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City Trees and Their Care

The city's Forestry Division is responsible for pruning our street trees, and property owners are not permitted to prune street trees without written permission from the City. Street trees are all those within ten feet of the curb. Answers to questions about street trees can be found at treet_Tree_FAQ.pdf or by emailing parks @ mountainview.gov or calling (650) 903-6273.

Marilyn (May 2015)

 

Villa Tree Service

Aka Villanueva Gonzalez Tree Service 

Phone (650) 670 0787, [email protected].

 Villa is fully licensed, insured etc. 

02/2020 (since ~1994!)

I'd like to give heartfelt recommendations for Villa Gonzalez (pronounce "Vee-yah") and his crew, of Villa Tree Service. 
Phone (650) 670 0787, [email protected]. Please let him know I sent you.

Feb 2020

Yet again, a great job. Villa came by to work on our heavily overgrown, and very large, Podocarpus tree. This is technically a 'City' tree but they did not do much trimming, and PG&E just hacks up the tree. So we spent the (very reasonable) money and the results are excellent. Expert work, quiet, our garden unscathed, and cleaned up completely. And, it's a happy crew, which I think tells volumes about how they work together. 

Wouter on Aldean

Nov 2010, with further work in 2014, and 2016

Villa does: 
- Thinning 
- Shaping 
- Pruning 
- Palm Trees 
- Safe removal 
- Stump grinding

Our story: 
We needed some major tree work done, including trimming our 70ft redwood tree, big work on another 70 footer, and grinding of the leftover stumps of a couple of trees that were removed many years ago. Because of Villa, this was a straightforward process; he is softly spoken, explains what makes sense, and is very sensitive to special requirements.

The bidding process was straightforward: Villa promptly returned my call, came to look at the work, and quoted a very fair price on the spot. A written quotation, sufficient if basic, followed; scheduling was straightforward too. Villa is fully insured, important with tree work where people may get hurt; he's been in business over 16 years now.

Villa does the work himself, with a helper; They come in a clean, small truck with a chipper at about 8:30am and work until 4pm or so. This was a three day job; at the end of every day, they cleaned the yard and pavement better than any garden crew we've seen. No radio, no shouting or singing, just very hard work. All debris and wood was removed neatly.

What I liked about his work is that unlike some of the ATT crews who roar their equipment all day, he trims with a handsaw where appropriate, and only runs a chainsaw (relatively quietly, not at full bore) when required. They then stack all the materials in front of the chipper, and quickly run it all through, so the chipper only runs for the minimum time necessary.

Villa has been trimming trees for my wife's family since 1994 and before; the trees he has trimmed have all done great (results of tree trimming may not be obvious for a few years!). It's a small business, just him and one or two helpers. As a result, all his equipment is clean and gets treated well, a reflection of the attention he pays to his work. He told me that he eventually managed to save up for his own stump grinder, which came in on the last day; no subcontractors here.

If you have tree work of any size, give Villa a call; you won't be disappointed.

Wouter on Aldean*****

I second Wouter's recommendation of Villa Tree Service. It was a very timely posting, as we will be upgrading our electrical box and our main power line was threaded precariously through our orange tree.

I contacted Villa and within a day he came out and gave me a (very reasonable) quote. He came out on Monday, the day and time he said he would do the work and got right to it. A major limb needed to be removed because it was causing a good deal of the trouble, but he took great care to balance the rest of the tree so the canopy was healthy and even. He and his crew cleaned up every bit of debris... I am very pleased.

And now the electrician can get started on Friday! Thanks to another neighbor for that recommendation.

Leane on Dell, Dec 2010

After reading the recommendations here, we called Villa for an estimate to trim a large privet, cut back our neighbors' trees to the fence line, remove an old and sick pyracantha, and seriously cut back an un-named bush that was taking over the front yard. He came the next day and gave us a very reasonable estimate for this work. He and his assistant completed the work in one day, were very careful with our deck and landscape lighting, and did a great job cleaning up. Villa did a careful job trimming the privet which had been badly treated by PG&E-hired tree trimmers in the past. The tree looks better than it has in years.

Villa did great work for us! I'm glad I checked the Wiki.

Donna on Thaddeus Drive, October 2012

After reading the recommendations here, I called Villa and another company to get an estimate on some long needed tree trimming. Villa's estimate was much lower than the other estimates. He obviously knows a lot about trees, and did a great job.

