Tree Trimming Directory, treetrimming.directory. Phone (307) 263-8515. Email hello@treetrimming.directory. Tree on a house or a power line down: call 911 or your electric utility.

treetrimming.directory

Tree on a house, or a power line down? Call 911 or your electric utility now, not us. Keep away from a tree touching a power line.

Have a person read your tree quote before you sign it.

For homeowners with a tree to trim or take down. Send the quote and a person writes back a benchmark note: what it covers, what is missing or vague, and questions to ask. No quote yet? Get a scoping document you send to tree services yourself.

Send your tree quote No quote yet? Get a scoping document

See a sample note (same format, on a painting quote)

Who reads it: finalist.cc, which we run. A person reads your quote or your description and replies by email with the note, or with questions. Nobody here looks at your tree; only an arborist on site can judge its health or risk.

No contractor list here. This site publishes no list of tree services, and we do not send your request, quote or details to contractors.

Tree diagram with four pruning cuts marked An elevation of a shade tree beside a house. The crown is the leaves and branches from the lowest branch to the top. Dashed lines drop from the crown's outer edge to the ground: the drip line. Roots spread through the soil past the drip line: the root zone. Orange tape marks four cuts. Clean: a dead branch at the top. Thin: two interior branches. Raise: a low limb removed for clearance underneath. Reduce: a limb reaching over the roof, cut back to a side branch. clearance height clean thin raise reduce crown drip line root zone, reaching past the drip line
  • Tape: name this cut
  • Dashed: comes out
  • Drip line

Before you ask for quotes: the tree work scope checklist

Four cuts a quote should name

ANSI A300 (Part 1, pruning), the US standard for tree pruning, names these cuts and says a written spec should give where in the tree the work is and how big the branches are. Use the same words when you ask for quotes and each quote will price the same work. Tick what you want; it goes on the checklist form below.

Crown cleaning

Takes out dead, dying, diseased and broken branches, and leaves the healthy crown as it is.

A quote should sayWhere: the whole crown, or the part over the roof or drive. How small: for example, dead wood 2 inches across and larger.

Thinning

Takes out some live branches, spread through the crown, so light and wind pass through. The tree keeps its shape and size.

A quote should sayWhere in the crown, how much live foliage comes out (a share of the crown or a count of branches), and how big the cuts are.

Raising

Takes off lower branches to make room underneath: over a roof, a drive, a walk or the street.

A quote should sayThe clearance to reach, in feet, and over what. Which limbs come off, and how big they are.

Reduction

Shortens the height or spread by cutting branches back to a side branch big enough to take over, not to a stub.

A quote should sayHow far back, or the clearance to reach, and where: off the roof, away from the house. How big the cuts are.

Signs worth an arborist's look

Tick what you can see from the ground, then press the button to add your ticks to the checklist form. These are for the arborist who comes out to look; whoever reads your checklist at finalist.cc cannot judge the tree from it.

Where to look for each sign A tree leaning slightly, with a dashed plumb line beside the trunk. A bare dead limb sticks out of the crown. A crack runs down the trunk. Shelf fungus grows at the base. Soil is heaved on the side away from the lean, and a trench on the right has cut through roots. Each spot has a label that turns orange when you tick that sign. dead limbs cracks lean fungus root damage
Signs you can see from the ground

This is a list, not a score. No ticks does not mean the tree is sound, and five ticks do not mean it will fall. Only someone who looks at the tree can judge that.

How tall is it?

Two ways to get close with a tape measure. The height tells a crew what equipment to bring, and it tells you how far the tree can reach. Keep clear of overhead lines while you measure. The numbers in the boxes are examples; put in your own.

Method
Shadow method The sun casts a tree's shadow and your shadow at the same angle, so the tree's height H is to its shadow S as your height h is to your shadow s. H h S s
ft
ft
ft

Measure the tree's shadow from the middle of the trunk to the tip, and your own within a few minutes of it, on level ground.

Example height, not your tree

About 45 ft

Example with the numbers in the boxes: h × S ÷ s = 6 × 30 ÷ 4 = 45 ft

Put your own numbers in the boxes to work out your tree.

Below the crown: the rest of the quote

Pruning cuts are half of a tree job. A quote should also say what happens to the wood, the stump and your yard.

A removal and a ground stump The tree above the stump is dashed: it comes down. The stump's cut top is marked in orange. A dashed box around the stump below ground shows how deep the grinding goes. Roots beyond the box stay in the ground. comes down grind depth roots past the grinding stay put

