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Tree Trimmer
updated: Oct 01, 2011, 6:29 AM

I would like a recommendation for an affordable tree trimmer to handle a couple of trees and tall bushes in our yard. One tree is a pittosporum, the other a palm. Thanks in advance...

Places People Are Talking About:

Action Tree Care	Beaver Tree Service	John Adcock
McPherson Tree Service	Mission Tree Care	Quality Tree Care
Trujillo Garden Service

What People Are Saying:

COMMENT 218804	2011-10-01 07:33 AM
A lot of the "affordable" ones don't have insurance. Then they fall, and you're stuck with the bill... be careful!
COMMENT 218812	2011-10-01 07:52 AM
Make sure that you hire a licensed and insured contractor. Otherwise you are putting your home on the line.
COMMENT 218814	2011-10-01 08:02 AM
Call Bruce Hartsough, owner of Mission Tree Care at (805) 563-1022. He's the perfect man for the job, and very affordable.
COMMENT 218817P	2011-10-01 08:05 AM
Ditto to 804 & Boomersooner. It's imperative the tree service person (owner, etc.) is a certified arborist, fully insured & his state license is up to date. Oh, don't be afraid to ask for this & see it first hand. Most people don't. It's sort of like questioning a doctor while in the exam room or pre-surgery. We had a neighbor find out the hard way by using a person who knocks on doors to get business. Bad news in the end. It's worth the little extra to cover yourself.
SBITIZEN	2011-10-01 08:25 AM
Trujillo Garden Service very reasonable and insured used them a few times over the past 5 years and they have done a great job every time (805) 331-3778
TWOBITS	2011-10-01 08:26 AM
Darren Agnew/Agnew's Tree Service 570-9880 Very reasonable, educated and trustworthy. (and Licensed)
SBBOOKWORM	2011-10-01 08:27 AM
Be careful when thinking affordable first, especially with a palm. And like the others have said get someone certified and insured. Best in town as far as I'm concerned is Arbor Services. 687-7779
COMMENT 218836	2011-10-01 08:48 AM
Yep, Arbor Services. Lou is very knowledgeable, and happy to talk about any and all trees on your property.
COMMENT 218847P	2011-10-01 09:11 AM
We recently had Beaver Tree Company cut down a 40ft pittosporum in our backyard for $320. They gave me and estimate of $175 for removal of a large Bird of Paradise. They did a great jump and removed the tree all the way down - no stump.
COMMENT 218863	2011-10-01 10:01 AM
McPherson Tree Service.
COMMENT 218865	2011-10-01 10:08 AM
Action Tree Service
COMMENT 218866	2011-10-01 10:08 AM
Economy tree is reasonable, and equipped to do everything from removal to trimming. Nice fellows. One of the owners is an arborist so he can diagnose problems that will save money in the long run. We had asked for a trim on a tree that he found to be diseased so the trim would have been a waste of time and money.
COMMENT 218870	2011-10-01 10:23 AM
Gosnell Tree and Landscape 805-963-2523
COMMENT 218875P	2011-10-01 10:39 AM
Murdoch's Tree Care (805) 680-0927. Mitch Murdoch is licensed and insured. He is also honest and reasonable. He does all my tree work including my palm.
COMMENT 218894	2011-10-01 11:27 AM
2nd for Mcpherson, they just did my house and I have known them personally for 20 years....great company, great people.
COMMENT 218899	2011-10-01 11:56 AM
Don't use Economy! Our experience with them was terrible.
COMMENT 218903	2011-10-01 12:13 PM
Affordable doesn't have to mean unlicensed and uninsured. Arbor Services and Bartlett do good work, but they're at the expensive end of the price range. They can easily be double the price of other places. You can find good mid-range, licensed and insured tree services that do great work but are affordable. They don't pay a lot of their profits to a large workforce or parent company and have fair prices. The best thing to do is get multiple estimates, talk to the person that comes out to your property, and see if their philosophy on how the work will be done fits with your expectations. There's been a lot of discussion & recommendations on Edhat in the past. Google search works better than the search function here. If you set Google to search only on Edhat with the keyword "tree service", you'll find a lot of posts.
LALALALA	2011-10-02 07:13 AM
Action Tree Care 966-5969 or Santa Barbara Tree Service 965-0619. Both are licensed, bonded, insured and reasonably priced. When chainsaws are involved, don't opt for the fly-by-night low bidders.
COMMENT 219015	2011-10-02 07:37 AM
I have worked with Action Tree Care several times with very satisfactory results. Someone told me about them and I am glad they did.
COMMENT 219043	2011-10-02 09:06 AM
Beaver Tree Company...have used several over the years and they are terrific!
COMMENT 219047P	2011-10-02 09:23 AM
Skip Action. Over-priced for work not completed to owner's specs.
COMMENT 219050	2011-10-02 09:38 AM
OP here... thanks to all for the broad range of recommendations on this subject. I'll make some phone calls tomorrow and arrange to get the work done. Much appreciated to all who contributed their experiences with this!
COMMENT 219051	2011-10-02 09:39 AM
Also had a bad experience with Economy - they took twice as long as they had estimated and continued working waay longer than I would have okayed if I had known it was $1000 per day, which was not made clear to me ahead of time. Make sure you get a clear quote!!!
COMMENT 219058	2011-10-02 10:06 AM
Beaver Tree Service does excellent work. I have several very tall trees that annually produce a thick canopy as well as numerous shrubs that get overgrown. Beaver comes once a year and thins them out and leaves the property looking fresh and immaculate. I always receive a written estimate in advance so I know what I will have to pay. Also, they show up on time. They are licensed and bonded. I highly recommend them.
COMMENT 219071	2011-10-02 10:45 AM
Do NOT use Action Tree care.
COMMENT 219132	2011-10-02 01:03 PM
Quality Tree Care 963-5300 Did great jobs at ¼ of the bid of others!
COMMENT 219294	2011-10-03 08:07 AM
Google International Society of Arboriculture, click public outreach, then verify a certification. This will give you a list of Certified Arborists. Economy did not have one last time I checked.
ACF	2011-10-03 10:22 AM
We use John Adcock, a solo worker. He has an aesthetic sense and does excellent work for an hourly rate. I usually do the cleanup, depending on the scale of the work, but that saves us money. He's in the phonebook. He lives on a boat at the harbor. He's a nice person to have in your garden;.
COMMENT 409612	2013-05-17 07:59 AM
Mark Cranes Tree and Arborist Service 805 685-2320. He and his crew are simply amazing! They did a beautiful job pruning all of my trees! He was on time and extremely professional. I have never been happier with the way my trees look. I would highly reccomend his company.