Gotha Tree Service for Historic Lots and Big Old Trees

Gotha Tree Service in a Historic Rural Settlement

Gotha is a small, unincorporated community in west Orange County, set between Ocoee and Windermere. It was founded in 1885 by Henry A. Hempel, a German printer who used money from a printing-tool patent to buy and plat about 1,000 acres and named the colony after his hometown in Germany. His sawmill supplied lumber for the town's early buildings and crates for the citrus that most early families grew. The main street, Hempel Avenue, still carries his name, and Zion Lutheran Church, which started out on Morton Jones Road, later rebuilt along Hempel Avenue and Gotha Road.

Orange County designated Gotha a historic preservation district in 1995 under its rural settlement program, and the Gotha Rural Settlement Association works to keep its older buildings and small-town character. Its best-known landmark is Nehrling Gardens at 2267 Hempel Avenue, the former home and garden of horticulturist Henry Nehrling, placed on the National Register in 2000. We reach Gotha from Clermont by heading east on SR-50 or Florida's Turnpike and dropping south past Ocoee.

Gotha Trees Reflect a Long Planting History

Henry Nehrling ran an experimental garden in Gotha in the early 1900s, testing ornamental plants for Florida, and he is best known for caladiums. That history, along with more than a century of homesteads and groves, means Gotha lots often carry trees you don't see in a newer subdivision: massive live oaks, old palms planted generations ago, clumping bamboo, exotic shade trees, and citrus that has outlived the grove around it. Some of these are worth a lot of effort to keep. Others, like aging laurel oaks and invasive camphor, are crowding out the trees around them.

The ground here is mostly sandy upland broken up by small lakes, including Lake Olivia, where one of the founding families planted a grove in 1885, and Lake Nally just north of the settlement. Lots tend to be bigger and more wooded than in Ocoee or Winter Garden, and long driveways and old septic fields are common. Before we bring heavy equipment onto a Gotha property, we walk it with the owner to mark septic tanks, drain fields, wells and any plantings that need to be protected.

Gotha roads and areas we cover

• Hempel Avenue — the historic spine of Gotha, with old homes, big oaks and the Nehrling Gardens property; work here favors careful pruning.
• Gotha Road — mixed older and newer homes on larger lots where oaks and pines lean over drives and fences.
• Morton Jones Road — quieter wooded parcels where overgrown fence lines and volunteer trees need thinning.
• Lake Olivia shoreline — lakefront lots with wetter soil near the water and trees that lean toward the lake.
• Lake Nally area — small-lake lots north of the settlement, with cypress and oaks near the shore.
• Old Winter Garden Road edge — the northern side near Lake Olivia, where newer homes sit beside remnant woods.

Gotha Tree Removal and the Work We Do Most

Large trees are the rule in Gotha, so our work here often involves climbers, rigging and sometimes a crane. Common jobs include removing a hollow laurel oak over a house, pruning a century-old live oak so it carries less weight over the roof, and cutting out camphor or other invasive trees that have taken over part of a lot. We also clear brush and volunteer trees from acreage, remove dead citrus from old homestead groves, and trim tall palms that haven't been touched in years.

Orange County Tree Rules That Apply in Gotha

Gotha isn't a city, so Orange County's tree code in Chapter 15, Article VIII of the county code governs tree removal. That's especially relevant here because of lot size: the county's permit page lists a tree removal permit for developed lots over two acres with an occupied single-family home, and for vacant or undeveloped property of any size. Regulated trees are those 8 inches or more in diameter at breast height on the county's species list. Trees in wetlands or conservation areas, which can include lake edges, need approval from the county's Environmental Protection Division. Gotha's rural settlement and preservation status concerns land use and historic character, but it's another reason to ask questions before removing a significant tree.

Florida Statute 163.045 limits what the county can require for a residential tree that an ISA certified arborist or Florida licensed landscape architect documents as an unacceptable risk, and that can simplify removing a dangerous tree on a larger lot. Because so many Gotha properties are over two acres or include shoreline, we confirm with the county's arbor office for every estimate and tell you exactly what's needed.

Gotha Tree Trimming Near Overhead Lines

Gotha's rural roads mostly carry overhead power, and Duke Energy serves the area. Primary lines along Hempel Avenue and Gotha Road run through some big canopies, and clearance around those lines belongs to Duke's crews. We'll coordinate with them and take care of the rest of the tree, including limbs over service drops and long driveways.

Gotha Tree Service Pricing

Because the trees run large here, many Gotha removals are in the $1,800 to $3,500 or more range for trees over 60 feet, and crane access, when the lot allows it, typically adds $600 to $1,800. Clearing an acre of light brush and small trees usually starts near $1,800, and heavy, overgrown acreage can go well past $6,500. Trimming tall palms runs about $85 to $275 each, and removing old citrus is often $150 to $500 per tree. You'll have a flat written price with cleanup included before anything is cut.

Tree Services for Gotha Properties

Big oaks near homes are where our tree removal crew spends most of its time in Gotha, and the ones worth keeping get careful tree trimming and pruning. Overgrown lots respond well to land clearing, while old grove trees come out quickly with citrus tree removal. Neglected palms are a good fit for our palm tree trimming crew. Our guide on trees on sandy soil and slopes also applies to Gotha's sandy upland lots.

Gotha is surrounded by areas we work in regularly. Ocoee sits just to the north, Windermere and the Butler Chain are a short drive south, and Winter Garden lies to the west.