Independent Tree Service Inc

Jerry's company was the best from start to finish. His rates were the most competitive, and his crew the most professional and competent workers around. Jerry listened and understood my requests of minimal trimming to my oak trees, and his crew carried his instructions out fully. The efficient service covered both the actual tree trimming, and clean up around the property, and adherence to regulations. I felt Jerry and his crew really cared about my trees, and incorporated both their extensive knowledge and my requirements into the tree service. I highly recommend Independent Tree Service, and will use them again.

Despite being busy with storm damage, they fit us in sooner than expected. My husband was impressed with the arborist's knowledge, and he knew the trimming was done appropriately. They were prompt, courteous, and communication was excellent. Will hire again.

We have used Jerry before and will definitely use Independent Tree Service again. It is always a pleasure to deal with Jerry and his company. Jerry is the individual that comes to the house and gives you an estimate and then again when his crew arrives to review what will be happening. The crew did an excellent job in explaining what they were doing before they actually started to cut any tree limb. We have three large oak trees that desperately need to be thinned. The way they trimmed the trees has brought so much more light to our yard. Our neighbors have a few pine trees that hang over into our yard. Thankfully the guys did a great job in trimming them to our specifications. As an additional bonus they even took the time to rake our yard and planters before they left..with no hesitation. Great job, great people, great company!

From the get go this was a very good experience. Jerry, the owner, was very responsive, provided an on the spot quote and the work was completed timely and with good quality. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again. I had several oak trees hanging over the roof and power lines that were trimmed. In addition, they trimmed down a pine tree and other smaller trees that were an eyesore to the front of my home. Professional, responsive, great job !

As I promised in my Angie's List report from last summer ... I hired Jerry and Independent Tree again. Again, I couldn't be more pleased with the work and the results. He's got a passion for trees, and comprehensive knowledge toboot. Very personable and professional. Excellent work. (and he floated me some superb suggestions for my landscaping) I won't hesitate to call upon his services again; simple as that.

I was very pleased with the entire process. The owner, Jerry provided the quote and explained what would take place. He was professional and returned my phone call promptly. I would not hesitate to recommend them and will use their services in the future.

Jerry was wonderful to work with! His crew did an amazing job cleaned everything up after. They did an amazing job on all the trees and bushes . Will defiantly use them again and again !

I called Independent Tree Service due to the large amount of recommendations in Angie's list reviews, and the Angie's list awards. I called, Jerry returned my call right away and came down the next day to give an estimate, and when I accepted, he came back within two days (the first day he chose turned out to be a stormy day) and the job was completed within an hour and a half, to my specifications and his advice. I was very pleased with the job, and with the overall experience. Thank you, Jerry, and the Independent Tree Service workers!

The crew arrived at our property exactly as promised. Each member of the crew knew the complete scope of work and his specific responsibilities related to the work at hand. Each member was extremely experienced in all facets of tree service and required maintenance. All debris was removed and the property was left in excellent condition.

I have used this company twice and have had a good experience on both occasions. Jerry has always been very professional and takes whatever time it needs to explain his recommendations based on his on site visit for the estimate. On the last occasion there was a good bit of debris left in my landscaping, but when I called Jerry he was very apologetic and had the team back out the next day and they cleared away the debris.

Everything went smoothly except for a few glitches with equipment.

He told me that I didn't want to remove it or cut it down, you just want to kill it and poor round up in the tree. I thanked him for his time and honesty. He was very patient and interested and we had a good conversation.

