Please note: this page contains reviews and opinions sent in by Berkeley Parents Net subscribers. Your own experience may be different. Please always check references before hiring!

• Arborist/Tree Trimmer Recommendations
• City of Berkeley Tree Planting Program
• Green figs, not purple
• Birch Tree Shedding Seeds EVERYWHERE
• Spraying Oak Trees
• Tree Removal
• Trees & Neighbors

Consulting arborist

Can anyone recommend a consulting arborist? I need to have my trees evaluated for safety and health, but I would like someone who can also give advice about how my trees fit into my garden. What care do they need, recommendations for possible replacement trees, view and privacy issues,etc. Thanks so much! Myra

I recently had a tree removed and feel so darn lucky I've found a great arborist/tree person -- Peter Rudy of Big Chief Tree Service. (510-528-3588) I've hired him exclusively since 1997. His crew is really great, professional, fast and conscientious. I can't recommend him highly enough. Rachel

Based on a previous review by a fellow Network member, we hired Gray Shaw to prun our plum trees and various other trees. He's been great and very reasonable. However, he seems to be very busy so call him well in advance of when you want the work done. His number is 848-6752. joe

I just wanted to update the recommendation for Lara's Tree Service. I just used the service and after contacting Horatio as recommended here, got an exact quote and a quick response from his team. They trimmed two of our large trees and hauled away all of the debris. They were kind, respectful of our property and good at what they do. Adrianne

We live in the Oakland hills on a biggish lot with a lot of eucalyptus. We're looking to do a lot of work ourselves in reducing our fire burden and switching to native pants, but also recognize that we can't take some of the bigger trees out on our own. Since we know we'll have lots of work in the future, we decided to try out two companies.

The first is Roman's Tree service. We worked with Nelzon (510-781-9831 w. 408 -930-2719 c.). They gave us a very good rate on removing three large eucs, and cutting branches to firewood lengths, $1000 -- we did the hauling and clean up ourselves (since we've found that it's cheaper to get one company to do the cutting and another to do the hauling or to bundle and haul ourselves). Nelzon was professional and courteous, and returned all phone calls quickly. He seemed eager to obtain and keep our business which is better than I can say for some of the larger companies which are recommended through the parents list.

Eric from Maxwell Tree Service (510-339-3879) was also a pleasure to work with. He walked around our property and told us what work we could do ourselves, what work we could defer until later, and what work should be done in the near term. He also recommended a small number of tools he thought we might find useful (and he's proved to be correct). Eric took out a large locus tree that was leaning towards our neighbors house. We cleaned up outselves, which was easy since Eric had piled the debris exactly as we had asked him to. Eric is a Montclair resident himself, and really seems to care about the well being of the neighborhood in addition to running his business.

We recommend both Maxwell Tree Service and also Roman's Tree service for excellent rates and service. Merrilee

I have used Matt Horn Landscaping and Treecare on several jobs. He has done outstanding work, especially on difficult trimming or removing of trees. His aesthetics made my wife and I very happy and his ability to remove a large cedar over my redwood deck without a scratch was impressive. His bid was firm and he stuck to it. I really can't say enough about him except that he's a pleasure to work with as well. They arrive on time and clean everything up. Ask for Matt, 510-658-6088 tom

Horacio from Lara's Tree Service is awesome! These guys came out gave us a GREAT price! did better work than I had expected, cleaned up all the mess they made and then some! And did it in NO time at all! If you are looking for quality work, great prices and someone who knows trees call Horacio at 510/729-8040. They are the BEST!!! brandi

We used M & M Tree Service of Richmond. They're certified arborists and were the most reasonable of the 3 bids received. They were very efficient and we're happy with the work they did--a 30% crown reduction on a huge walnut in our backyard. They're in the yellow pages. lw

