How to Hire a Tree Service in Polk County: What to Ask Before Anyone Climbs

Tree work is the most dangerous thing done on a residential property and the work where a bad hire does the most damage: to the tree, to the house, and to you if someone uninsured gets hurt in your yard. After a storm the county fills with trucks and chainsaws, and some of them are excellent. Here is how to tell.

Ask about insurance, then verify it

A tree service needs general liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage. Ask for the certificates and check that the workers' comp actually covers the crew doing your job; a common gap is a company with liability coverage and a crew of uncovered subcontractors. If someone is hurt on your property without workers' comp, the claim can land on you. Any legitimate company expects this question and answers it quickly.

Listen for the word topping

If the estimator suggests topping a tree, cutting the main limbs back to stubs, or describes it as a hurricane cut, end the conversation. Topping is the most damaging thing done to trees in Florida, it produces the weak regrowth that fails in the next storm, and it is a reliable sign that the person does not know trees. Our post on crown reduction versus topping explains what proper reduction looks like instead. On palms, the equivalent red flag is trimming fronds above horizontal; our palm trimming guide covers why that weakens them.

Ask how they will get it down

A tree beside a house does not come down in one piece. Ask whether the crew will climb or use a lift, whether they will rig and lower sections over the roof, and how they will protect the lawn, the driveway and the beds from equipment and dropped wood. A good answer is specific. A vague answer means they will figure it out on the day.

Ask what is included

• Debris removal. Is everything hauled, or is the wood left cut and stacked? Both are legitimate, but they are different prices.
• The stump. Removal estimates usually stop at ground level. Stump grinding is a separate item; our stump grinding post covers what it involves. Ask whether the grindings are removed and the hole backfilled.
• Cleanup. Raking, blowing, and repairing ruts. Heavy equipment on a wet lawn leaves marks.
• Permits. Some Polk County municipalities require a permit to remove certain trees, particularly large or protected species. Ask who is handling it.

Ask why

A good tree service tells you which trees need work and which do not, and can explain the reason for every cut. If the estimate is a list of trees to trim without a reason for each, or if every tree on the property apparently needs work, get another opinion. Our guide to when a tree actually needs to come out gives you a baseline.

Red flags

• Door-to-door after a storm, with pressure to decide today.
• Cash only, or a large deposit before any work.
• No certificate of insurance, or one they cannot produce on request.
• Climbing spikes used on a tree that is being trimmed rather than removed. Spikes wound the trunk.
• Recommending topping, hurricane cuts, or lion-tailing (stripping inner branches and leaving tufts at the ends).
• An estimate far below everyone else's. Tree work is priced on labor, equipment and risk, and a very low number usually means one of those is missing.

Get it in writing

The estimate should list each tree, the work on each, what is included and excluded, the price, and the insurance details. Our post on what drives tree removal cost explains why the numbers vary as much as they do.

What we do

We trim, reduce, remove and grind across Polk County, and we will tell you when a tree does not need touching. Request an estimate or see our tree services.