Community Arborist, Inc.

He gave an estimate. We agreed on a time. Work was done on time and he explained what was done. Work actually came back a little less than estimated cost.

I had a large tree limb that was split at the trunk and was going to come down in fairly near future.  The limb hung over my garage and the main power lines.  Brian gave me an estimate of $450.  I told him I wanted to get another estimate and would let him know.  I got a second estimate which was higher because that company did not have access to a bucket.  I left a voicemail for Brian letting him know that I wanted to set up removal and to call me back to let me know when works.  I never heard back.  After about 5 days, I called DTE to see if they would do something about it.  They said they were responsible for clearing it from around the lines, which was quite a bit.  My neighbors friend said he would drop the rest of the limb to the ground, then myself and my neighbors would take care of debris removal since my neighbor wanted the wood.  Overall, a pretty cheap alternative.  Eight days after I had contacted Brian with no reply, DTE called me to let me know they were coming out that morning to clear the lines.  They told me they would cut the limb to the trunk and leave all of the debris.  This was perfect for me.  When I arrived home from work, Community Arborist was there removing debris.  I was initially confused.  Brian said that DTE had come and they did not cut limb back to the trunk and left the debris in back yard.  I cannot confirm what DTE did or didn't do as I never saw it until after Brian had been working for awhile.  I was confused why Brian was there and told him that I had thought he hadn't wanted the job and figured that was why he never called back.  He said this was the soonest he could get there and that the price was still $450.  I went inside for a bit, and went back out to explain why I was unhappy.  I told him it was poor business practice to not return someone's phone call and to not tell them that they are coming to do the work and that I had made other arrangements when I hadn't heard back from him.  He interrupted me repeatedly.  At one point I asked him to please stop interrupting me and let me say what I needed to say.  He told me to just say it then and get it over with.  He was rude and an overall complete jerk.  He blamed everything on me for not calling and cancelling work and took absolutely no responsibility for the misunderstanding.  He blatantly lied about my voicemail.  Ultimately, I ended up losing my temper and yelling at him (which is extremely rare for me and takes quite a bit to get me to that point), but his general poor attitude, rudeness, and lack of professionalism seriously ticked me off.  I am not happy that I stooped to his level though.  The fact that he did not reduce price at all for either the misunderstanding or the fact that DTE did part of the work spoke volumes to me regarding his integrity.  His price was fair for the original work (although I still am not sure how much DTE did) and they did a fantastic job of removal.  So in summary, Community Arborist does really great work and is well priced, but Brian lacks integrity, professionalism, and common sense (to let a client know they are coming).  So disappointed.  I really wanted to support a Ferndale business, but I will not use them again.

Good quote for services. Poor follow-up. Made appt. but did not show. Had to make a few phone calls to find out why.

Brian called me the day before as he told me he would do when he wrote the estimate. He was on time and both he and his associate were friendly and helpful with questions and suggestions. The work was done. The areas in front and back were raked and my trees and yard look great.

This was the second year in a row we had Brian out to spray the tree. We were plagued with these little pests for a few years until I found Brian on Angie's List. He is an extremely nice guy and he really knows his trees. I would have him out this spring, but we're moving to a condo next week and I have no need for arborist. If you do, call Brian. He's excellent. I am passing his name on to the person who bought our home.

I called Community Arborist, Inc. |This contractor quoted the price, performed the work, cleaned up with no problems.

they promptly answered my e-mail and gave me an estimate the same day. The work was done quickly . The area looks great. They cleaned up everything.

I consider us fortunate to have found the Community Arborist. Our three towering spruces have been maintained in such health that despite their age they withstood the fierce storms of last week that knocked down many limbs and trees in our neighborhood. He also saved a dogwood whose root system had been damaged by tunneling down to a broken pipe.
After a lawn company re-sodded our front lawn--a disastrous experience--Brian gave us the best advice, and we began using him for lawn maintenance as well. Now our neighbors remark on how much better the lawn looks since he began taking care of it.
Several things continue to impress me every time either Brian or his son Chris come to maintain our trees or lawn. First, they use safety equipment when using toxic chemicals, even in the blistering heat. I appreciate it because nothing I own is worth a worker losing his sight or ability to breathe to beautify it for me. They are completely cordial and professional. They have never tried to sell me a package of services that I didn't need. It is just the two of them, so while they are often very busy, they are worth waiting for, because you know what you are getting. I had a front lawn ruined by a famous and I believe largest lawn place, because whoever mixed the chemicals seared the lawn, and they would not fix it. Brian advised me to nuke the lawn, stop pouring good money after bad, and re-sod. He could have chosen to nurse that miserable lawn along, knowing it could not be fixed; instead, he advised me to purchase a service from someone else because he does not sod lawns. I call that integrity. Priceless.

