Fine Tree Care

We have never had to hire a tree trimming service. New to the area, our property was somewhat overdue for a proper tree management plan. We contacted several local companies, and were not very impressed. Until we received a call back from Jeff, the owner of Fine Tree Care, in Sebastopol. He personally met us at our home, and educated us on their business practices and environmental management objectives. Since my wife and I were at odds with what we wanted to achieve on our property, Jeff actually guided us on what was needed to accomplish what we both desired. Jeff really went above and beyond by meeting us several times for hours, explaining the process he recommended for our properties tree management plan. He even toured us through a larger project that his company recently completed nearby to show the different types of tree management techniques that were used. Despite the severe rainy weather conditions during the week of our project, Jeff’s team was properly prepared to handle it all. Every morning consisted of a full team briefing, and a thorough walk through. All of the staff displayed excellent knowledge and skill, evidence of Jeff’s hiring practices and his training methods. Large commercial equipment were used in areas to mitigate the impacts of possible damage to the surrounding environment and our home/garage structures. Following the multi-day project, it was evident that they took extra care to keep our property looking as though they had not recently been there. This was all accomplished only several days before the Christmas holiday, with us having to prepare for visitors staying at our home. Our property is now much improved in all areas that we set out to accomplish. Keep in mind, that this was not a “slash and dash” style of tree trimming. Fine tree Care truly are professionals in providing proper tree management services, using arborist methods, and valuing the surrounding natural landscape. On top of all that, our proposal bid came in slightly higher at completion of the project. However, Jeff’s office staff assured me that our financial responsibility was only the bid, not any overages that may have occurred. This is somewhat remarkable of any business these days. We now have a future property plan with Fine Tree Care to properly manage and maintain our surrounding forest with nature in mind. We highly recommend Fine Tree Care for your property needs.

Our property is located in a redwood forest in Occidental, and requires ongoing attention to keep it safe and healthy. Jeff and his amazing, hard working crew have serviced our ~1.6 acres, a mix of young and old (and one extremely old growth tree), several times over the past decade that we’ve owned it. They were the first company we hired when we started catching up on what had been long-overdue canopy and undergrowth pruning, thinning and maintenance. We were simply gobsmacked by the equipment and manpower Jeff brought to our job (two bucket trucks, at least a dozen experienced crew members, an enormous chipper, and additional auxiliary trucks and tools, everything appearing well-maintained and of modern design) and the sheer amount of work completed - safely, efficiently, and exactly according to the agreed-upon plan we had discussed in the pre-work-day planning visit - on that first day. We were thrilled with the results - our structures and walkways were clean and tidy, with the forest appearing vibrant and healthy, aesthetics preserved, with the canopy lifted off the roof to keep structures safe but still nestling the property in a natural setting. We’ve never had reason to look for a different tree service company since that day, and we’ve continued to use Fine Tree Care to keep our trees healthy and our property safe. Jeff’s licensed (and would never do ANY work that is not permitted or is outside his licensed services), his knowledge of the redwood forests of West Sonoma County is deep, studied and sensitive to the broader ecosystem, and he truly cares about the health of these forests that we inhabit and that provide Jeff and his employees a livelihood. He never compromises on safety - I have listened to the safety briefing he holds with his crew at the beginning of every work day on our property and he clearly cares about not only our property and well-being but that of his employees. I recommend him to my neighbors without reservation.

I had Fine Tree Care on my property in Sebastopol last year for mostly trimming and cutting trees. I had one very old oak, in particular, that looked like it was dying for the last few years. I’m not sure what they did with this tree, but this summer it is back to its full glory.

We contacted Fine Tree Care to have tree trimming done on our 2 acres west of Santa Rosa. We have many, many trees on our land. Jeff, the owner, came over and he walked through our property with us. We pointed out work we wanted to have done. Not just trimming trees but chipping up tree debris that we had removed ourselves since last fall. We also requested that they cut up the remains of an old oak tree that PG&E removed because they believed it could be a problem if it fell on their power lines. Jeff listened to our requests and recommended some additional work that he identified as potential fire hazards, especially alongside the house. We agreed with all his suggestions, and he gave us a cost estimate within 24 hours. We scheduled the project which required 3 days which was perfectly understandable given the scope of the project. Eric, the foreman, spoke with us every day to make sure everything was well understood by both us and his team. Jeff came by on day 2 to see how things were going and make sure we were satisfied. The crew did a fine job. Everything that we signed up for was completed, and they did a great job of cleaning up after themselves. Jeff also mentioned that if our insurance company tried to cancel our policy, that we should contact him, and he would get in touch with them. We highly recommend them, and we will definitely contact them again the next time we need such services.

During our meeting, Jeff and I discussed what I wanted Jeff to do with my trees, which included some tree thinning as well as some upper crown tree reduction. I also wanted two branches to be cut, each about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Despite the high price, I decided to trust Jeff and his crew. On the scheduled day, Jeff's crew arrived promptly, and we went over what was on the contract. I explicitly pointed out the two branches (both 3 to 4 inches in diameter) that I wanted cut. I offered to stay outside with the crew to oversee their progress, however they reassured me that they had everything covered. Fully trusting in their ability, I went into my house to do a few chores. When I came out in about an hour, I couldn't believe my eyes. A huge branch about 7 to 9 inches in diameter was gone! My heart sank and I was in shock. I told the crew that they had cut the wrong branch, but they became defensive and started arguing. After calling Jeff's office and him coming to my house to assess the damage, he offered a discount, but the damage was already done. You cannot glue back half of a tree that used to be there. Now half of my tree is gone, and instead of having a nice shady area, the sun beats down in that spot every afternoon. Additionally, the agreed upon upper crown reduction work was never even started. I am terribly disappointed, and my tree has suffered irreparable damages due to the inattentive and irresponsible work of Jeff's crew. I want to warn any future customers to be extremely cautious when hiring this company.