Ella on Jane Lane, March, 2013

I agree 100% with everyone's comments about Villa Tree Service. Don't waste your time trying to look for a better deal. If you need tree service, call Villa Gonzales. You won't be disappointed.

Maria on Thaddeus, May 2014

 

The Tree Team

We just had our trees thinned, trimmed and shaped by the Tree Team. I cannot recommend them enough. With 2 mulberries, an ash, a pepper, a loquat and a privet all on one lot, the project was massive. 
We had several bids but Jim Lewis’ knowledge and recommendations made the difference in the decision. He is a certified arborist and his crew has been with the company a long time. The crew was prompt and courteous and knew what they are doing. 
The trees looks so much better; sunlight is now coming through the branches yet we still have shade. And no more worries about the pepper or ash being too top heavy in high winds.

The Tree Team 
Jim Lewis 
408-691-3696 – c 
[email protected] 
www.treeteaminc.com

Heidi 
Victory Ave (June 2012)

 

ArborWorks

I found ArborWorks through the Diamond-Certified Directory. ArborWorks received the highest ratings for satisfied customers, repeat business, quality work, reasonable prices, etc. Don is a certified arborist with decades of experience. His company is licensed and insured. Don returned my call very quickly and came over to give me a free estimate. He was on-site when his crew pruned our trees. They did a thorough and careful job and cleaned up and carted away all debris. He advised me that our large Modesto Ash was rotten and showed me the evidence. We had his crew remove the ash. The price included stump removal and, again, they carted away all the debris. Don is a soft-spoken, knowledgeable professional, who was very easy to do business with. After the trees had been pruned, I noticed one area where I thought more pruning needed to be done. Don brought the crew back within a few days to complete the job to my satisfaction. I would highly recommend ArborWorks for any tree care that you have.

Don McIntyre, Certified Arborist 
925-260-6740 cell 
www.arborworksinc.com 
866-936-8733 toll free

(Posted by Carolyn on Diablo, November 2010) Update: I can no longer recommend ArborWorks as I had tried several years later (2013?) to arrange a consultation on a different tree and Don made an appointment and then cancelled. I had a similar experience as Heidi on Victory did.

I attempted to have Don give an estimate but he was either running too late for our appt. or he cancelled. After the 4th time, I did not reschedule.

(Heidi, Victory - June 2012)

Johnson's Tree Service

Yesterday, Johnson's Tree Service removed a large cypress tree that had started to crack the foundation of our garage. The tree was at least 50 ft tall and was close to our garage, our fence, and other trees and plants.

They did an absolutely fantastic job. The crew were personable and courteous, fast and efficient. Most importantly, they were fastidious in how the protected our other plants and trees and how clean they left everything when they were done.

I would use them again in an instant and would whole heartedly recommend them to you. Their quote was fair and their work professional. Jim even coached us through the permitting process.

We couldn't have hoped for better service.

Here's the contact information:

Jim Brown 
Estimator 
Johnson't Tree Service 
650-966-8733 
Fully licensed and insured

Gregory & Eliana 
on Lida 
July 23, 2011

I called 4 tree services recommended on this Wiki and Jim Brown from Johnson's Tree Service called me back. He did an estimate in the morning for pruning my fruit trees and the work was done in the afternoon! Two out of the three trees are very tall and needed special pruning and trimming. Jim's crew topped them down and shared with me how to properly take care of the trees moving forward. The service is professional, fast and cost efficient. Thanks Debbie for the recommendation and I HIGHLY recommend this company for all kinds of tree services.

Jim Brown 
Johnson's Tree Service 
916-289-8818 (c) 
408-390-8733 (o)

Chance and Coby on Anna

Neighbors,

I'm getting back to you regarding our tree removal yesterday. i HIGHLY recommend the company we went with. They were prompt, professional, courteous, didn't damage any existing vegetation and were done in about 6 hrs. The sales person, John, was friendly helpful and informative. I received a quote at 7pm on Thurs and they were out at 8:00am on Friday. The work they did involved the removal of four large monterey pines that were destroyed by a beetle (mountain pine beetle i think). They had to work around power lines and a transformer very near the trees, and provided all the necessary insurance information we required. I don't know how well they prune, but i can recommend them for removal.

btw! i reviewed our four quotes from last year for the same exact job and all the quotes for: 
removal, stump grinding AND all wood removal was between $2700-$3500 and Johnson did it for $1500. you do the math.

i am very pleased - here is their info:

Johnson's Tree Service, LLC 
606 Moorpark Way 
Mountain View, CA 94041 
408-390-8733 
CA LIC# 757820

