Jacksonville Tree Services
River City Arbor Care trims and removes palms across Jacksonville and Duval County — cabbage (sabal) palms, queen palms, washingtonias and more. We take off dead and hanging fronds, seed pods and loose boots while leaving the healthy green crown the palm needs. Estimates are free, and nothing is due until the work is done.
A palm feeds itself through its green fronds, and it has only one growing point at the top. Cutting off healthy green fronds weakens the tree and can leave it stunted or nutrient-starved. We remove what's dead, dying or hanging, plus flower and seed stalks, and leave the green fronds that keep the palm strong. We never use climbing spikes on palms we're trimming — spike holes never heal on a palm trunk.
It's common in Northeast Florida to see palms cut down to a few upright fronds before storm season. That look actually makes a palm weaker in high wind, because the remaining crown has less protection and the tree has less energy to recover. Before a storm, the right move is removing dead fronds, loose seed pods and coconuts that can turn into projectiles — not stripping the crown.
Queen palms and many other palms drop heavy fruit clusters that stain pool decks, driveways and pavers and attract pests. Taking seed and flower stalks off before they ripen keeps the mess down and is one of the most common reasons Jacksonville homeowners call us for palm work.
Palms with a dead or rotted crown, a leaning trunk, or one growing into a roofline, pool cage or power line sometimes need to come out. We take palms down in controlled sections in tight courtyards and backyards, haul everything away, and grind the stump if you want the space back.
