Tree Trimming in Los Angeles, CA

Most trees that fail in Los Angeles do not fail because they are old. They fail because nobody took weight off the ends, so the crown catches wind like a sail and the limb goes at the union. Thinning is what stops that: deadwood out, some of the interior opened up, and the long heavy ends shortened back to a growth point that can carry them.

Done right you should barely be able to tell we were there, except that the tree moves in the wind instead of fighting it.

What's included

Deadwood and crossing limbs taken out
Weight reduced on the long ends that catch wind
Crown thinned so light and air move through it
Cut back to growth points, never left as stubs
No topping — it makes a tree more dangerous, not less

We cut back to a growth point rather than leaving stubs, because a stub does not heal — it dies back and lets decay into the limb behind it. And we do not top trees. Topping takes the whole crown off at a height, and what grows back is a mass of weak shoots attached to nothing, which is more dangerous in five years than the tree you started with.

If somebody has already topped yours, it can usually be brought back over a couple of seasons. That is a different conversation and we will have it honestly.

How we work

Walk it with you

We look at the whole tree from the ground and tell you what it actually needs, which is sometimes less than you expected.

Price in writing

You get the number before anything starts, and it does not move unless you change the job.

Rope in and work it

Climbed and roped rather than dropped, so nothing lands on a fence, a roof or a car.

Chip and clear

Brush goes into the chipper the same day and the yard gets raked before we leave.

Common questions

Will trimming hurt the tree?

Not when it is done to growth points and kept to what the tree can carry. What hurts a tree is topping it, or taking so much at once that it has nothing left to feed itself with. We will tell you if what you are asking for is too much.

How often should it be done?

It depends on the species and how fast it puts on growth. Some trees want it every year, some every three. We will tell you what yours actually needs rather than book you in for a schedule you do not need.

Do you top trees?

No. Topping cuts the crown off at a height and what regrows is weakly attached, so the tree is more dangerous in a few years than before. If you want it smaller we reduce it properly instead, and we will explain the difference.