Our services
Everything we do to a tree, and why
Ten services covering the whole life of a Central Texas tree, from structural pruning on a five year old oak to a crane removal on an eighty year old one.
ANSI A300 standardTree Trimming & Pruning
Structural pruning that improves the health of the tree instead of just making it smaller.What this involves
Permit handledTree Removal
Technical, piece-by-piece removal of trees that cannot be saved, including work over roofs and pools.What this involves
Ground below gradeStump Grinding
Grinding well below grade so you can replant, re-turf or build over the spot without a callback.What this involves
Answered 24 hoursEmergency Storm Response
A real crew on the phone at 3am, not an answering service. Trees off houses, driveways cleared.What this involves
Diagnosis before treatmentTree Health & Oak Wilt
Diagnosis and treatment for oak wilt, decline and pests, from the people who see it every week.What this involves
Zero-impact liftsCrane-Assisted Removal
For trees too large, too dead or too close to the house to dismantle safely on rope alone.What this involves
Selective mulchingLand & Lot Clearing
Selective clearing that takes out the cedar and leaves the oaks worth keeping.What this involves
Written and defensibleArborist Consulting
Written, defensible assessments for permits, construction, disputes and insurance.What this involves
ANSI A300 Part 3Cabling & Bracing
Hardware support that keeps a structurally weak but otherwise healthy tree standing.What this involves
Annual contractsCommercial & HOA
Scheduled contract maintenance, tree inventories and the paperwork your board and insurer want.What this involves
Four rules we do not break
- We never top a tree
- Topping is rejected by every arboricultural standard. It creates decay pockets and weakly attached regrowth. We use crown reduction instead.
- No oak pruning February to June
- That is when the beetles carrying oak wilt are most active. If a safety cut is unavoidable, every wound is painted within minutes.
- No spikes on a tree that stays
- Climbing spikes leave permanent wounds that invite decay and disease. Spikes are for removals only, never for pruning.
- Everything in writing first
- Every job is scoped in writing, tree by tree, before a saw starts. Nothing is agreed on a handshake and nothing changes without your say-so.
Quick comparison
Which service fits your tree
Every job is different enough that an honest answer needs an arborist standing under the tree. This is what they are assessing when they get there.
| Service | Standard we work to | What shapes the job |
|---|---|---|
| Tree Trimming & Pruning | ANSI A300 standard | A 60-foot live oak takes far longer to work than a 20-foot crepe myrtle. Species also matters: cedar elms and pecans drop far more deadwood than oaks. |
| Tree Removal | Permit handled | The work climbs sharply with size. A 30-foot tree is a morning. An 80-foot live oak with a four-foot trunk is a full day for a full crew. |
| Stump Grinding & Removal | Ground below grade | The work is driven by the widest point of the stump measured at ground level, not by the height of the tree that stood there. |
| 24/7 Emergency Storm Damage | Answered 24 hours | Getting a full crew out at 3am is a different operation to a first-light start, and we will tell you plainly on the phone which one your situation actually needs. |
| Tree Health & Oak Wilt Management | Diagnosis before treatment | Injection is dosed on trunk diameter, so a 36 inch live oak takes considerably more product and time to treat than an 18 inch one. |
| Crane-Assisted Tree Removal | Zero-impact lifts | Reach and capacity decide which machine comes out. Longer reach from a distant set-up point needs a substantially bigger crane. |
| Land & Lot Clearing | Selective mulching | Scattered cedar on grassland moves quickly. A continuous thicket you cannot walk through can take three times as long per acre. |
| Arborist Consulting & Risk Assessment | Written and defensible | A single-tree opinion is straightforward. A campus inventory of two hundred trees is a different scale of work entirely. |
| Cabling & Bracing | ANSI A300 Part 3 | A single union needs one cable. A three-stem tree with multiple weak attachments may need a triangular system of three or more. |
| Commercial & HOA Tree Care | Annual contracts | The inventory drives everything. A 60-tree condominium and a 900-tree master planned community are completely different contracts. |
Every job is scoped in writing after a free on-site visit, tree by tree, so you know exactly what is planned before anything is agreed.
Questions
Choosing the right service
What tree services does Summit Tree Care offer in Austin?
Ten services: tree trimming and pruning, tree removal, stump grinding, 24/7 emergency storm damage response, tree health and oak wilt management, crane-assisted removal, land and lot clearing, arborist consulting and risk assessment, cabling and bracing, and commercial and HOA contract tree care.
Which service do I need for a tree that looks unhealthy?
Start with tree health and oak wilt management, or an arborist consultation if you want a written opinion. Crown thinning, yellowing along leaf veins or fungal growth at the base all need diagnosis before treatment, because oak wilt, hypoxylon canker, root rot and drought stress look similar from the driveway but need entirely different responses.
Can several trees be done in one visit?
Yes, and it is the sensible way to do it. Working several trees on one visit shares the setup, so the whole property gets done in far less total time than booking them one at a time. If you have a neglected property to bring back under control, we will lay it out as a phased plan across one or two seasons so it is manageable.
Can you handle both the removal and the stump?
Yes, and doing both on the same visit saves bringing the grinder out separately. Stump grinding is always listed as its own line in the written scope so you can decide either way, because not everyone wants the stump gone.
Have someone stand under it first.
An arborist will walk your property, say plainly what each tree needs, and put the whole scope in writing before anything is agreed. If the answer is that it needs nothing, that is the answer you get.
- Free on-site visit, usually within 2 to 3 days
- Every tree named in writing before we start
- No obligation and no pressure to book