They were here on time. The trimmed tree looks good, and it is all cleaned up. We will call them again.

Our plum tree was dying and had shifted away from our yard and was leaning over the neighbors' yard. It was sad as it had given us 17 years of beautiful blossoms and plums, but we didn't want it falling on anyone and knew it had to go. My hubs Marcus called Ballard Tree Service for an assessment and they came out quickly. They handled the tree removal permits with the city and we were able to book a removal date a few weeks later. Jake the arborist and his two crew members did a fantastic job removing our tree! They had to remove it carefully while not disturbing the neighbors' maple trees and other plants that were very close to it. They were prompt, friendly, and efficient. They thought it might take three hours but it took them only about 1.5 hours. They also asked if we wanted any of the tree for firewood or projects. We said no, so they took away all the branches, trunk pieces, and debris. We were pleased with how the whole removal process went. A few days later, the office contacted Marcus to see if it went well and if we had any feedback or requests for them before they sent us an invoice. Great customer service! We highly recommend Ballard Tree Service and would definitely hire them again. read more

I don't think anyone wants to cut down a tree -- trees are brothers. My eucalyptus tree was dying. It covered my yard with willowy branches and I loved it. When the crew came out, they were understanding of how emotional I was about the tree, and the conflict I was feeling about chopping it down. They were friendly, super professional, and they didn't mind me sitting on the sidewalk with my dad watching the way the man in the lift skillfully cut it down branch by branch. All the pieces landed nicely on the sidewalk, they salvaged the big pieces of the trunk (which I hope someone will use), and they did a fabulous job of sweeping the sidewalk, the street gutters, and even the lawn. No one wants to cut down a tree, but if you have to do it, don't hesitate to call Ballard Tree Service. RIP tree. read more

Ballard Tree Service - Tree Services Near Me - Seattle, Washington

See all

We called Ballard Tree Service to help us with some large and small tree removals as well as pruning of our Camellia and Hydrangeas. The estimator was very knowledgeable and the turnaround was super quick! The crew that came out to do the job was professional and arrived right when they said they would. Our front yard looks great! they did a very thorough job grinding the stumps and cleaned up all the debris! read more

I called Ballard Tree Service in a panic one evening, after a large tree fell onto the front of our house. Greg arrived, as promised, first thing the next morning, assessed the situation and got to work. He and his crew worked for several hours, propped up and supported the tree to get the weight off the house, expertly removed it in pieces, safely avoided any damage to our house/deck, and left our property amazingly clean and tidy after it had been such a mess. They were all very professional, courteous and approachable. The stump was ground a couple of days later. I'm really impressed with the work done by Ballard Tree Service and plan to call them to prune our trees later this fall. read more

5 stars for Ballard Tree Service! My neighbor had 2 HUGE pine trees that had many giant branches covering about half of my backyard. The neighbor arranged for Ballard Tree Service to trim back the branches and they did a fantastic job. There wasn't a twig or pine cone left in the yard when they were done. I really appreciate the excellent debris removal and they even took away a few big chunks of wood that the previous homeowner had left in the yard. Couldn't be happier!! read more

We had a large tree in our backyard that was dead so unfortunately we had to remove it. Ballard Tree Service helped us with coordinating the removal via the city processes. Daniel was great with guidance on the process and getting us an estimate. Got the estimate to us quickly. Kelsey helped us through the process with scheduling and other questions and coordination, and was very responsive. Team showed up on time and did a great job. Really efficient and did great work to clean up and remove debris. Quite impressed with their team and services! read more

A large branch from our plum tree broke off, blocking the whole street. I called Ballard Tree and within ten minutes someone (the owner?) came out to take a look. Within 30 minutes, their crew began chipping the branch. Within one hour, they were gone and the street looked pristine. Amazingly fast service, thank you! read more

A rave for Ballard Tree Service. I needed three different problem trees trimmed. Team Todd and Max were extraordinary, delivering beautiful work. In particular, my street-side sweet gum tree was weeping all out of control and obscuring our house. Todd's arborist work revealed the structure and beauty of the tree while still working within the confines of the City of Seattle permit. I very much appreciated Todd's and Max's expert work and their thoughtfulness. Feeling really fortunate. read more