Just sharing a recommendation for Lara's Tree Service. They just did a lot of work for us - trimming, removing, hauling - and did an excellent job. They were very thorough, clean, and took the time necessary to do a good job. Ask for Horacio - 510-729-8040. Carolyn

The Forestree Company is an excellent longterm Berkeley resource. It is composed of graduates from the UC School of Forestry (on the Berkeley campus). The partners are certified arborists. Call 526-TREE (8733) Bruce

Try Forestree Company in Berkeley at 526-8733. The owners are UC Forestry grads (and old college friends of mine), and are reputed to be fair and skilled. I've never had any trees big or interesting enough to try them out! Helen

City of Berkeley Tree Planting Program

Our neighborhood in N. Berkeley is in the process of using the tree planting program to replace several trees lost in the 80's drought. If you are a Berkeley resident who took advantage of this program, I would be interested to learn which tree species you chose and the plusus and minuese of that choice. Would you choose the same species again? If not, why not? There are so many to chose from, and although I have gotten the list of trees as well as read up on them, it is difficult to decide what will work best. I would welcome any feedback! sarah

Green figs, not purple

Does anyone know where I can buy a green fig tree? (We don't like the purple ones as much.) Thanks! Figless-on-CurtisSt

Birch Tree Shedding Seeds EVERYWHERE

We are having a problem with our birch trees shedding small, brown, paper-like seeds EVERYWHERE. These little things are invading our house. We recently had work done to our home and I am wondering if there was damage to the trees during this process as I don't remember this ever being a problem prior to the work. I am not sure exactly what type of birch trees they are and have looked on the internet but didn't find an absolute answer. Any information would be greatly appreciated. I am absolutely fed up with having these things take over the exterior and interior of our home. looking for a solution!

By next year's 'seeding season' you should have some evidence as to whether it is either dying or recovering by whether the heavy production is still occuring.

This is an educated guess from a horticulturist! Get an opinion from a licensed and experienced arborist as to the tree's health. I would recommend calling Brende and Lamb for this sort of thing (510-486-8733). They are good at evaluation whereas many tree companies are really only good for basic pruning and removal. Unless you want to just go ahead and take it out? There are tree companies for this purpose in the archives. Cecelia

Spraying Oak Trees

We received a flyer in the mail from Gring Pest Control asking if we wanted our Oak Tree sprayed to prevent sudden oak death from ''Spring Oak Catepillars.'' We're wondering if anyone has any experience dealing with Gring and if they do this Oak spraying on a yearly basis. Any advice is helpful, as we have a large oak in our backyard that we'd love to keep, but don't know anything about this particular service. Thank you

First off, there are many different Oak species and only some have gotten Sudden Oak Death (the Tanbark Oak), -and- this disease isn't a problem in the east bay (yet).

You don't need to spray your tree if it isn't sick, and the one and only spray that has been approved in treating sudden oak death isn't the one that this company sprays. Your best bet is to call the Alameda County Master Gardener volunteers for more information! 510-670-2200

The most important thing is that there is no reason to spray and treat a healthy tree. Especially with a chemical that is not approved by the International Society of Arborists (ISA). - Candace

Oak Moths cause damage to Oak leaves for a fairly brief period in the Spring when the larvae (caterpillars) are voraciously feeding (the adult moths do not cause any damage). If less than about 1/4 of the leaves are affected and the tree is otherwise in good health, don't worry about it- the tree can handle that. But if the damage is extensive, &/or the tree is not in great shape to begin with, action is recommended. (If the tree's not in great shape, get a consultation from an experienced certified arborist to determine the larger problem).

There is a very effective biological control for Oak Moth larvae called BT- lethal for them, innocuous to us and other critters. But it is only effective if it is sprayed on the larvae when they are actively feeding, so you must watch your tree closely for their appearance, and then spray right away. A spray too early or too late does no good.

I use Vern McQueen for landscape spraying, 841-2782. He has a Pest Control License, is reasonable, and is a very nice fellow. Cecelia