Three distinct patterns that do not mean the same thing. Neat horizontal rows of shallow, evenly spaced holes ringing a trunk or limb is a sapsucker. Scattered pecking with the outer bark chipped away so an ash trunk looks streaked or blonde is woodpeckers stripping bark to reach larvae. Large oval or rectangular holes gouged several inches deep with coarse chips piled at the base is a pileated woodpecker cutting into wood that was already soft.
Not urgent
23 crews near Danville · Free estimate · No obligation
Woodpeckers are reading the tree for you. Apart from sapsuckers they are not attacking it — they follow insects, and insects follow dead or decaying wood. Heavy foraging damage is evidence that something else got there first, so the bird is the alarm rather than the fire. Sapsuckers are the exception: they drill for sap on healthy trees, and while the rows look bad and can occasionally girdle a small limb, they rarely kill an established tree.
What this usually costs in Danville
This is normally a tree trimming job, which around here runs $250 to $1,400 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 Danville
Sorted by distance
Where this comes from. 23 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.
“These guys saved our bacon! Our job was complicated to put it mildly, and an emergency. We had a tree stump growing around an actively leaking water…”
“A great family business. Steven and son Steve did a fantastic job removing a large dead tree that was in a tight spot between our back fence and kids…”
“I was looking for some sidewalk repair and Mr. Martinez was recommended. Absolutely top-quality work at a very reasonable cost. Ruben is a consummate…”
“Andy and his crew member did not disappoint. They did an exceptional job cutting down my tree and also provided additional services on another. They…”