Tree Service near you

Anyone can advertise tree service, so credentials are worth asking about. ISA certification is a private credential earned by passing an exam on tree biology, pruning, diagnosis and safe work. In Ontario, Arborist (trade 444A) is also a provincial trade covering the transplanting, maintenance and removal of trees with ropes, climbing systems, pruning and diagnostic tools and mechanized equipment. Skilled Trades Ontario issues a Certificate of Qualification to those who complete the apprenticeship and pass the certifying exam, but the trade is non-compulsory, so the certificate isn't required to do tree work.

Neither credential replaces coverage: before anyone climbs, ask for proof of the company's liability insurance and of workers' compensation coverage with your province's board.

Cabling and bracing extend the life of a valuable tree with a structural weakness, such as a narrow fork with bark trapped between two stems or a long limb over the house. Cables high in the crown limit how far stems can move apart in wind and under ice, and threaded rods hold a weak union or split together. The hardware goes with pruning to reduce weight, needs periodic inspection as the tree grows, and is no substitute for removal when the trunk or roots have failed.

Planting is where many long-term problems begin or are avoided. An arborist picks a species that suits the space, the soil and your region's winters, keeps large-growing trees away from foundations, sewer lines and overhead wires, and sets the root flare at the soil surface. Wire baskets and twine that could strangle roots are cut away, mulch is kept off the trunk, and the young tree gets deep watering through its first seasons.

A declining tree rarely has one obvious cause, so a careful diagnosis looks at leaves, bark, roots and the site's recent history before suggesting a fix, which is often better watering, mulch, targeted pruning or monitoring rather than spraying.

Tree rules depend on what is being done and whose tree it is. Toronto's private tree by-law requires a permit to injure or remove a protected tree, but the City states that no permit is needed to prune a tree when the work follows good arboricultural practice to maintain its health, and it lists excessive canopy removal and improper pruning as harmful. In Montreal, felling a tree on private property requires a permit under rules set by each borough. Many other municipalities have their own by-laws, so the arborist should check them before quoting.

Street trees are a separate case. Toronto maintains the trees in its parks and on the public road allowance between the roadway and private property, residents ask for pruning or inspection through 311, and all work on City-owned trees must be authorized by the City, even when an owner is willing to pay a contractor. Many cities treat boulevard trees the same way, so no crew should touch one without written approval.

Ice storms, windstorms and heavy wet snow bring the most calls to tree companies, and the most dangerous jobs. A tree resting on a roof, a split trunk or a broken limb caught in the crown is loaded in unpredictable ways and can shift as it is cut. Emergency crews stabilize first, using rigging and sometimes a crane to take weight off the house, then dismantle the tree and clean up.

If a tree or limb is on a wire, stay well back, keep others away and call your utility, or 911 if there is fire or injury; crews start only once the line is safe. In Quebec, work where a person, tool or branch could come within three metres of wires is reserved by law for arborists authorized by Hydro-Québec, and in Ontario the Electrical Safety Authority directs homeowners to their local distribution company or a certified utility arborist.