MARCH 2017 UPDATE: Hate to do this, but Yellow Ribbon basically killed a once healthy tree. My original review is below, and my concerns about how they treated our ornamental cherry were validated. After they 'halved and rounded' the tree, it has not blossomed in the 3 seasons since (the work was done two years ago, but 2015, '16, and '17 blossoms have not shown), 2 branches (one being a main branch off the trunk) are completely dead, and the tree has since been afflicted with disease/infection (mushrooms sprouting from the tree spike holes, splitting bark {indicative of disease}, and decay/rot on some of the cut ends of branches). In short, the tree is dying and we have hired another company to cut it down before it completely dies. I have no doubt that the poor quality of work (going against recommended industry practices and standards of quality) had to do with the death of the tree. Again, the tree was vibrant and healthy prior to the work performed by Yellow Ribbon (even after previous pruning/shaping by an arborist a few years prior). Very disappointed, and just can't recommend Yellow Ribbon's work to anyone. ORIGINAL REVIEW Called Yellow Ribbon to get a quote, and they sent John (their GM) out for the estimate a few days later. We walked the yard a bit, and I told him what I wanted done. He was receptive, but more insistent on doing things his way than what I was asking for though. For example, I asked about trimming our Dogwood back from the house, and he recommended taking out the entire trunk that was closest to the house. He also suggested taking off a lot more of the Ornamental Cherry than just pruning, trimming, and minor shaping (his definition was halving and rounding). With him being the expert about it, I said OK to his suggestions. After going over everything, he gave me the figure and gave me a bit of the hard sell (OK, I'll drop it down to X. Will you schedule/sign today?). Between the time he gave me the original quote to the time he left, the price dropped almost $200. I still told him I'd need to consider it a bit more. So, he thanked me and left at the point. The estimate was itemized, which I really appreciated, since the other estimates we received seemed to just be figures pulled out of thin air. Later that day, I called the YRTE office to ask them a few questions (proof of liability/workers comp insurance, general job questions, etc). I was told the proof would be sent by 6pm that evening (Friday). It wasn't, but turns out they sent it to the wrong email address. I did eventually get it though, so not a huge deal there. After speaking to the office, I called back John and asked him if he could come down on the estimate at all. They were the last quote we received, and were the most expensive of them all. I told him I know some of that expense was for the workers comp insurance (which the other companies did not have) which was why I didn't ask him to match the lower quotes, but their price was still very high. So, he came down another $50. I thanked him, and faxed them back the estimate/work order contract the next morning. John and the crew (5 person) were on time for the scheduled day and got all the work done within a couple of hours. Most of the job was completed to what we discussed and met expectations. I was please with most of the work that they did. I was also very pleased at the clean-up as well, as they were very diligent in making sure the yard looked as it did when they arrived. However, there were a few items I was disappointed with: - A large branch (6 inch diameter, at least 7 feet long) of the ornamental cherry was hanging about 4 feet over the garage (one of the reasons I wanted it removed). When they cut said branch, they didn't support it or tie it off correctly and dropped it right on the garage roof and gutter (shook the house when they did). The roof APPEARS to be fine, but the gutter was bent out of shape. John did bend it back into form, but I was not pleased at all with the lack of proper trimming of this precarious branch. John tried to make it right, but it should not have happened in the first place. - ISA and TCIA* (of which Yellow Tree claims they have membership in both) advise against the use of tree spikes on any living tree not being removed (rope supports and climbs should be used instead). However, tree spikes were used on our ornamental cherry, leaving quite a few large gouges in the tree trunk that I noticed upon close inspection. It's very damaging to the tree (leaves the tree exposed to rot, bugs, and disease), and I just hope the cherry rebounds properly. Further about the ISA and TCIA certifications YRTE claims (their website shows both seals at the bottom), I did find that Gary Robertson, the owner, is ISA certified (listed as an Alabama certification though). However, he didn't visit my property once. So, not sure if any ISA certified arborist set foot on my property at all. As for TCIA, I couldn't find that the company actually has TCIA membership or accreditation as their website claims. A search on the TCIA site didn't turn up results for Yellow Ribbon Tree Experts or Gary Robertson. Even searching just by state didn't turn them up. It could be that they just aren't listed for some reason as well. Again, YRTE did a pretty good job for the most part, but the work done on and surrounding one tree in the yard was not up to expectations. Not much can be done about it though, and part of that is on me. I wish I would have asked more questions during the process, and explained my expectations a bit better. However, I also wish John would have touched base with me BEFORE the work started as well, just to make sure we were all still on the same page. Overall, I'm happy with the work, but weary of how some of it was completed.