. White or tan foam bubbling out of the bark in hot weather. Clear sticky sap or amber blobs, especially with sawdust-like frass or a hole at the center. Dark rusty, oily-looking streaks running down from a sunken area of bark, where cutting the bark shows reddish-brown discolored tissue underneath. Note the location too: from the root flare, from a wound, or from apparently nowhere.

Within weeks

45 crews near Fortville · Free estimate · No obligation

Fluid leaving a trunk means internal pressure plus a path out, and what it means depends entirely on which of the above you have. Bacterial wetwood, or slime flux, is a chronic fermentation in the heartwood that builds gas pressure and pushes liquid out through any opening — unsightly, hard on the grass it runs onto, essentially untreatable, and carried by many trees for decades without decline. It is not a reason to remove a tree. Alcoholic or foamy flux is a seasonal yeast fermentation in stressed sapwood and usually passes. Sap with frass means an insect is inside. Dark bleeding from a sunken canker means an active pathogen is killing bark and cambium, and that one carries a real prognosis. Two of the four are essentially cosmetic; two are not.

What this usually costs in Fortville

This is normally a hazardous tree removal job, which around here runs $800 to $5,000 depending on size and access. Treat that as a range, not a quote — nobody can price it without seeing it.

What to have ready when they call

A photo with the house in frame, so they can judge the scale
Roughly how far it is from the house, the fence or the drive
Whether a truck can get into the yard
Whether there are power lines anywhere near it

Crews near Fortville

Sorted by distance

Where this comes from. 45 real tree services Google lists as operating here. Ratings, review counts, hours and photos are Google’s, not ours. The quote on each card is that company’s review closest to its own average — not its best one.

Pro Finish Tree Care

1768 W 900 N, Fortville, IN 46040

5.0119

Tree Removal
Tree Trimming
Stump Grinding
+2

“Pro Finish did a great job for us. Jesse was a great communicator, and his crew was professional and easy to work with. We had three trees in the…”
James Barnard · 3 months ago · Google

Broken Oak Tree Service LLC

7427 W San Marco Dr, Fortville, IN 46040

5.0147

Tree Removal
Tree Trimming
Stump Grinding
+2

“I want to leave a review for this business for the outstanding job they did. From the time I first contacted them till the very end everyone was…”
S Martin · a year ago · Google

Witsken Tree Removal

11991 Florida Rd, Fortville, IN 46040

4.949

Tree Removal
Tree Trimming
Stump Grinding
+1

“We recently had Witsken Tree Removal take care of three trees on our property, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the experience. Steve was…”
Michael Atherton · 11 months ago · Google

Photo author: Claire Quint

JT Tree Service

12732 Castilla Pl, Indianapolis, IN 46236

5.0169

Tree Removal
Tree Trimming
Stump Grinding
+2

“I woke up on Tue Apr 28 to find a 50 foot tree uprooted and leaning against my house, making creaking noises and threatening to crash through the…”
James McDougall · 3 months ago · Google

IndyArborist.com Tree Service LLC

6041 Middle Dr, Indianapolis, IN 46235

4.629

Tree Removal
Tree Trimming
Stump Grinding
+3

“This company helped my business finish a huge landscape job that we needed a professional arborist for. They filled my call, got me a quote within…”
Integrity Lawns · a year ago · Google

ASAP Tree and Crane Services

7605 Indian Lake Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46236

4.9189

Tree Removal
Tree Trimming
Stump Grinding
+3

“I’m actually excited to write this review. Not only did ASAP take care of my yard request but they did it within my budget. They started the day off…”
Katie Brackett · a year ago · Google

Photo author: Wendy Lee

Gaddie's Tree Service

1744 Sugar Creek Trail, Greenfield, IN 46140

4.957

Tree Removal
Tree Trimming
Stump Grinding
+1

“We were so grateful for Gaddie’s Tree Service. They are fabulous!!!! We had to wait do bad rainy weather, but once Gaddie’s got here they took care…”
BJ Cheesman · a year ago · Google

Photo author: Lisa Ingram

Evergreen Tree Service & Landscape

13255 Parkside Dr Apt 102, Fishers, IN 46038

4.997

Tree Removal
Tree Trimming
Stump Grinding
+2

“I cannot say enough good things about Carlos and his team at Evergreen Outdoors Tree Service & Landscaping. Carlos is very polite and professional…”
Eric Potts · 4 years ago · Google

Powell and Sons Urban Forestry and Exterior Design LLC

8831 Birch St, Fishers, IN 46038

4.425

Tree Removal
Tree Trimming
Stump Grinding
+2

“This company is AMAZING! I called in the morning for an estimate, they were in the neighborhood working on another job, and added me in. I got the…”
Stephanie Schulenborg · 5 years ago · Google

Timberland Tree Care

10475 Crosspoint Blvd Ste 250-2645, Indianapolis, IN 46256

5.032

Tree Removal
Tree Trimming
Stump Grinding
+3

“The owner, Curt, is great to deal with. His estimates are very clear and fair. He is there (from start to finish) personally supervising his crew and…”
Sweetie Punk · 6 years ago · Google

Green Tree Services

8811 Saville Rd, Noblesville, IN 46060

4.976

Tree Removal
Tree Trimming
Stump Grinding
+1

“I have used Green Tree Service for tree removal many times and each time they have far exceeded my expectations. Recently, a wind gust in our area…”
Asad Rana · 3 months ago · Google

DC Tree Services LLC

Lot 342, 5135 N Post Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46226

5.0127

Tree Removal
Tree Trimming
Stump Grinding
+2

“I had an excellent experience with DC Tree Service in Indianapolis, Indiana. They completed a tree service project at my property, and the results…”
Juan Alvaro · a month ago · Google

Distance measured from Fortville.