Cape Coral • Lee County
Landscape Removal & Stump Grinding in Cape Coral, FL
Before any shrub comes out or a stump is ground in Cape Coral, look at the ground for holes. The city has the largest burrowing owl population in Florida, the owl is listed as state threatened, and city guidance says to stop work within 10 feet of a burrow outside nesting season and keep 33 feet back while eggs or young are present, with nesting running February 15 to July 10. A burrow that might belong to a gopher tortoise gets the same caution. With that cleared, much of the removal work here is invasive cleanup. Brazilian pepper, a Category I invasive according to UF/IFAS, grows into thickets along canals and back lot lines, and the city has pointed to clusters of invasive trees as one cause of a North Cape street's flooding. Hodges cuts, grinds stumps below grade, rakes out the chips, and hauls the debris off, keeping it out of swales and canals as the city's ordinance requires.
or call (239) 301-9455
Where it comes up in Cape Coral
Northeast Cape Coral
Southwest Cape Coral
Pelican
Plants and materials that suit it in Cape Coral
Questions
There is a burrow in my yard. Can you still remove the hedge?
Possibly, but the burrow sets the limits. Cape Coral's guidance is to keep work at least 10 feet away outside nesting season and 33 feet away when eggs or flightless young are present. Work closer than that requires a state permit, so the burrow should be identified before anything starts.
Why remove Brazilian pepper if it is green and gives privacy?
UF/IFAS lists it as a Category I invasive that crowds out native plants and spreads by seed that birds carry. It also grows into dense stands that shade lawns and can choke drainage areas. A native hedge such as cocoplum or Simpson's stopper gives similar screening.
Where do the grindings and branches go?
They are raked up and hauled away. Cape Coral prohibits blowing or sweeping vegetative debris into storm drains, swales, canals, or the road, so nothing is left at the curb edge or pushed toward the water. Some customers keep a portion of the chips for paths.