I called Community Arborist around October 11, and he came out on the 15th to give us an estimate. I needed the dead wood trimmed out of the hackberry and the sweet gum and the lower branches of the spruce trimmed away from the garage. He gave me an estimate of $525, which was the final bill. Brian and his helper did a great job, working continuously for a few hours and cleaning up every stick. The trees look much nicer and we won't have to worry about branches landing on the roof during the winter weather. I'm having him out next spring to inject the hackberry to get rid of the aphids. Brian is very knowledgeable and he is a very pleasant person to deal with. I highly recommend him.

We are new homeowners and so we have never really had to deal with contractors of any kind before. Every time my husband or I spoke to Brian we got the impression that he was honest and knowledgeable. If I had any issues in the future, I would absolutely call him again. He is professional, affordable and while we are sad that a tree is gone we are very happy with the results(and that it didn't fall on the house).

The men were on time, efficient, cleaned up well and removed all the branches, leaves and walnuts. The result was aesthetically pleasing. The price was reasonable.

Brian was referred by Four Seasons, a local well-known and well-established land-scaping business. We asked for an estimate for one tree removal but Brian took the time to provide an evaluation of all of our trees and shrubs in our yard. He pointed out good and bad things and made open suggestions. This was all during an evaluation and before an estimate was provided. When we agreed to the services, he let us know about his schedule and approximately when the work would be done. When the plans changed because of inclement weather he called to let us know of the change. The bushes and trunk-wash were completed on one day and the trees were removed a week later. The tree removal was quick and tidy. They cleaned up and removed all loose branches (including raking out the little stuff)). The stump removal has been delayed because of weather but considering my experience I expect it to go as well!

Brian and his son showed up at between 10 and 10:30 am, Wednesday, They got right to work, first addressing the maple with the four bad branches, At one moment, I was worried about a branch hitting one of my garden planters, but Brian assured me that if he felt there was a problem, he would've moved it for me. All went well with that tree, Next they moved on to the second maple, cutting the ragged stump closer to the tree trunk. His son went up the tree with pulleys and ropes, without the use of spikes to dig into the tree for traction and support. Brian told me that they wouldn't be using those because he felt they damaged trees. Maybe that's typical for arborists, but nevertheless I was impressed. They cleaned up their mess afterwards, leaving nothing behind besides a little inevitable sawdust!

The person who came was very professional. He did what he was supposed to do. He cleaned up very well and did not leave back any branches. He finished the work on time.

Brian is a very nice name who was very professional. He offered us some excellent advice about how to care for our trees and patiently explained the reasons for the suggestions he made. I have had other so called arborists come and tell me that I needed an expensive "program of sprays" to prevent problems with healthy trees. Brian identified one tree that needed to be treated and said that he would use a systemic insecticide just one time. He recommended that a couple of others just needed to be fertilized and he could do those as they needed it. The next day he was at my house to take care of the sick magnolia and I am just amazed that in less than a month it is looking 100% better with a lot of beautiful, healthy new growth! A week later, he took care of all the other tree trimming and removing that we asked for without any mess on the lawn or in the flower beds. If it were not for the trees looking trimmer and the open area from the ones he removed, one would never know that anyone had even been working around the yard! The two Hornbeams had been chopped up pretty badly by another company crew that knew nothing about how the tree was suppose to look. Brian restored them better than I could have believed possible. I think that with a couple additional prunings, they should look pretty good in the next couple of years. Brian is the owner of the business and it shows in his attention to detail and polite manner. He also knows trees and what is best for them and at what time in the year things should be taken care of. He did not try to oversell us and he did not use fear tactics to keep him coming back. As a result, he will be coming back to continue the work and whenever I have a question about my trees (shrubs too) to keep them healthy and looking nice.

THE OWNER IS A DEDICATED INDIVIDUAL. NOT ONLY DOES HE PROVIDE COMPETENT SERVICE, HE IS INVOLVED IN OUR AREA. I FEEL THAT THE WORK IS THOROUGH AND THE PRICE IS REASONABLE.