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Spartanburg, SC · after the cutWhat Happens to the Wood After a Tree Comes Down in Spartanburg, SC
Cutting the tree is half the job. The other half is hauling off the trunk, the limbs and the stump, and most towns in Spartanburg County will not pick that up for you. Here is what your town truck takes, what it leaves, and what we do with the wood.
Hauling is part of our priceEvery quote includes cleanup and haul-off unless you ask us to leave the wood.
Longest limb the Town of Lyman will pick up. Anything longer stays at the curb.
Whole trees, stumps or land-clearing piles collected by the town. Those are on the owner or the contractor.
Extra money Spartanburg County approved in 2025 just to finish Hurricane Helene debris cleanup.
Your town’s truck, or ours?
Tap each pile you have in the yard. The card turns over and tells you who usually takes it away in Spartanburg County.
Based on the Town of Lyman’s yard debris rules (Spartanburg County, ordinance adopted January 2025). Other towns and the City of Spartanburg set their own rules, so check with yours before you stack anything.
What a Spartanburg County town will and won’t take
Lyman spells its rules out plainly, and they match what homeowners run into across the county: the truck handles routine yard cleanup, not tree work.
- Collected: grass clippings, leaves and brush from routine yard cleanup, including twigs, small sticks and limbs.
- Not collected: limbs longer than 6 feet.
- Not collected: whole trees, stumps and land-clearing debris. The owner or the contractor has to dispose of them.
- Not collected: waste from tree removal work. The contractor who did the removal must take it away.
- Not collected: debris from commercial tree cutting or land clearing.
- How to stack: separate piles for grass, leaves, brush and limbs, at the edge of your property, clear of mailboxes, fences and power lines, and not over a drain.
Town of Lyman, (864) 439-3453. If you live inside Spartanburg city limits or another town, call your own public works office: limits and pickup days differ.
A tree by the road: county, state, or yours?
Spartanburg County’s Roads and Bridges crews cut trees and limbs in the county right-of-way. State roads belong to SCDOT. The street sign tells you which one you live on.
Red cardinal mark
The county says a road is county-maintained only if its sign carries the red bird logo.
Spartanburg CountyRound state seal
A round seal and a number like S-42-123 mean a state road: S for state, 42 for Spartanburg County, then the road number.
SCDOTFrom Spartanburg County’s Roads and Bridges page. A tree on your side of the right-of-way, or one that falls from your yard, is yours to deal with.
What a storm cleanup looked like here
After Helene tore through Spartanburg County, the county and the state ran a special debris program. It shows how long “the county will pick it up” can take.
- Sept 2024
Helene hits
Downed trees and limbs across the county, on county and state roads alike.
- Fall 2024
Curbside debris program
Residents on county roads move storm debris to the road right-of-way for pickup.
- Jan 2025
$5 million more
County council approves an extra $5 million to keep cleanup going.
- Feb 9, 2025
Last call
Deadline for residents on county roads to get remaining debris to the right-of-way.
- Spring 2025
Stumps last
A second pass with heavier equipment for stumps, root balls and split trunks. SCDOT does the state roads.
The takeaway: a storm program is a one-time exception, and it ran for months. In a normal week, a tree that comes down in your yard is still yours to clear, and the crew you hire is expected to haul what it cuts.
Four things we can do with the wood
Haul everything
Trunk, limbs, brush and leaves leave on our trucks. The yard is raked before we go.
Leave firewood rounds
We cut the trunk into rounds and stack them where you want. Oak and hickory make good firewood once they dry.
Leave the chips
Brush goes through the chipper. Keep the chips for mulch beds, or we take them.
Grind the stump
We grind it below grade and either leave the grindings to settle or haul them off. Stump grinding
The cheaper quote that leaves the wood
Two quotes can look far apart only because one stops at the cut. Before you compare prices, check what each one leaves in your yard.
“Cut and drop” quote
- Tree comes down, wood stays where it falls
- You cut limbs under 6 feet and stack them yourself
- Trunk and stump are still yours to get rid of
- Town truck won’t take contractor-cut debris
Our quote
- Removal, cleanup and haul-off in one price
- You choose what stays: firewood, chips or nothing
- Stump grinding priced on the same visit
- Price confirmed with you before we start
Broad planning ranges, not fixed quotes. Size, access and what’s near the tree set the final price. Full cost guide
Tree debris questions in Spartanburg
Will the town pick up my tree limbs in Spartanburg County?
Routine yard waste, yes: grass, leaves and brush from your own pruning. Bigger tree debris, usually no. In Lyman, for example, limbs longer than 6 feet, whole trees, stumps and land-clearing debris are not collected. Rules vary by town, so check with your public works office.
If I hire a tree service, can I put the debris at the curb?
Generally no. Lyman’s rules say waste from tree removal work must be removed by the contractor who did the work, and town green-waste pickup does not cover commercial tree cutting. Ask any company you hire whether haul-off is included in the price.
Who removes a tree that falls on the road?
Spartanburg County’s Roads and Bridges crews cut trees and limbs in the county right-of-way, and SCDOT handles state roads. A county road sign carries the red cardinal logo; a state road sign has a round seal and an S-42 number. A tree in your yard is yours to deal with.
Can I keep the wood for firewood?
Yes. Tell us before we start and we will cut the trunk into rounds and stack them where you want. Hardwoods like oak burn well once they have dried.
Does your price include hauling the debris?
Yes. Our quotes include cleanup and haul-off unless you ask us to leave the wood or chips. Most removals run $275 to $650 for a smaller tree with open access and $1,000 to $4,200 or more for a large or complex job, confirmed before we start.
When the tree has to come down
Tree down, or about to be?
Tell us what’s in the yard. We’ll price the removal and the haul-off together.