I had two very large dead cherry trees in my back yard. One had just fallen down and somehow missed the house, the other was bound to fall on my house in the coming winter weather. Access to the tree was very limited, but Ballard tree service came out and removed both trees quickly and for a reasonable price. They left no trace of their having been there, except that the trees were gone. Highly reccomend! read more

We have Ballard Tree Service "manage" the two large decorative Maples and huge Dogwood in our tiny townhouse yard. While we only see them every five years or so they have always left our tight space looking so much better! The individual trees and the overall space look great and the whole team works together with the greatest of care read more

I met with Daniel from this company today and he was so professional , knowledgeable and kind. He took extra time to inform me about the tree I was concerned about and to explain city ordinances . He was also so patient and helpful . I highly recommend this tree service and would contact them again if I have any concerns about a tree. Excellent company and Daniel was such a pleasure to talk to. read more

We've dealt with them for wood pickup/disposal, taking down a tree, and major pruning (including removing half-broken branches over our roof); basically, we used them to handle the crap the previous owners neglected for 15 years, and to pick up what storms knocked out of those trees prior, so it wasn't a trivial job. Zero issues with them for the work; they did what they said, they were timely, and the plan was well understood for both. For the tree removal they took a segment of our fence apart for dropping chunks of the tree down; frankly watching this I figured they'd hit the fence (there was minimal room), but nope, they know what the hell they're doing. They also put the fence segment back in afterwards, so... nice. I suspect the complaints folks have mostly come down to the backoffice, or proximity to their barn; my initial contact w/ them over email got lost, and for one of the jobs I had to ping them about the bill. Annoying, sure, but that's pretty minor. I'll say this; one of our neighbors also had to bring an equivalent tree down in the same time frame, and they used some nobodies (that job was likely not even permitted by SDCI); having seen how ballard handled trees, and watching those other folks was eye opening. My understanding of ballard is they're a bit more costly, but having seen the alternative, I'm fine paying a bit extra to have it done right. read more

10/10 would recommend! Super professional and honest. A large evergreen behind our house was a hazard tree and needed to come down. It's a tricky space and they did it with ease and care for the lawn below. Furthermore, I heavily stressed that they be careful of the neighbors yards. They understood and were super careful. They spent about 20 minutes really making sure they knew what I wanted them to do when they arrived. It's clear that they are experts and I would absolutely suggest them to anyone!! Also, they are certified arborists and saved me the headache of trying to figure out if I needed a permit! read more

I contacted Ballard Tree Service about getting a large tree removed. I had a consult phone call with Greg who said he could come over that afternoon to give me a quote. I waited around all afternoon and he never showed up or got back to me after I reached out again. read more

UPDATE: On 9/30/21 we received an updated invoice for $2K+, including several hundred dollars in late fees. THIS DIPSHIT NEVER EVEN CAME TO MY HOUSE. They last-minute cancelled - twice - never arrived, and now want to charge me not only for two tree removals they never performed but also late fees for not paying for the thing they never did. read more

Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere. They did not finish the job - left an un-ground stump and pieces of the trunk. Couldn't tell me how much things cost so that I could pay them just for the work done. When I asked them to finish the job they said they "might not want to" - the list goes on but you get the point. At times the sheer shiftiness of how this business is run was kind of amusing, but if you're not looking for a pretty expensive laugh you might want to look elsewhere. read more

Best tree cutting service in town! Was able to get an estimate right away and they came to cut my large tree the very next day. They were efficient, friendly, and even helped to relocate a bee nest that they found in the tree. Highly recommend. read more

If you read any part of this review, read this: they initially charged us double for travel time. Lack of communication: a huge storm hit our area on a Friday night, we called on Saturday and the owner said he'd come that day to give an estimate. He never showed or called. Sunday the entire crew comes and starts working without the supervisor present, no estimate, no nothing. Delay and overcharging: Very long delay in receiving the invoice, then we were charged double for travel time, and the company stated they were at our house for an entire hour longer than they actually were (not cheap at around $1000 an hour for 4 guys). When the supervisor was called out on the fraudulent charges, he panicked and offered free chipping and cleanup to make up for it. Based on his reaction I have no doubt hundreds of customers have been duped before. read more

We've put in solar panels and needed a large tree trimmed down so as to have more sunlight for the panels. Ballard Tree Service has been our go to for our tree situations in the past years for emergency situations when one of the big branches fell over and became a hazard on the street during the wind storm, so we deferred to them. Can't say enough for the exceptional work they do and did to trim down the tree and clean up afterwards. The owner and his staff from the office to the field are very professional, efficient and safe. I cannot thank them enough. Oh yeah, and they are reasonably priced..;-) ! read more

