It is very similar in character to the work we do on Grosse Ile and in Gibraltar, and we bring the same approach — crane and rigging rather than felling, and careful protection of everything at ground level.
Lakefront wind and canal-lot constraints
The city was built out largely in the 1940s through 1960s and the trees date from that period. Silver and Norway maple dominate, with willow, cottonwood and box elder concentrated near the water where the ground stays wet.
Wind exposure off Lake St. Clair is significant and unbroken. Trees on lakefront and canal lots carry loads that inland trees never see, and combined with wet soil and shallow rooting, they fail more often. Salt exposure from winter road treatment also affects the trees and shrubs along the main corridors.
Where we work in St. Clair Shores
We work throughout the city — the lakefront blocks along Jefferson and Lake Shore, the canal neighborhoods off Harper and Nine Mile, the areas near the Nautical Mile, the residential streets off Little Mack and Mack, and the sections bordering Grosse Pointe Woods, Roseville and Eastpointe.
Canal-lot jobs are typically crane work. There is rarely enough room between a house, a seawall and a neighbor to lower sections conventionally, and dropping a limb onto a dock or a boat is not a recoverable mistake.
- Lakefront / Lake Shore Drive
- Canal neighborhoods
- Nautical Mile area
- Harper Avenue corridor
- Little Mack Avenue neighborhoods
- Nine Mile Road area
Waterfront experience carries over
We have spent years working the Detroit River waterfront on Grosse Ile, in Trenton and in Gibraltar. Canal lots on Lake St. Clair present the same problem set: no drop zone, expensive hardscape and watercraft directly beneath, and trees that grew large in wet soil.
The methods transfer directly. Fly the wood out, protect the seawall and the dock, and leave the property intact.
What customers say
From our 80 Google reviews. These are customers from across our Michigan service area rather than St. Clair Shores specifically — we do not put words in anyone's mouth about where they live.
“We recently were in need of tree service and called One of a Kind. We cannot say enough about the job they did. The crew was great, they were professional, personable and left our yard clean, not a twig out of place. We have already passed the name One of a Kind on to a neighbor with the highest recommendation.”
“I just had One of a Kind Tree Service remove a large, dead evergreen in my backyard and I couldn't be happier with the results or service. The owner Eddie came the same day after I called him and gave me a price quote that was several hundred dollars less than I expected. They came out this morning, cut the tree down, removed it and ground out the stump. The crew, Paul and Steven, were great! They were careful not to damage anything as they worked. Awesome work!”