Tree Service in Lehigh Acres, FL | Dead Pines, Big Lots

Slash pines with red-brown needles standing dead among green pines after Hurricane Ian in Lee County

Lehigh Acres was platted by Lee Ratner in the 1950s at the same time the Rosens were dredging Cape Coral, but on dry land and bigger lots — a quarter to half an acre instead of 10,000 square feet — and it's grown into an unincorporated community of 114,000 people east of Fort Myers between Lee Boulevard, Joel Boulevard and the Hendry County line. The lots were pine flatwoods and many still are: slash pines, saw palmetto, melaleuca in the low spots, Brazilian pepper along every canal and fence line, and thousands of vacant lots still being built out. The built lots carry the pines that were left standing when the house went in, forty-foot to seventy-foot trees thirty feet from the roof, plus the queen palms, laurel oaks and mahoganies of the 2000s building boom.

Lehigh's pines took Ian's wind without the surge, and the decline has been the same as the Cape's — rocked trees dying one summer at a time, Ips beetles moving through the stressed ones, and whole rows of red and gray pines on lots where the owner thought the storm was over. Milton and Helene added to it. So Lehigh is pine removal first, with multiple-tree discounts because there's rarely just one, then lot clearing for the continuing build-out with gopher tortoise checks (the burrowing owls are mostly a Cape Coral thing, the tortoises are everywhere), melaleuca and pepper removal along the canals, and stump grinding on lots where the owner wants a yard back. The county's rules apply: no permit for a few trees on a built lot, a vegetation removal permit for clearing five acres or more.

What we do in Lehigh Acres

Multi-pine removals

Rows of dead and declining slash pines taken down in one visit; the healthy ones assessed and kept.

Lot clearing

Quarter- and half-acre lots cleared for a build with tortoise and eagle checks and the county's five-acre rule handled.

Melaleuca & Brazilian pepper

Canal-edge and fence-line invasives removed and stump-treated so they don't come back.

Stump grinding in bulk

Lots with a dozen pine stumps ground in a visit at a per-stump rate.

Storm response

Ian, Helene and Milton all took pines here; we clear roofs and driveways first.

Acreage work

Larger parcels toward the Hendry line cleared selectively, keeping the oaks.

Neighborhoods and areas we cover

Lee Boulevard corridor
Joel Boulevard
Homestead Road
Gunnery Road
Sunshine Boulevard
Buckingham
Lehigh east toward Hendry
Daniels Parkway east
Greenbriar
Mirror Lakes
Westminster
Harns Marsh area

Tree services available in Lehigh Acres

Questions from Lehigh Acres homeowners

Why are so many pines in Lehigh dead?

Ian's wind rocked them in saturated soil and loosened the roots; the decline shows up the next summers, and Ips beetles finish the stressed ones. Milton and Helene added more. Red needles mean dead; gray means dead a while and more dangerous. See the pine guide.

How much to take down six dead pines on a half-acre lot?

In one visit, typically $400–$1,500 per pine depending on height and what's under them — the setup is shared, so the per-tree price drops. Stump grinding is $100–$250 each in bulk.

Do I need a permit to clear my Lehigh lot?

Lehigh is unincorporated Lee County: a single-family clearing permit applies only to lots of five acres or more, and exotic removal needs no fee. Gopher tortoise burrows still get a 25-foot buffer and an FWC relocation permit if they're in the footprint.

Is the Brazilian pepper along my canal mine to remove?

Up to your property line, yes, and the county encourages it. We grub the root crowns so it doesn't resprout; cutting it flush just makes it bushier.

Nearby: Fort Myers · North Fort Myers · San Carlos Park & Iona · Northeast Cape Coral · full service area

Tree service for Lehigh Acres — bigger lots, more pines, and a lot of them dead since Ian