Class One Arboriculture

I called James because one of my three Birch trees appeared in poor health. I left a voice mail which he responded to within about 20 minutes. I requested a home visit but he instead suggested that I text a few photos which he would review and call me back at no charge. I fully expected the call would lead to a sales pitch but it did not. He called back within the hour, provided his opinion about the health of the tree and described 3 options to remedy the situation. None of which included his involvement or charge of any kind. We spoke for about 15 minutes and in terms I could understand. He was very professional, knowledgeable and patient with my rather amateur descriptions, accounts and questions about the tree. Nice guy and I learned a lot.

We initially contacted James about trimming our row of unruly cypress trees and inspecting our grapefruit tree to see why, in our opinion, there was so much fruit dropping. Over the phone, he very patiently explained why trimming the cypresses was a bad idea for the long-term health of the trees and that his crew could not ethically do the work. I appreciated not only his time and depth of knowledge, but his honesty. Another less professional crew would have just done the work and collected their money, knowing that once pruned, they would have a guaranteed repeat customer to keep them in a certain shape. He suggested we power wash the dead matter out and let them be otherwise: as he said, benign neglect management. James came over later to inspect our grapefruit tree and gave us a detailed response to quiet all of our concerns. He gave multiple tips going forward to ensure our beautiful tree remains healthy. He also took his time to check out a number of other bushes and trees in our yards, and gave us some more valuable pointers. He was very thoughtful about setting our expectations. We're so glad we contacted James before doing costly and irreversible damage to our landscaping.

Their service is fantastic, professional and a pleasure. Cleanup is flawless. Use this company and your trees will thank you!

It was an excellent experience all the way around. The arborists who did the work were very knowledgeable and took great care trimming and shaping things. They were also very careful not to damage the flowerbeds and plants in the involved areas. I would definitely hire this company again.

James was great. We thought our tree was doomed due to loosing two very large branches which also damaged the trunk. He took his time to fully inspect the tree and gave it a clean bill of health. He is so knowledgeable and really cares for the well being of the trees he cares for.

I received excellent service from Class One Arboriculture. I called in expecting to schedule an onsite consultation about whether a street tree was responsible for a raised sidewalk and cracking cinder block wall. Instead of coming out, they were able to look at Google Street View and determine that the damage to the sidewalk and wall were from a tree that was taken out in the past. They alleviated my concerns, and there was no charge for the advice I received over the phone. They also gave suggestions for repairing the sidewalk without risking damage to the remaining street tree. I would feel very confident in returning to them for future tree service.

He was very professional and didn't try to charge me for any work since he didn't actually come out to look. He knew what he was talking about and seemed extremely knowledgeable.

That was back in June, the busy time for tree trimmers. He arrived on time and was courteous. Looking at the tree, he very thoughtful, checking it out from every angle. He explained some of what he looks for in a tree to determine its health and ability to withstand trimming, while keeping in mind the city code on trimming. (Class One is well educated about the city code that protects certain trees.) His quote was pretty much the same as another arborist from another company. He said that if trimming wasn't urgent, we could wait until the fall, which is the best time for trees to be trimmed. We decided to wait. On the day before the trimming date, Jonathan(?) called to confirm their arrival time. Jonathan and James arrived pretty much on time and were very courteous and calm. In fact, as they worked, they were almost zen-like, no blaring music or chattering. They were completely focused, as if they were performing serious surgery. All I can say is that they seemed very respectful of the gorgeous oak and aware of what they were doing to it. It was a gradual trimming job. Lots of climbing up and down to evaluate the look of the tree as the job progressed. They were never rushed. They were lovingly trimming. Class One was referred by our neighbor who had used them to trim her beautiful mulberry tree. She was very happy with her tree. They were thorough with cleaning up after themselves, including removing all the trimmings and twigs. I will definitely use them again.

He is very poetic and artistic about trees. He has been coming to this house for 18 years. It is expensive, but he is very knowledgeable. He is wonderful with what he does and how he does it.

He is well known locally. He is very reliable. He gives free seminars on how to maintain your trees. He explained how to do my own pruning, and how to prevent infection of the trees from pruning. I have attended some of the seminars that he has given several years ago. He is very competent, and a good person to work with. He helps you understand the problems. He doesn't just come and start cutting. The whole experience was completely satisfactory.

He just operates independently. He is very friendly and he tells you the details. He is used locally by a lot of people. He gives lectures at The Theodore Payne Foundation and elsewhere on how to maintain trees. He also works at the Descanso Gardens which is a local county owned garden. I would use him in future.