Hiring a Tree Trimming Service: Arborist, Insurance, the Quote

Each tree identified; the pruning type by name — crown cleaning, thinning, raising, reduction — and how much: 'remove deadwood over 1 inch, raise to 12 feet over the driveway, thin 10–15%'; whether limbs over structures are rigged and lowered; whether the work follows ANSI A300 pruning standards; what's chipped and hauled and what's left; the crew size and equipment; the schedule; and the total. Ask who on the crew is an ISA Certified Arborist and whether they'll be on site.

Start with the ISA's Find an Arborist directory and the TCIA's accredited companies list, then look for a local company that names its certified arborists, shows its insurance without being asked, and has been around long enough to have trimmed the same trees twice. Neighbors with well-shaped mature trees know who did them. Door-knockers after a storm, and anyone advertising topping, are the ones to skip.

Not by law, in most states. In practice, for a small tree or a routine crown clean, a competent tree crew is fine; for a mature tree you care about, a tree with a structural problem, or a decision about how much to take, an ISA Certified Arborist on the job — or writing the plan the crew follows — is the difference between pruning and cutting. It usually adds 10–20% and it's the best-spent part of the invoice.

General liability for damage to your house, your neighbor's and the car under the tree, and workers' compensation for the crew — climbing and chipping are among the most dangerous jobs in the country. Ask for a certificate of insurance sent from the insurer or the agent, not a photocopy from the truck. A company without workers' comp is one where an injured climber sues the homeowner.

Anything within 10 feet of a distribution line is for the utility's line-clearance contractors, who are the only crews qualified to work there; call the utility and most will trim on request, free, on their schedule. The service drop to your house is lower voltage but still live — a tree service can work near it with care or have the utility drop it temporarily. A crew that shrugs at a line is a crew to send away.

The American National Standard for tree care operations, including pruning: it defines the cuts (at the branch collar), the types of pruning, the limits (no more than 25% of the live crown, no topping, no flush cuts), and what a specification should say. A company that writes its quotes to A300 is telling you it prunes to a standard rather than to a chainsaw. It's also the standard an arborist would cite if the work were ever disputed.

Offering to top the tree; climbing with spikes on a tree that isn't being removed (they wound the trunk); no insurance certificate; a cash price with no scope; a door-knock after a storm; a quote with no pruning type or amount; 'lion-tailing' — stripping the interior and leaving tufts at the ends; and a crew that shows up without a chipper for a job that includes cleanup. Also a price far under the others, which is usually a crew with no comp.

Nothing, or a small deposit for a large multi-day job. Tree trimming is a one-visit service paid on completion after you've walked the tree. A demand for half up front is unusual in this trade and a reason to look elsewhere.