(CBS) — The city of Detroit’s program to help residents remove dead or dangerous trees has become so popular that it may be running out of money.

As beautiful as big trees are, we know the significant problems they can cause in bad weather.

“Fortunately, I was proactive and removed branches before any of these major problems occurred,” said landlord Branden Bufford.

Bufford lives in Chicago, owns eleven rental properties in Detroit and is well aware of the high costs of tree removal.

“You can make money as a landlord. However, you’re probably going to lose all your savings if you cut down a tree. It costs between $7 and $7,000 if it’s a large tree,” Bufford told CBS News Detroit on Friday.

Bufford was thrilled to learn last spring that the city was investing more than $10 million in a program to remove dead, dangerous and diseased trees from private property.

“They told me where to sign up, what to do and what to expect. I also received monthly emails about my place in the queue and detailed descriptions of what to expect next. However, as of March of this year, I no longer receive those emails,” Bufford said.

According to the Detroit Department of General Services, they have received 7,500 requests, but there is only enough money to process about 3,500.

At the moment, seniors, disabled people and people with the most serious tree problems have priority.

The department’s deputy director, Jerrell Harris, says processing all the requests would cost about $23 million.

If the funds cannot be raised, signatories will not lose their place in the queue.

“Thank you for starting this program in the first place. Again, this is a gift that you (the city of Detroit) are giving us by allowing public works to be done on private property. But I would say just communicate as much as you can, so even if you run out of funds, tell us so we know what to expect,” Bufford said.

So far, the Department of General Services has removed or trimmed just over 1,100 trees and plans to remove another 525 trees by the end of the year.

The city says registered residents can call 313-244-4444 Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to find out the current status.