Taking a tree down: the stump is ground below grade, and roots beyond the grinding stay in the ground.
Removal
Down to the ground or to a stump height you name, and how the crew will protect the lawn, beds and fences while pieces come down.
Stump
Ground out or left. If ground, how deep below the grass, and whether the grindings are hauled off or left to fill the hole.
Wood and chips
Hauled away, left as chips, or cut to firewood lengths and stacked. Each one prices differently.
Access
Gate width, slopes, a pool, a septic field, and where a truck can park. Say it up front so nobody prices equipment that cannot get in.
Roots of trees that stay
Most roots are in the top foot or two of soil and run past the drip line. Ask the crew to keep trucks and log piles off the root zone of trees you are keeping, or to lay mats.
Climbing spikes
None on a tree that is staying. Spikes wound the trunk; they belong on removals.
Permit
Some cities and HOAs regulate removing or heavily pruning large or protected trees. Ask who gets the permit.
Insurance
Ask for a certificate of insurance sent to you by the insurer, showing liability coverage, and workers' compensation where your state requires it.
Who does the work
Whether the person writing the scope, or working in the tree, holds ISA credentials. You can look up an arborist with ISA credentials using the Find an Arborist tool. Some states license tree work or arborists; ask whether yours does, and ask for the license number.
Start and cleanup
When the work starts, how long it runs, and what cleaned up means: raked, blown off, ruts filled.

Send this checklist for a scoping document

No quote yet? Start with the ZIP code, then name the work.

This form goes to the same desk as finalist.cc, which we run. A person at finalist.cc reads it and replies by email with a scoping document or questions: what the job is, what to measure, what a quote should price line by line, and what a tree service will ask. You send it to tree services yourself.

We do not send your request, quote or details to contractors. Nobody here looks at the tree; only an arborist on site can judge its health or risk. We are not a tree service and we do no tree work.

Already have a quote? Send it on finalist.cc for a benchmark note.

Not for emergencies. A tree on a house or a line down: call 911 or your electric utility.

Rather not use the form? Call (307) 263-8515.

Words on the diagram

What arborists mean by them, in plain terms.

Crown
The leaves and branches, from the lowest branch on the trunk to the top.
Drip line
The line on the ground under the outer edge of the crown. Roots run well past it.
Root zone
The soil the roots occupy: mostly shallow, and wider than the crown. Trenching, paving or parking on it can injure the tree.
Root flare
Where the trunk widens into the roots at the ground. It should show, not sit buried under soil or mulch.
Branch collar
The swollen ring where a branch meets the trunk or a bigger limb. A good cut is just outside it: no stub, and not flush with the trunk.
Lateral
A side branch. A reduction cut goes back to a lateral big enough to take over, typically at least a third the diameter of the part that comes off.
Deadwood
Dead branches in the crown. Crown cleaning takes them out.
Hanger
A broken branch caught in the crown instead of on the ground.
Included bark
Bark pinched into a tight V between two stems. The joint is weaker than an open, U-shaped one.
Topping
Cutting a tree back to stubs. ANSI A300 calls it unacceptable.
DBH
Diameter at breast height: the trunk's width 4.5 feet above the ground. Tree ordinances often use it.
ISA
The International Society of Arboriculture, which runs credential programs for arborists and lists credential holders on its website.

Questions

Does anyone look at my tree?

No. A person at finalist.cc reads your quote, or your description and any photos you send when we ask for them. That is paper, not the tree. Only an arborist on site can judge a tree's health or risk.

Do you do the tree work?

No. We run finalist.cc and this site. We are not arborists and we do not prune or remove trees. Any work is agreed between you and the tree service you choose.

What happens after I send?

A person at finalist.cc reads it and replies by email. Send a quote and you get a benchmark note: what it includes, what is missing or vague, the arithmetic, and questions to send back. Send a description and you get a scoping document you can hand to tree services. Either way, you choose who sees it.

Will you send my request to tree services?

No. We do not send your request, quote or details to contractors, and we publish no list of tree services. We take no payment from contractors for referrals.

Can I get a price here?

No. We do not publish prices or say whether a price is fair. A tree job is priced on the scope, the access and the site, which is why the checklist asks you to name them.

Who handles a tree in the power lines?

Start with your electric utility. Call them first. Many utilities clear lines themselves or will tell you who may work near them. Do not prune near a line yourself, and keep ladders and poles away from it.

When should oaks be pruned?

Where oak wilt is a problem, outside the months when the beetles that spread it are active. In Texas, the Texas A&M Forest Service says to avoid pruning or wounding oaks from February through June, and to paint every oak wound right away, whatever the season. Other states set their own windows; ask your state forestry agency or extension office.

Does a tree need a permit to come down?

Sometimes. Some cities and HOAs protect large or listed trees. Call the city's planning or forestry office before the work, and put who gets the permit in the quote.

Detailed tree work scope guides

Read our checklists on ANSI A300 pruning cuts, removals and stump grinding, and backyard access before comparing tree service quotes.

ANSI A300 Tree Pruning Cuts vs Tree Topping
How to specify crown cleaning, thinning, raising, and reduction cuts back to lateral branches, and why tree topping and climbing spikes should be avoided on live trees.
Tree Removal, Stump Grinding & Wood Hauling Scope
Sectional rigging over roofs, ground protection mats, flush cuts vs stump grinding depth, mulch mound hauling, and 811 utility locates.
Pruning Near Roofs, Power Lines & Tight Backyards
Utility service drops, 36-inch backyard gates, septic drain fields, oak wilt pruning windows, and municipal tree permits.