Frequently Asked Questions
Company, Credentials, and Hiring
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An arborist is a trained tree care professional who specializes in the health, safety, maintenance, and management of trees. Unlike landscapers, or gardeners, arborists are specifically trained to understand tree biology, proper pruning, disease and pest issues, structural concerns, and safe tree removal.
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At many tree companies, the certified arborist writes your estimate and never comes back. Here, a certified arborist leads every crew and is in your yard making the decisions while the work happens. If a cut needs judgment, the expert is right there to make it.
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Yes. The Bay Area Arborist Cooperative is licensed with the CSLB, state License #707545. Each of our members are individually licensed c-49 Tree and Palm contractors in the state of California.
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Yes. The Bay Area Arborist Cooperative is a proud, accredited member of the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA).
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We provide tree services across much of the San Francisco Bay Area, but not all of it. As we are located in San Francisco, we primarily serve southern Marin County, western portions of Contra Costa & Alameda counties, San Francisco, and most of San Mateo County.
In you are unsure if we serve your area, feel free to ask.
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Yes! If you previously had work done by our co-op and would like to be reconnected with the same crew, let us know and we’ll make it happen!
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Some work is pretty straightforward but it is always better for someone to be present during the estimate in order to go over details about the work and talk about expectations.
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Generally, our arborists communicate all-in cost for a job which includes cleaning, collecting, and hauling away the debris. You may try work out another arrangement with your crew before, or during the service if you would like such as keeping cut logs, branches, etc.
Estimates
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The only thing our service crews need is free access to the work area so if you can work that out, you do not need to be present for the work unless you want to be.
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If you have fragile items or valuables near the work site that could become damaged or break, it is a good idea to relocate them until after the work is finished. This includes car(s), patio furniture, pots and planters, artwork, toys, etc.
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It depends on what the options are, and ultimately the decision is up to you. A tradesman entrance through the garage or side of the building is preferred to avoid bringing debris through the interior as much as possible. The mot ideal situation is one where we’re not bringing anything through a house or building.
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If the only access is through the house or garage it will take more time and care to remove the debris. We recommend that you prepare a clear path through the area(s) to reduce the chance of an accident occurring.
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It’s always good to let the neighbors know what’s going on, especially when there will be people in trees with big tools cutting branches. It’s up to you, though. We will work either way.
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Our member crews utilize various safety techniques from building tables over flowerbeds with plywood and sawhorses to using tarps to catch falling debris over sensitive plants and bushes. A lot of the times, no one solution is perfect and improvisation is required.
If you have concerns about plants that may be in the work zone, please let your crew know about them if they haven’t already identified the risk.
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We clean it all, big or small. The goal is to leave the work site looking better than we found it.
if you would like to keep any of the debris, please let your crew know!
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Absolutely! If you would like to keep some of the debris, please let your crew know during the service. Freshly cut wood will need to sit for some time and dry before burning.