Ottawa Tree Surgeons

FIVE STARS ALL THE WAY!!!

After the big storm on May 21, 2022 we lost a VERY LARGE silver maple tree in our back yard..  It had a 21" dia trunk and was about 60 feet tall.  The wind storm snapped the tree at about 4 feet above grade, which then crashed through our 10' cedar hedge and onto my neighbor's garden shed and across his yard.

We got 2 quotes a few days after the storm.  Although OTS' quote was a bit higher, we went with them because we had used them previously to periodically thin out our tree.  During those visits, they also solved some minor root girdling which could affect the tree's health in future, told me how to remedy the girdling that was starting on the city owned trees in our front yard and noted the health issues of the city owned trees at no extra cost.

The estimator arrived exactly when scheduled and confirmed that OTS would ensure that the stump grinding would be thorough and result in a FLAT yard and that the yard would be cleaned thoroughly.  We were also very impressed with the professionalism and courtesy of their office in all of our dealings with them.

In spite of the quantity of damaged trees in the city, their 6 man crew arrived on June 2 as scheduled, and did a fantastic job.  The crew even made extra effort to not trample or otherwise damage 2 plants in our garden that we could not access for temporary removal.

I was particularly impressed with how thorough they were in grinding the stump and the near to surface roots.  They placed plywood down to protect the ground where the wheeled grinder travelled and spent considerable effort to eradicate one particularly stubborn root that the grinder missed.  They removed all signs of wood chips and debris in the entire yard, and even removed the few chips that blew onto our deck.  The entire crew was courteous, professional and very good natured.  They worked their butts off...especially the young crewman that they referred to as 'the rookie'.

Before they left, they gave us some great advice on how best to re-seed the area where the stump had been removed. 

Based on this and our previous experiences, we would highly recommend Ottawa Tree Surgeon.
Maureen and Dave Tracy Ottawa.

Our front yard tree was hit by the wind storm and a large section fell on the neighbour's roof. Damage was minimal but that could change if the tree wasn't expertly removed. There was a lot of torque in the twisted limbs and the house's roof shingles, siding, and windows were at risk.

Earlier this year, we had had the tree pruned by the Ottawa Tree Surgeons. They had done fine work and were our first choice for this job. As previous clients, we were given priority status and they were on site within 48 hours.

I expected this undertaking to turn our front yard into a cratered pile of saw dust but I couldn't have been more wrong. They put down large sheets of wood over my lawn to absorb the impact of falling tree segments. They collected the debris, raked the twigs and leaves, they even used blowers to remove the saw dust. When they were done, all that was left of our tree was an earthy mound.

The whole job took a surprisingly short amount of time. Our neighbour's house suffered no additional damage. Our lawn and garden (which were under much of the work) were pristine. The response time was exceptional. We even got a 5% previous client discount. Who could ask for anything more?

Ottawa Tree Surgeons has helped us immensely through the last five years with our 60 year old, backyard, Norway Maple tree. In 2017 a major limb fell across the utility wires with other smaller sections damaged as a result. Ottawa Tree Surgeons addressed this in their typical friendly and efficient manner. Their arborist, Robert Kok, noted at the time that major limbs were suffering from sunscald and decay and could represent a risk to our house; so, with regret, he recommended removal of the tree. Even so, we stubbornly wanted to preserve it for the lovely shade and cooling effect it provided in the summer months. In 2019 we asked Ottawa Tree Surgeons to assess the tree again with our intention to delay its ultimate fate for a few more years. With this in mind, Ottawa Tree Surgeons other arborist, Steven Chapman, recommended cabling and bolting the two major limbs together for mutual support and canopy thinning to reduce the wind load on the tree. This was done in a skillful and professional manner by their wonderful crew. This brings us to April 2022 when we finally accepted the fact that our beloved tree had to be removed, so naturally we called Ottawa Tree Surgeons. Steven assessed the tree again, noting the sunscald reported earlier and the presence of cankers as well. He explained that they much prefer to preserve and maintain trees rather than remove them but, because they had a history with us and our tree, and even though removal is always the last resort, it clearly had to be done in our case. Steven and the crew arrived at 7am fully outfitted with proper protective equipment. With one agile team member scaling the tree and carefully removing limbs one at a time, the others on the ground wielded chainsaws and prepared the branches, limbs and then trunk sections to be taken away. We marveled at how coordinated the five of them were; like an orchestra playing a symphony. After several hours of hard work our tree was gone, the trunk was ground, and all the debris was blown and raked into bins, leaving a clean and tidy worksite. Steven graciously took a moment to empathize with our loss but also to encourage us in our search for a new tree, or trees, to grace our backyard. We commend Ottawa Tree Surgeons for their skill, workmanship, professionalism and friendly manner. This appreciation extends to Nathalie in the office, who is a master communicator and an ace scheduler. Needless to say, Ottawa Tree Surgeons has our highest recommendation!

Extremely pleased with how quickly I was given an appointment to have a certified arborist assess the large tree in my backyard confirming that it was dying. The team was scheduled quickly thereafter and removed the tree, and ground the stump efficiently and effectively. Their cleanup was excellent. I would highly recommend Ottawa Tree Surgeons for their professionalism and expertise. Thank you, SL Hughes

Took down a dying Balsam And some remnants of a very scruffy Cedar hedge. Great work, clean and fast...

I have been dealing with Natalie, Steven and their team for several years. Always a very prompt, professional and knowledgeable service. As a Certified Arborist, I know that I am getting appropriate recommendations from Steven for my trees and plants (particularly my Amur Maple tree), to ensure long life and beauty. Natalie is a pleasure to deal with and always makes sure that I am fully informed about scheduling and final costs. The staff does not turnover very much it seems, so it is nice to see some of the same crew here each year. They make sure to consult with me, if there are any questions about pruning certain branches. The work is done efficiently and carefully and they clean up the site nicely.

We were referred to Ottawa Tree Surgeon by our friend who is in the landscaping business in Ottawa. The arborist Steve was thorough and honest. We actually thought that we needed more trees cut down in our yard but Steve told us there was no need right now to take the other trees down. For that reason alone, Ottawa Tree Surgeon will be who we call next time. All of the work was done quickly and thoroughly and there was barely any sign that the removal team had even been on our property. Also kudos to Nathalie who organized our work and our senior parent’s work via while we were out of country! Not an easy task but everything was smooth from start to finish. A definite 10/10 for this company!

This time, OTS removed a spruce growing too close to the house, a dead tree in the back, and trimmed my very tall hedge - it needed a bucket truck. A neat and professional job.

I have been calling on OTS for tree removal, stump grinding, and hedge trimming for several years, and they have always done an excellent job. Very good with cleanup afterwards too.

Please extend our thanks and appreciation to your team as well as yourself for facilitating my parents tree removal in short order, I also appreciate the extra effort to remove a few lingering roots from my property as well. I will highly recommend your service to anyone looking to have a tree removed, trimmed or otherwise.

Extremely professional and courteous!

Very happy and grateful lifelong customers.

Barrie, Robin and Margaret.

Cheers Nathalie!

OTS provided great advice and service from quote (competitive with other companies) to tree and wood removal (on-time and quick). Very friendly and helpful office staff and on-site workers. Highly recommended. Tim and Jennifer