Tree Service in Gretna, VA
Danville Tree Care & Removal serves Gretna and the surrounding north Pittsylvania County area — about 29 miles and 40 minutes up US 29 from Danville. Gretna is the one town around here that specifically requires a contractor to hold a town business license before cutting trees or brush — so this page starts with the rules, not the sales pitch. Free estimates. Call (434) 216-5589.
Gretna is the one town that regulates who cuts your trees
Most towns around here have nothing on the books about tree work. Gretna does, and it’s stated plainly on the Town’s own Public Works page:
That is a direct quote, and it is the single most important thing to know before you hire anyone in Gretna. Ask for it — from us and from everyone else you call. A crew that shows up in Gretna without a town license is working outside the town’s rules on your property, and you’re the one who has to live there afterward.
What the town will and won't take away
Gretna’s brush rules are specific, and they matter to your estimate:
- No limbs or branches over 6 inches in diameter or 6 feet in length. (Chatham’s limit is 3 inches — the towns are not the same.)
- “No one will be allowed to haul trees or stumps to Town owned land for disposal.” So the debris from a removal leaves town on our truck.
- “Town will not remove any trees.” Trees on private property are the owner’s responsibility, start to finish.
- Twigs, grass, and leaves bagged separately from brush.
- Leaf vacuum runs September 1 through December 31. January through August, leaves have to be bagged. Keep rocks, branches, and twigs out of leaf piles — they wreck the equipment.
- The town rents a truck for homeowner self-loading on private property: $25 overnight.
Burning inside town limits isn’t an option — Virginia regulation allows on-site burning of yard trimmings only where no scheduled collection exists, and Gretna collects.
Gretna has two power companies, and one of them is headquartered here
This is unusual and worth knowing. Gretna’s electric service is split between Dominion Energy and Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative — and MEC runs one of its only three district offices right in town at 606 Vaden Drive, on Route 40. The co-op serves 31,000+ accounts across nine Southside Virginia counties and five northern North Carolina counties.
Practically, that means we confirm which utility owns the line before we quote anything near it. A Dominion right-of-way and a co-op easement are not the same thing, and the crew that assumes gets somebody hurt.
Narrow Lots, Tight Access
A lot of Gretna work is threading a removal between two houses with a service drop overhead. That is rope work and patience, not a bigger saw.
Get a Free Estimate →A town where nothing new has been built, and the trees show it
Gretna’s housing numbers are stark. Of 649 units, 54.5% were built before 1960, the median build year is 1958, and — per the town’s own comprehensive plan — not a single new single-family residence has been built in Gretna since 1990.
The result is a residential canopy that is essentially one generation of trees, planted with 1940s-to-1970s houses, now 50 to 80 years old on small lots. There are no newer subdivisions diluting it. When a cohort of trees hits maturity together, the failures start showing up together too.
Downtown is the opposite picture. The Gretna Commercial Historic District nomination notes flatly that “few street trees or vegetation is present within the historic district” — buildings abut the sidewalk, and the canopy is out in the neighborhoods rather than over Main Street.
Storms and ground
Gretna sits at 844 feet, 124 feet higher than Chatham, on hilly ground that drains southeast toward the Banister River through Georges Creek and Whitethorn Creek. The town’s comprehensive plan notes there are no significant flooding issues because Gretna doesn’t border a major river — but that summer flash flooding from thermal thunderstorms is characteristic of the area.
Wind is the real threat. On the night of April 15, 2018, a tornado came through the Gretna area near Burke Road and Blue Ridge Drive, taking the roof off one home and damaging multiple dwellings badly enough to displace people. Gretna Fire crews stayed on scene clearing debris.
Whose tree is it, and who pays when one comes down? That has a specific Virginia answer and it is not the one most people expect. See tree law in Danville.
What we do in Gretna
Most Gretna jobs are tree removal on the big shade trees, with the stump ground out once the tree is down. We also run storm damage work here when weather comes through.
Nearby: Chatham is ten miles south, and we run past Blairs and Mount Hermon on the way up.
Not sure how bad it is? We will come look and tell you straight. The estimate is free.
Gretna Tree Service FAQs
Does a tree company need a license to work in Gretna?
Yes. The Town’s own Public Works page states it directly: “All contractors must obtain an annual business license from the town prior to cutting any trees or brush.” Ask every crew bidding your Gretna job to show you theirs — including us. It is a fair question and there is no good reason to dodge it.
What will Gretna’s brush collection actually take?
Nothing over 6 inches in diameter or 6 feet in length, and twigs, grass and leaves have to be bagged separately from brush. The town also states that “no one will be allowed to haul trees or stumps to Town owned land for disposal” — so removal debris leaves town on our truck.
When does Gretna’s leaf vacuum run?
September 1 through December 31. From January 1 through August 31, leaves have to be bagged. Keep rocks, branches and twigs out of leaf piles — they damage the equipment. Call the Town Office at 434-656-6572 when yours is ready.
Call (434) 216-5589 for a free estimate in Gretna.
Get a Free Estimate
Call and you will talk to somebody local.
Or send us the details and we will come look.