I reached out to them via their online form asking about cost and availability to prune my neighbor's tree that was over my property line. The owner, Greg, called me back the same day. He said he knew my property and the owner of the house next door whose tree needed to be pruned from being over my property line. He said he knew the owner so well next door that he would contact him to get permission to cut some of the branches and would call me back. Then 2 days later someone from their office called with no knowledge of Greg's contact with me, so I explained I was waiting for Greg to get back to me and he said he'd check in with Greg also and that someone would call me back. A week went by and I never heard from anyone so I called the office and left a message and no one returned my call. Another week went by and I called the owner Greg again and it was the most disjointed phone call. He had no idea who I was, so I had to remind him of our conversation. Then he pretended to know who I was but definitely didn't, told me to text him pictures and then said he would be out that same day and hung up. I still had no quote from him or any idea of the scope, or if he had even spoken with my neighbor. I texted him the pictures. I never heard from him or anyone at Ballard Tree Service again. I ended up using Seattle Tree Care, who provided me with a formal quote within 24 hours and scheduled the service within 3 days of me contacting them. I could've saved 3 weeks of wasting my time with Ballad Tree Service. read more

Short story? Great service and saved me a crap-ton of administrative headache with the city. Long story? I got one of those stupid letters from City of Seattle telling me that a tree on THEIR property NEAR my property is MY responsibility to prune because THEY didn't plant the tree, and it must be done within sixty days. What???? Well I didn't plan the tree either and I'm not the one who owns it, thanks very much. In any case, I decided it was easier to prune the ONE BRANCH they wanted pruned than make an expensive stink out of it by contacting my attorney, the ACLU and Santa Claus. The really stupid part about this is that the city requires the ONE branch to be pruned by a certified arborist that is on Seattle's pre-approved list, and they also require me to obtain a PERMIT (to cut the branch they told me to cut). WTF? Ok...I'll play. I filled out the dang permit application and returned it with a copy of the letter they sent me which also included THEIR PHOTO of the branch that needs to be cut. The city DENIED my permit. Apparently I wasn't explicit enough about what specifically will be pruned, didn't have an appropriate site plan, blah blah blah. Are you KIDDING ME??????????? It's THE ONE BRANCH you told me to cut. The guy you sent to take the stupid photo could have just cut it, but no, we have to turn this into a bureaucratic farce. I was planning to use my favorite tree peeps who are out near Issaquah, Blue Ribbon, (who became Seattle certified at my request, bless their steadfast hearts), but after encountering this city idiocy and considering that it really isn't worth their while to drive their big rig to Seattle for ONE BRANCH, I decided to call someone in my neighborhood who deals with this every day. Enter Ballard Tree Service. Actually getting in touch with them was a bit rocky at first. They didn't respond to the web submission through their website and the estimator never got back to us after our first phone call. But after our second phone call we made a connection and everything moved beautifully. The guy at Ballard Tree "knows" the City of Seattle guy and just rang him up and said, "Hey, we're cutting this branch" and the city guy said, "yeah, go ahead" and halleluja the permit problem was solved. Anywhoo...Ballard Tree Service did the deed for $300. It's a ridiculous price to cut one branch, but the ability to deal with the morons in city government is PRICELESS. #wortheverypenny #nomoregreyhairs #youseriouslydeniedmypermit? #cutyourowndamntreebranch Thank you Ballard Tree! read more

Great service from start to finish. They gave us a very fair estimate. We looked at 3 other tree companies and Ballard Tree Service offered us the most for the price. We've had to hire tree cutting companies before and so we knew what we did and didn't want. BTS arrived on time and completed the job in one day taking down 4,very old-over 100 ft cedars that were rotting in the center. They were careful in the tight space they were working in on a very small neighborhood dead end street. They trimmed, cut, chopped, and hauled away everything! We are so happy with their work. It was very sad to lose our gorgeous trees but we certainly picked the right company to help us. read more

See all

We had a tree come down unexpectedly and in a hazardous situation hanging over our garage. Ballard Tree Service was able to come to our home, stabilize, and cut down the tree within several hours. It was a reasonable price and they were safe and efficient. read more