John or Robert are the estimators/quoters...

good luck, 
debbie on palmer. 
posted 7-23-09

I would recommend Johnson't for tree removal, but NOT tree trimming. They did an excellent job removing several trees, grinding stumps, and working with me to determine which trees weren't worth saving. They did a great job cleaning up and were well priced. AS for the tree trimming, I do not feel that they were very good arborists. They didn't do a good job shaping the trees. I felt like they just cut the tree back from the house or power lines w/o truly caring for the overall shape. Several branches were just cut mid limb. They did come back and cut those limbs back when I said it didn't look good, but overall I was not happy with the shaping of tree.

Tonya B 
Mardell Way 
posted June 2010

Inda's Tree Service — tree trimming/removal, stump removal, yard cleanup, landscaping

408-832-0347

Ramon Inda and his crew were summoned by the property manager of the house next door to me to trim a tree that has been growing there since before the 1950's. The tree hadn't been trimmed in at least 20 years and was growing a lane and a half out over Central Expressway, with lots of utility wires running through the branches. Additionally, it had grown enough in a year that it was shading my solar panels. In one day Inda's crew did a mammoth job of tree trimming and got most of the cleanup done; they came back the next day to finish cleanup and did a wonderful job. I'd hire them in a heartbeat.

Herb Kringle, "the Mountain Man" Specialist tree removal

650-747-0574

Herb is based in La Honda, and is known as 'the Mountain Man'. He specializes in removing difficult, large trees, and has a reputation for bringing complicated trees down with high precision. 
Mountain Man Tree 
PO Box 392, La Honda CA

Mark Modena, sawyer

650-747-9596 
Mark is a sawyer, not an arborist. He can collect your hardwood trees if they have been dropped properly, in one piece (see Mountain Man above). He will then saw the wood, and you can buy lumber from him. Many of our big yard trees are valuable hardwood!

John Ari Stepp

Update August 2010: John Ari has retired. I have removed his phone number so he can enjoy his retirement. Wouter on Aldean.

John is a wonderful arborist. He did an absolutely spectacular job on our big Shamel Ash last year. 
Seconded — he does top notch, "zen" work. He's also a Monta Loma resident.

Vian Tree Service

650-322-7414

I found him reliable and reasonably priced. And he really seems to care getting the plants to look right.

Mike Boyd's Tree Service

<http://boydstreeservice.com/>

We have used Mike Boyd's Tree Service for many years and have been very satisfied with them. 
Rashida (Ruth Ave.)

Lane Kilpatric Tree Care

650 - 941-0240

He really seems to care about trees. He is licensed and the work he did for me was fine.

Vera on Jane Lane

I have recommended Lane in the past but would not do so again for several reasons. I had him quote to take out the dead wood from two trees, as well as cutting down to the trunks two privet trees. His price was good but I didn't realize he wasn't telling me the full extent of the work that needed doing. After he started the work he said it would cost another $225 to take out the dead wood higher up the tree. Perhaps it is my fault but I didn't realize he hadn't quoted for all that needed doing. He knew he was quoting against someone else and came in with a cheaper price. Also, I asked him to cut back more the trunks more on the privets, but he said that would cost more because I changed my mind about the height. His chainsaw was close-by and his team had not cleared up, so it would have taken a few minutes. I was very disappointed with his attitude. The clean up was less than I hoped for as well.

Hether on Mardell Aug '09

Good Neighbor Tree Service

650-465-3865.

2/09 Paul trimed trees for me. He did good work and I would recommend him. 
-Larry Myers, Diablo

A friend of mine, Paul Adrian does this. He has his own company, Good Neighbor Tree service. My neighbor and I used him to take out a couple of trees and were very happy.

mike

9/11 We had Paul trim three large trees around our house. Not only did he do an excellent job of shaping the trees, he was polite, very punctual, and had helpful answers to all my questions. Also, he and his team cleaned up perfectly after the job. I highly recommend him.

-Doug Scott, Whitney

I was happy with Paul's work and price.

-Vince Leone

Beck's Property Service

408-452-1143

Carolyn is a certified arborist and extremely knowledgable. She loves to share her wisdom and cares about trees. We used them for a palm tree removal and also for pruning and were very happy. (posted June 2008)

Tee

Great for tree trimming and cleanup. He also does demolition work and concrete work. He fast, strong, good attitude. 650-426-8528

Bob 
Diablo Ave