Arborist services in Ottawa

Tree assessments

An assessment is worth it when a large tree stands near a house, a neighbour’s property or the sidewalk, or when you notice fungus, discoloured leaves or dead branches. A tree can look fine and still have problems that get worse if nobody deals with them. An arborist looks for those while they are small, so the tree can be pruned and kept instead of taken down.

Pruning

For most Ottawa trees, late winter or early spring, before the leaves open, is the safest window for pruning and trimming. Oaks and elms are often better in late fall, and apple, crabapple, cherry and plum are usually trimmed in spring. The work is deadwood and storm-damaged limbs, crown thinning for light and air, crown raising over drives and walks, crown reduction to shorten the spread, and clearance from the house. Crown reduction cuts a limb back to a lower growth point. We do not top trees: topping leaves stubs, weak sprouts and wounds that are hard to close.

Removal

Tree removal is the right call when a tree is dead or dying, storm-damaged, leaning toward a roof or wires, lifting a driveway or sidewalk, crowded by other trees, or planted in the wrong spot. Pests, including emerald ash borer on ash, are another reason, and so are construction plans. If pruning or a crown reduction can solve the problem, we say so before anyone cuts the tree down. Where there is room, the tree can be felled in a planned direction. On a tight lot it comes down in sections. Brush is chipped, and stump grinding is optional unless you ask for it in the same quote.

Tree Information Reports

In Ottawa’s urban area, a private tree 30 cm or more across, measured 1.3 m up the trunk, on a lot of one hectare or less usually needs a City permit before it comes down. The application is a Tree Information Report written by an arborist. You also need one to remove a City-owned tree, and for infill development. Pruning that keeps the tree healthy does not need a permit. What goes in a short report or a full report, and when a dead tree can be exempt, is on our arborist reports page. The step-by-step rules are on our City of Ottawa tree removal permit page.

Where we work

We serve Ottawa, Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Orléans, Stittsville, Gloucester, Manotick, Greely, Riverside South, and nearby communities. The same crews do sectional dismantling and crane-assisted cuts when the drop zone needs it.

How a visit starts

It starts with an on-site look and a free written quote. We explain the options before any work starts: prune, remove, write the report, or leave the tree alone. Phone 613-627-2017 or email info@treekingottawa.ca, or use the contact form. More answers are on our tree service questions page.