How to Choose a Tree Service (Without Getting Burned)

Insurance is not optional, and neither is verifying it

• Ask for general liability and workers' compensation.
• Have the certificate sent directly from the insurance agent, not handed to you as a photo on a phone. Certificates are trivially faked.
• Why workers' comp specifically: if an uninsured worker is injured in your yard, you can end up exposed. This is the single most expensive mistake homeowners make here.
• Confirm the policy is current, not expired last year.

Credentials worth asking about

• ISA Certified Arborist - verifiable through the International Society of Arboriculture's public directory.
• TCIA accreditation, for larger firms.
• Ask whether they follow ANSI A300 pruning standards and ANSI Z133 safety standards. A professional will know exactly what you mean; a guy with a truck will not.

What a real quote contains

• Which specific trees, identified clearly.
• Exactly what is being cut or removed.
• Whether the stump is included, and to what depth.
• Whether debris is hauled away or left, and who fills the hole.
• Cleanup standard, including whether they rake and blow.
• Total price, payment terms, and timing.

Red flags that should end the conversation

• Door-knocking after a storm with out-of-state plates and no local address.
• Demanding a large cash deposit up front.
• Refusing to provide insurance certificates from the insurer.
• Offering to top your tree.
• Pressure to sign immediately, or a price that is only good today.
• A quote dramatically below everyone else. That is nearly always missing scope or missing insurance.

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