Dundee Tree Service on the sand hills between Lake Hamilton and Lake Wales
Dundee is a small place with a long memory. The depot where the Atlantic Coast Line once stopped still stands on Main Street, grove rows still run behind many homes, and a cooperative formed by local citrus growers in 1924 is still in business a century later. At the same time, new subdivisions have filled in along US-27, and the population has climbed from 5,235 in 2020 to an estimated 6,275 in 2024.
That mix gives us plenty of variety: century-old pines by lakefront cottages, leftover citrus in brand-new backyards and palms planted by builders along fresh sidewalks. Our crews come over from Lakeland, a 23-mile drive of about 35 minutes, and we quote every job for free.
Tree Service Dundee FL residents rely on: a Scottish name, two charters and a 2024 vote
- The name: in 1910 a Mr. Menzie, who came from Dundee, Scotland, decided the settlement should carry his hometown’s name.
- Railroad start: work on the Dundee station for the Atlantic Coast Line’s new Haines City to Sebring branch began on November 2, 1911.
- Charters: incorporated first as the City of Dundee in 1921, then reincorporated as the Town of Dundee in 1924.
- Town or city? On April 2, 2024, 68% of voters chose to keep the town title.
- People: 5,235 at the 2020 Census; about 6,275 in the latest federal estimate (July 2024).
- Size and height: roughly 12 square miles, sitting near 213 feet of elevation.
- ZIP: 33838, all of Dundee.
Before citrus took over, the first local businesses were a sawmill and a turpentine still that worked the native pine forest. Oranges followed, and packing houses went up beside Crystal Lake and the rail line.
Dundee Tree Removal street by street: Lake Marie Heights, Mabel Loop Ridge and new builds
The town mixes older blocks near Main Street with fast-growing subdivisions on former grove land. Places we cover include:
- Downtown and Main Street: older homes near the depot and Town Hall, where mature oaks spread over narrow lots.
- Lake Marie Heights: a platted subdivision that takes its name from the town’s best-known lake.
- Mabel Loop Ridge: a large master-planned community built by Maronda Homes.
- Crystal Lake Preserve: a newer single-family community by Ryan Homes.
- Ridge at Swan Lake, Vista del Lago and the Lake Dell subdivisions: newer homes where builder palms and young street trees are the main work.
Owners of new homes often call us about one thing first: a stray citrus or scrub oak the builder left behind. Taking those out early, before they reach the roof or fence, keeps the cost down.
Tree Trimming in Dundee reached by US-27, SR-17 and Dundee Road
Three state highways frame the town:
- US-27 runs along the west side, carrying most of the new-home traffic and and connects northward with Haines City.
- SR-17 is the main street spine of Dundee itself. Its northern stretch, which passes Dundee on the way from Lake Wales to Haines City, was named the Ridge Scenic Highway in February 2005.
- SR-542, also called Dundee Road, heads west toward Winter Haven.
Wherever possible we stage chippers in driveways rather than on highway shoulders. For lakefront homes with steep slopes, we check where a bucket truck can safely set up before the job day.
Dundee Tree Cutting near Lake Marie, the old depot and the Ridge Scenic Highway
- Lake Marie: a 32-acre public lake, up to 24 feet deep, circled by a paved 1.3-mile loop path with benches and a picnic pavilion.
- Margaret Kampsen Historic Depot: at 103 W. Main Street, the pine-and-cypress station from 1911–1912 is now a small museum open three days a week.
- Dundee Citrus Growers Association: founded in 1924 and now one of Florida’s largest fresh-fruit cooperatives, drawing on more than 10,000 citrus acres around the state.
- Other lakes: Ada, Dell, Josephine, Menzie and Ruth, plus Crystal Lake and nearby Lake Annie.
- The Ridge Scenic Highway: SR-17 through orange groves and rolling ridge country.
Shoreline trees around these lakes often lean toward the water and root in soft ground, so careful tree trimming in Dundee that trims weight off the waterside limbs can prevent a whole tree from going over.
Dundee Arborist Perspective on ridge sand, turpentine pines and retired citrus
Dundee sits on the northern part of the Lake Wales Ridge, a sand ridge about 100 miles long that geologists describe as the remains of ancient islands. Water runs straight through that soil, and it stores little fertility. Native cover here was sandhill and scrub: longleaf pine, sand live oak and scrub palms. Most of that was timbered or tapped for turpentine before being planted in citrus.
Citrus has struggled lately. Greening disease reached Central Florida by 2010, and hurricanes piled on: Irma in 2017 and Ian in 2022 each cost the state’s citrus growers hundreds of millions of dollars. The result around Dundee is a lot of weak, half-dead citrus in yards and idle grove edges. In deep sand, big pines and laurel oaks can root wide but shallow, and heavy storm rain can loosen their hold. When one comes down on a house or blocks a driveway, our storm cleanup crew for Dundee answers the 24/7 line.