From the first encounter with Jerry I cannot say enough positive about the experience with the trees from start to finish. He was gracious in working with me on the pricing. He had a crew out the day after we talked to remove the part of the Maple that had fallen. He assessed the trees and the property for the best way to take out the trees. He explained the code and the permit process to me with an estimated amount of time it would take. He spent much time explaining about the trees, the process and what could be expected. He explained the necessity of certain parts of the process in which safety was a priority. Therefore there were certain things that would have to be done to ensure not only the crews? safety but also my safety. The tree at the drive was scheduled immediately in that it was not considered to be grand (I certainly didn?t consider it to be so grand!). However, the giant otherwise known as grand Laurel on the side of the house that the wings were built around required much more. The giant tree that some others did not want to ?tangle? with was no big deal to Jerry. There is not much distance between the neighbor?s home any mine. There was a tree co-owned with the neighbor that would have to also be taken out in order to get the equipment in for the giant tree. This tree was a messy nuisance tree (a type of ear tree). In addition, the crepe myrtles and a magnolia tree in the front yard also had to be taken out to accommodate the equipment. As the grand tree was cut by the bucket crew, the pieces of the trunk could weigh as much as 4000 pounds necessitating a crane to be called in to lift and carry the parts of the tree over the roof to the front in order to be cut down smaller for what I call the ?jaws of death? to then grab and lift the pieces to the truck for disposal. The grand tree removal was a two day operation starting very early in the morning. The street was taken over with the equipment necessary for the removal of the tree. After the trees were taken out, another crew came to grind the stump and roots into mulch ? lots and lots of mulch. Over the years, there have been other tree services who have pruned the trees before hurricane season. Never has any service been as professional and as knowledgeable as Independent Tree Service. The entire operation ran as smoothly as and was as finely tuned as a music box. Every one of the guys in the various crews were courteous, polite and very respectful in their demeanor, behavior and speaking. They worked well together and made the entire operation look effortless, even in the hot sun. It was like watching and hearing a symphony production. There were no surprises. The work was done as promised. Jerry worked with me to ease the pain of the cost. He assisted in the permit process. The palm tree in the front yard was trimmed for me as was a limb on a cherry tree in the back yard at no additional cost. I had the opportunity to talk to a few of the guys who stated that they all h all had been working for Jerry for a long time and they spoke highly of him. Those I spoke with thought that Jerry treats them like ?family?. And Jerry spoke well of his crew. The guys are long-term employees. The crane operator, Bill, from S & R Crane Service worked with great precision. Mike from Mike?s Stump Removal was prompt in grinding the stump. Both Mike and Bill were also courteous and professional. All of the guys worked efficiently and did a great job. I would not hesitate to recommend Jerry and Independent Tree Service crews to all friends, neighbors and to Angie?s List. I can?t think I have any enemies, but I would even refer Independent Tree Service to a worst one so they could have the best! The few negatives are so minor that they are insignificant in comparison to the positives. The parts of the trunk that are removed and the branches that are ground are recycled in keeping with the ?green? America. In keeping with the green, the city does state that when a grand tree is removed that one or more (specifics are provided by the city) are to be planted. Jerry spoke with the city about the grand tree taken out so that I am not penalized. The city did come out to inspect the stump. The inspector did ask that in some point in time a tree be planted. I think I need a break from the trees for awhile. I will enjoy my neighbors? trees in the meantime. The wonderful sunlight I now have is a very welcome change. At this time, I am not sure what I will plant. Jerry educated me about the list of trees that is provided to a homeowner that lists trees that are acceptable trees to be planted. He educated me on the various aspects of the trees on the list so that when I do decide to replant, I will be able to make an informed decision. So, I now have peace. The affair with the Laurels is over. I am out of danger. With the next high winds there will be no percussion beating on my roof. I might now be able to have green grass and flowers. I might be able to have a driveway that is no longer an obstacle course that has to be navigated in order to get to the street! I have heard horror tales from others who report that some crews are hired off the street for a job and might not be the most sober. I have heard of people hiring anyone for pruning of these grand trees (and others on the property) and owners experiencing some damage to property. Trees that are not properly cared for by the experts can be hazardous even if they are not diseased. Caring for trees is a science; it is an art. It requires great skill. It is not worth saving a few dollars with a no-name or inexperienced service without certified arborists. I know that anyone who hires Independent Tree Service will not be disappointed. Oh, and in keeping with the green and recycling, the mulch is left behind, lots of mulch. Lots and lots of mulch. Mulch anyone? And to Joyce Kilmer, I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree ? when viewed from above in the bucket about 65 feet up in the air of the treetops below and the treetops across the city of Tampa. The treetops below and the treetops across the city of Tampa are indeed lovely. UPDATE: Another tree that had been assessed at the time of the original estimate was showing signs of death. This tree was removed in May 2011. And again, Jerry's crew did not disappoint. The crew once again did excellent work.

Everything went great from start to finish! Jerry Upcavage, the owner is a certified arborist and checked the health of all of our trees. One large tree, that we were afraid would have to be removed, turned out to be o.k. and all the others were fine. He identified the three types of oaks in our yard and described the characteristics of each type to me. Jerry and his crew arrived on time. Jerry introduced me to everyone on the crew and then we all walked the yard and reviewed what was to be done to every tree. The crew set to work immediately. I learned that all on this crew have been with the company five or more years. Apparently Independent Tree Service does not have a high turnover. Crew members were all clean, pleasant and well-trained in proper trimming to maintain tree health. The job took approximately 4 hours and the yard, roof, driveway and sidewalks were all raked or blown clean. The year looked a lot better than it did before they came. Absolutely no damage to anything! Jerry called me the next day to assure I was satisfied with the work. My husband and I could not have been more pleased with the job. Great well-run company.

Jerry Upcavage, President of Independent Tree Service, Inc. came out the day after I called. He gave me a quote and answered all my questions. Once I got my permit, four workers came and did a great job. The stump removal was done by a sub contractor a few days later. All workers were prompt, professional and courteous.

Have used this company for over ten years and have always been pleased with their expertise and professionalism.

