Two national franchises operate in Portland. We’re neither of them.

ISA Certified. Fully insured. Locally owned. One arborist, accountable to you from the first call to the final cleanup.

The franchise model and what it costs you

Bartlett and Davey are both present in the Portland market. Both are legitimate companies with long histories. Both operate on a franchise model where the sales function, the arborist function, and the labor function are separate — and where your project passes through multiple hands before work starts.

We operate differently. One certified arborist assesses your trees. The same person manages the work. You have one point of contact, and that person owns the outcome.

When something comes up on a job — and with large trees in Portland’s older neighborhoods, something often does — you are not navigating a corporate chain of command. You’re calling the arborist who was on your property, who knows your trees, and who is accountable to you directly.

What ISA Certification means for you

An ISA Certified Arborist has passed the International Society of Arboriculture’s professional examination and maintains their credentials through continuing education. The certification covers tree biology, structural assessment, disease diagnosis, pruning standards, and safe work practices.

In practical terms: when we look at a tree, we can tell you what’s actually wrong with it — not just whether it’s big enough to be a problem. We can distinguish a structurally compromised tree from a healthy one with a large canopy. We can identify Emerald Ash Borer damage, Dutch Elm Disease, and the early signs of decline that determine whether a tree can be saved.

That diagnosis changes the recommendation. Sometimes the right answer is treatment, not removal. A certified arborist can tell the difference. A franchise crew pricing a removal cannot.

Maine’s urban canopy has specific threats

Portland’s older neighborhoods — Munjoy Hill, the West End, Deering Center — have mature trees that have been growing for generations. American elms, sugar maples, white ash, and large oaks are common. They’re beautiful, they’re valuable to the property, and they’re under pressure.

Emerald Ash Borer has moved through Maine aggressively. White ash throughout Cumberland County is at risk. Dutch Elm Disease continues to affect Portland’s elms. Nor’easters — the kind that bring down limbs and whole trees across a neighborhood in a single night — are a recurring reality of coastal Maine winters.

We know these trees and these threats. That knowledge informs every assessment we do.

Fully insured — and we prove it

We carry full liability insurance and workers’ compensation. We provide certificates of insurance before any job starts. This is not optional — it is the standard we hold ourselves to on every project.

Tree work near structures carries real risk. An uninsured crew that damages your property, your neighbor’s fence, or a power line puts that liability on you. We remove that risk entirely.

Serving Portland, South Portland, and Westbrook

We focus our work in our service area. If you’re nearby and unsure whether we cover your location, call us.

Let’s talk about your trees.

Or fill out the short form and we’ll reach out within one business day.