The two oaks over most Georgetown roofs — and what each one needs
A live oak that dropped a leader in the ice and a post oak that's thinning at the top after a dry summer are two very different problems. One usually gets pruned and cabled; the other usually gets watched, then removed. Here's how we tell which is which.
Drive any street in Georgetown — the 1930s bungalows off University Avenue, the ranch houses along Williams Drive, the first phases of Sun City, the big lots in Berry Creek — and the trees over the roofs are almost all one of two oaks. The live oak is the one everybody wants: evergreen, broad, a hundred-year tree that shades a whole yard. It's also the one that catches ice on every leaf, fails at old included-bark forks, and shares its roots with every live oak within seventy-five feet, which is how oak wilt moves through a neighborhood. The post oak is the one that was there before the subdivision: slow, tough, drought-adapted, and absolutely intolerant of what construction does to it — fill dirt over the roots, a trench through the critical root zone, a new sprinkler system keeping the base wet. Post oaks die from the top down two or three years after the insult, and then they get too brittle to climb.
Our arborist looks at the species, the trunk, the unions, the root zone and what's under the canopy, and gives you one of four answers: prune it, cable it, take it down, or leave it alone. A sound live oak gets its long leaders reduced and its deadwood cleaned so it carries the next ice storm, in the July–January window with every cut painted. A live oak with a weak fork over the bedroom gets a cable. A post oak that's declining gets an honest prognosis and, if it's past saving, comes down by bucket or crane before it becomes a hazard. And a healthy post oak gets the best advice we have: keep the mowers, the fill and the sprinklers off its roots and leave it alone.
What's included
Species & risk assessment
Live oak vs. post oak vs. Shumard vs. cedar elm — and whether the trunk, the unions and the root zone are sound.
Ice-load pruning
End-weight reduction on the long horizontal live oak leaders that fail under a half-inch glaze.
Oak wilt calendar
All oak pruning scheduled July through January; every cut painted immediately, any month.
Post oak decline check
Crown thinning, epicormic sprouts, root-zone disturbance and drought history read before you spend money.
Cabling & bracing
Steel or synthetic support at weak forks on live oaks and pecans worth keeping.
Removal when warranted
Rigged or craned out over the house when the tree can't be made safe — with the Heritage Tree permit filed if it's 26 inches or more.
Live oak and post oak care cost in Georgetown
| Job | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Live oak crown cleaning & end-weight reduction (40–60 ft) | $800 – $2,200 | Every 3–5 years, July–January |
| Post oak deadwooding (dead limbs only, any month) | $400 – $1,200 | Painted cuts |
| Cable installation, one fork | $450 – $1,000 | See cabling & bracing |
| Arborist assessment & written report | $150 – $350 | Credited toward any work |
| Declining post oak removal (40–60 ft) near a structure | $1,500 – $4,200 | Bucket or crane |
| Heritage live oak removal (26"+ DBH), permit included | $2,500 – $8,000 | 3:1 mitigation set by the city |
These are 2026 Williamson County ranges so you can budget. Your written price is itemized — removal, rigging or crane, hauling, stump grinding, any permit paperwork — and good for 30 days.
Recent work
Questions we get about live oak & post oak care
How do I know if my post oak is dying?
Look at the top of the crown first. Post oak decline starts as thinning at the tips and the top, then dead branches with the bark still on, then sprouts pushing out of the trunk and big limbs. If a third or more of the crown is dead, it's not coming back. The cause is almost always something that happened to the roots two or three summers ago — grading, a trench, fill dirt, a new lawn with daily irrigation — plus a drought year like 2011 or 2022. Our arborist will tell you honestly whether it's a watch, a prune or a removal.
Is my live oak safe after it dropped a big limb?
Sometimes. A single limb that failed at an old included-bark fork can be cleaned up, the matching fork cabled and the rest of the canopy reduced, and the tree is good for decades. A live oak with a crack running down the trunk from the fork, or one that's dropped limbs from more than one union, needs a harder look. We assess it before we quote anything.
Can I prune my live oak in spring?
Please don't. February through June is oak wilt season in Williamson County: the fungal mats form on dying red oaks, the sap beetles fly, and a fresh cut on a live oak is an invitation. If a storm breaks a limb in April, cut it clean and paint it the same hour, then do the shaping in the fall. We won't schedule oak pruning in those months, and you should be suspicious of anyone who will.
Why do live oaks hold their leaves in an ice storm?
They're evergreen — they drop last year's leaves in the spring as the new ones come in, so a February ice storm hits a full canopy. Every leaf holds ice, and a half-inch glaze on a 30-inch live oak can add about 7,000 pounds. That's why the 2023 storm took limbs off live oaks all over Georgetown and left the bare post oaks and cedar elms mostly alone.
Do you treat sick oaks?
We diagnose, prune, cable and remove. Fungicide injection for oak wilt is done by licensed applicators we work alongside; we'll tell you when it's worth trying (a healthy live oak within 100 feet of an infection center, before symptoms) and when it isn't (a red oak, or a live oak that's already symptomatic).