From first contact with the President, Jerry, he answered all my questions, returned my calls promptly, and the crew arrived on time about 5 days after my initial call. They introduced themselves, asked what I was looking to have done (they already had the work order, but wanted to know if there was anything special). They then talked to Jerry to get any specific instructions from our conversations, and they started. There were 3 people on the crew and they finished the job to our satisfaction in less than 3 hrs. I would recommend this service again....

Got estimate from Jerry and his pricing was very competitive versus other estimates (he handled permitting). Work scheduled, and crew arrived as expected. The large tree gradually disappeared as the crew removed branches and limbs, avoiding any damage to the roof that extended under half the tree area. All area cleaned up and materials hauled away that day. The stump removal was a sub-contractor, hired by Independent Tree Svc. The rain had softened the lawn area and the heavy stump grinder caused some serious ruts in the lawn (I was not there for the grinding). (maybe it's not feasible, but you'd think when the lawn is known to be soft with rain, that some support boarding or something could be used to help prevent some of the ruts? ... maybe not ...). Anyway the stump was removed, and I had been told up front that the pricing did not include removing the ground-up wood chips - so that was okay. Overall I was very pleased with the tree work and pricing. Just wish the stump grinding had had a little less impact. Jerry is a great guy to work with.

I verbally told them what to do and they did it to perfection.

From my first contact with the owner, Jerry, he was clear about how the job could be done (from my explanation of the difficulties), and he was prompt in coming to my home. Unfortunately I had a medical procedure done just before Jerry was to come out, and I couldn't walk to the door when he arrived. He called me on his cell from my yard, and explained the process to me on the phone as he walked through my yard. He took time to make sure I understood, and said he would leave a written estimate, which he did. I spoke to Jerry the next day and told him I wanted him to do the job. I was concerned about a fence portion that would need to be replaced, but I had not yet made arrangements for it to be done as soon as the tree job was done, and the yard could not be left open as I have a dog. Jerry was kind and understanding, and told me not to worry; that he would have one of his crew build a temporary fence until I could have the new fence installed. We arranged a day for the tree work to be done, and I had to go back to work the same day. When I returned home that evening, it was too dark to see the yard, so it was the next morning before I could see the work. As I walked around the yard, I was totally shocked....other than some trees being gone and others being trimmed, there was no sign that any heavy work had been done on my property. There were no big tire tracks (some of the trees removed were very big), there was no debris whatsoever, anywhere. The temporary fence segment was done neatly and with no gaps at all. It was obvious that much care had been taken to ensure my dog would not be able to get out of the yard (really, this was my biggest concern as this dog is the love of my life).The entire job was so well done that I could not tell anyone had spent the day doing heavy tree work while I was at work. It seemed as if gremlins had come down from the sky to do the work, and then left with no signs they were there! I never saw Jerry or his crew during this entire process. All arrangements were made over the phone, and Jerry and his crew went above and beyond all expectations from beginning to end in all aspects of this job. This was not the first time I had used Independent Tree Service, but it had been many years since I had some trees trimmed by them. I was pleased with their service then; this time I was astounded! Without hesitation, I would use them again and would recommend them to anyone in need of tree service. This company is really a model for just what excellent customer service means.

Excellent experience from the estimate through the performance of the work.

The guy said the chance of getting a live oak taking down and the county to replaced it was not good, but we found out the a root of the tree was under my driveway. The guy and the county inspector new each other, and later on the worker would not call me back. The county guy might have scared him off, but he also told me that he couldn't see where the problem was. He was also going to make me pay for a permit that I said I would initially get. His price was so ridiculous and I would not recommend him.

Jerry showed up to provide a free estimate, and was as personable as he was knowledgeable. He sold himself and his services easily, and we agreed to the work. His crew showed up on time and did a fantastic job. Jerry came out again to go over things and to make sure I was satisfied. He's been doing this for many years, and it shows. Absolutely exemplary, and I couldn't be more pleased. I'll hire Independent Tree Service again, without hesitation.

Jerry, the president, was responsive and punctual from the beginning to the end. I have two large Oak trees in my front yard, and several on the side and back. All of them needed trimmed and cleaned up. The trees look great and I was, and still am very pleased with the outcome and someone that actually shows up when they say they are going to. Great job on the clean up. They even took away existing yard debris that had accumulated beneath a coupel of the lage oaks on the side and back. Additionally, I had one tree removed and the stump grinded down.

Jerry returned my call within minutes, and came the next morning to give an estimate. On the scheduled day, the crew arrived at 8:30am, and worked steadily until 11:00. They were careful moving the truck into the yard, and did an exceptional job trimming the trees. They did an equally outstanding job cleaning up, leaving no trace of tree work being done. From past experience with the tree service companies, I was a bit apprehensive, not knowing what to expect, but I have to say I was totally blown away. These are skilled professionals who know trees, and take their work seriously. I would recommend them to anyone in an instant.