Dundee Tree Removal Permit questions, the Tree Board and Wednesday limb pickup
Permits: Dundee’s published code did not show us a permit rule for taking a tree off a private home lot, but the town’s land development code has landscaping standards, so ask the Planning Department at (863) 438-8330, ext. 230, before removing anything large — or have us make that call. Statewide, section 163.045 cancels local permit and replanting demands for a home’s tree once it is judged an unacceptable risk, in writing, by a professional the law recognizes; it names arborists certified through the ISA and landscape architects holding a Florida license. More on that in our Polk County permit explainer.
Tree Board rules: Dundee has kept a five-member Tree Board since a 1990 ordinance, restated in 2018 as Ordinance 18-08. It says owners must keep overhanging branches 13 feet above streets and 8 feet above sidewalks, lets the town order removal of a dead or diseased hazard tree on private land within 60 days of notice, and bans topping of street and park trees.
Power lines: Duke Energy supplies Dundee, and the ordinance leaves clearance around high-voltage lines to the electric utility.
Yard waste: Collection is on Wednesdays. The town limits cuttings to 5 feet long, limbs to 3 inches around (as written in the town’s rules) and each pickup to 1.5 cubic yards. Bigger jobs go on our trucks.
Cost of Tree Removal in Dundee and what shifts each estimate
Dundee pays the same rates as the rest of our service area:
- Removing one tree: anywhere from $375 up to $3,200, with mid-size yard trees most often at $750–$1,800. See tree removal in Dundee.
- Mature oaks: roughly $1,800–$3,500 with our oak tree removal crew.
- Palm care: cleanup trims begin near $75, and removals begin near $200.
- Stumps: $100–$400 each.
- Storm emergencies: $500–$5,000.
Soft sand can limit where heavy equipment goes, and lakeside slopes may mean more climbing and rigging. Several dead citrus trees removed together cost less per tree. Our tree cost article explains the rest. Just down SR-17, homeowners have their own Lake Wales tree service page.
Every service from your Dundee tree company
Dundee Tree Removal
In Dundee we most often remove sick citrus, crowded scrub oaks and pines that have outgrown a lot built on old grove land. Tree removal in Dundee →
Dundee Oak Tree Removal
Large live and laurel oaks near Dundee’s older streets are dismantled limb by limb when a house, fence or lake slope leaves no room to fell them. Oak tree removal in Dundee →
Dundee Palm Tree Service
Builder-planted palms in Dundee’s newer subdivisions need regular frond and seed-pod cleanup, and we remove the ones that have died or started to lean. Palm tree service in Dundee →
Dundee Emergency Tree Service
When wind or soaked sand drops a tree in Dundee, our round-the-clock line sends a Lakeland crew about 23 miles east. Emergency tree service in Dundee →
Dundee Tree Trimming
Dundee trims often focus on the street and sidewalk clearance the Tree Board ordinance asks for and on lightening shoreline limbs. Tree trimming in Dundee →
Dundee Stump Grinding
Old citrus and pine stumps in Dundee’s sandy yards grind out quickly, leaving room for sod or a new tree. Stump grinding in Dundee →
Free Dundee tree quotes
Most Dundee homeowners get a written estimate within 24 hours. No pressure, no hidden fees, no surprise charges after the chainsaw starts.
Get a Free Dundee Tree Quote →Dundee tree removal & tree service FAQs
A private-lot permit rule was not something we were able to verify, so check with the Planning Department at (863) 438-8330, ext. 230. We are glad to ask for you.
Collection is Wednesday. Keep cuttings to 5 feet or shorter and each pile to 1.5 cubic yards; the town also sets a 3-inch limit on limb circumference.
Yes. Under the Tree Board ordinance, the town can give written notice to remove a dead or diseased tree that threatens people or property, and the owner then has 60 days to do it.
At least 13 feet above the street and 8 feet above the sidewalk. Our crews can lift low limbs to meet that standard.
We can inspect a Dundee tree and tell you plainly whether it should stay, though nobody on our crew holds ISA certification. To use the state exemption, the signed risk report must be prepared by one of those two licensed or certified professionals named in state law.
Duke Energy handles clearance near its high-voltage lines. Call them for a branch on a wire, then let us take care of the tree once they finish.
Yes. Slopes and soft shoreline soil call for extra planning, so we scout truck and chipper access ahead of time.
About 23 miles, or 35 minutes, so a same-day look is often possible.
Dead or greening-damaged citrus usually does not recover. We remove it and grind the stumps; for the trees that remain, compare them with our dying-tree red flags.