Tree Service in Bonita Springs and Estero, FL

Arborist in a bucket pruning a mahogany canopy above a Cape Coral street

Bonita Springs and Estero are the south end of Lee County, between Fort Myers and the Collier line: Bonita's old downtown along Old 41 and the Imperial River, the beach end of Bonita Beach Road, the 1970s–90s subdivisions off Bonita Beach Road and Terry Street, and the big master-planned communities — Bonita Bay, Pelican Landing, Spanish Wells, Palmira, Hunters Ridge — then Estero with Miromar Lakes, Grandezza, Bella Terra and the Corkscrew Road corridor toward the Village's east end. Bonita Springs has 54,000 people and Estero 37,000, both on FPL rather than LCEC, both growing fast. The landscapes are a level up from the Cape: big live oaks, slash pine preserves, royal palms and Canary Island dates in the gated entries, foxtails and queens in every bed, mahoganies and black olives on the older lots, Australian pines along the river and the beach.

The rules are the thing to know. In Bonita Springs, for a single-family home the building permit is the clearing permit, and everything else needs a vegetation removal permit from the city's environmental sciences staff. In Estero, a vegetation removal permit applies with a per-tree fee, after-the-fact fees doubled, and the single-family clearing form kicks in at five acres. Both cities enforce bald eagle protections — Bonita's code has its own eagle section — and both have gopher tortoises on every undeveloped parcel. Then the gated communities add HOA landscape standards on top. We know whose rule applies on which side of the line, and we write the arborist documentation the permits and the HOAs ask for.

What we do in Bonita Springs & Estero

Two cities, two permit systems

Bonita's clearing-by-building-permit rule and Estero's vegetation removal permits handled; eagle and tortoise checks on every parcel.

Gated-community standards

Pruning to the HOA landscape standard, with the documentation the architectural committee wants.

Royal & date palm care

Entry royals and Canary Island dates cleaned by lift; Ganoderma and bronzing checks.

Live oak & pine preservation

Thinning and weight reduction on the big oaks; declining pines in the preserves assessed.

River & beach Australian pines

Imperial River and Bonita Beach stands removed before the next surge.

Storm response

Ian's surge reached Bonita Beach; Milton's wind reached everything. We work in order of danger behind FPL.

Neighborhoods and areas we cover

Old 41 & downtown Bonita
Bonita Beach Road
Imperial River
Bonita Bay
Pelican Landing
Spanish Wells
Palmira
Hunters Ridge
Estero / Corkscrew Road
Miromar Lakes
Grandezza
Bella Terra

Tree services available in Bonita Springs & Estero

Questions from Bonita Springs & Estero homeowners

Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Bonita Springs?

For a single-family home, the city says your building permit is your clearing permit; outside of construction, a vegetation removal permit from Environmental Sciences (239-444-6142) applies, and an arborist-documented hazard tree is exempt under state law. We file it.

And in Estero?

Estero issues vegetation removal permits with a per-tree fee, doubled if the work was done first; the single-family clearing form applies at five acres. Community Development is at 239-221-5036. We handle the application.

Will my HOA let me remove a tree?

Most gated communities require architectural review for removals and have replacement rules. We write the arborist letter the committee wants and recommend a replacement that meets the standard.

What do the big entry royals cost to clean?

$150–$400 per palm by lift, less for a row. Dates are $200–$500 each for a full clean and skin.

Nearby: San Carlos Park, Iona & McGregor · Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel & Captiva · Fort Myers · Lehigh Acres · full service area

Tree service for Bonita Springs and Estero — the south county's oaks, royals and gated-community palms