After balancing 3 estimates from 3 companies, I chose Ballard Tree Services based upon positive reviews and I sincerely regret it! I have a very large deodar cedar on a small lot that had sickly branches. I hired Ballard Tree Services to prune the sickly branches, prune for sidewalk clearance, and prune for clearance of telephone/power lines. They pruned for sidewalk clearance, but left all the sickly branches and did not prune for the telephone lines. They also totally butchered its natural shape, so instead of the once majestic tree in my front law, it looks butchered and sad. Do not hire these people. They sent a knowledgeable person for the estimate and someone totally different to do the actual work. It was clear that the work order was not clearly communicated to the worker that did the pruning. Or it was and he just did a worthless job. It cost me $200 and I'm basically saving up and giving my tree a chance to recover before I contact someone else to fix/help my tree when I can afford it again. At the time of the pruning of the cedar tree, I also asked Ballard Tree to assess whether a mature elderberry tree had died. The employee said it had so I asked them to remove it. When I got home, the dead elderberry tree was still there and instead the employee had pruned a very young crepe myrtle tree. There's a pretty massive difference between a crepe myrtle and an elderberry tree and if a "professional arborist" can't tell the difference between the two, maybe they shouldn't be taking care of your trees. They sure won't be taking care of mine in the future. read more

Despite their high ratings on Angie's List, Avoid this company at all costs. They came on site to provide an initial consult to provide a quote and understand the job. They scheduled me a month out to do a relatively large job to trim back and reduce the height of a holly tree in our backyard. It took three attempts get the job finally done. The first day they didn't even show up and I had to call them to figure out what was going on. Second day, they brought the wrong equipment despite doing the initial inspection which was supposed to avoid this. The third attempt they finally showed up on time and with right equipment but the job was done horribly. While our tree was trimmed like it was supposed to be, they made an absolute mess of our yard leaving debris everywhere. Even worse, they dragged the branches through our landscaping and destroyed it. They gave me a 20% discount only after I pressed them repeatedly. I would never recommend this company to anyone. read more

Recently had 2 trees removed. Ballard Tree Service was sooooo very professional, courteous, the lowest estimate and on time. They did such a great job removing the trees that we didn't need stump grinding which saved us money. I highly recommend them for any job- large or small! read more

Ballard Tree Service - Tree Services Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We were contacted by Ballard Tree Service to see if they could get access to our property to do some tree work in a neighbor's yard. Of course, wanting to be good neighbors and citizens, I agreed. Noticing I had some wood rounds in a pile, they kindly offered to let us borrow one of their wood splitters for our troubles. They did the neighbor's tree work, and duly dropped off a 21-ton wood splitter in my yard. Unfortunately, they opened the fence between us and our neighbors and didn't both to seal it up again. Worse still, the wood splitter doesn't work. It simply won't start. I texted them several times to ask them to fix or pick up the wood splitter. They agreed to do so, and acknowledged my requests, but weeks later, the darn thing is still sitting in my yard, unusable. I have asked multiple times to have the thing removed, but for the last four weeks, they have ignored my requests. I now have unwanted yard art. The incident left a bad taste in my mouth. I ended up renting a log splitter for $130, and getting the job done. The first thing I look for in a service provider is a company that does what they say they are going to do. Based on my experience, Ballard Tree Service is not that company. read more

TIMMMBERRRRRRRrrrrr, unfortunately I never heard that warning the last windstorm we had in Seattle when a huge tree fell on my house. What a terrifying experience. I could hardly get out my front door through the branches. I needed help and immediately called Ballard Tree Service. To my surprise, the receptionist told me they would be right out, and they were. I was so impressed with the knowledge and equipment these guys had to safely get this tree off my house without doing any other damage. The beautiful clean up job at the end of the day was icing on the cake. These guys were great! Thank you BTS read more

I read some of the reviews and was looking forward to hiring Ballard tree to cut down some trees. I know it is busy season in the spring and summer so I figured I would attempt to do it in February. Unfortunately, I called/emailed multiple times with no response back from the owner. I did received multiple messages from the secretary saying that my inquiry was received and the owner was contacted however I never heard from him. I would suggest using a different tree company if you are interested in hearing back. read more

A+++++ These guys are great! Greg and his crew really care and it shows in the service they provide -- from estimate all the way through cleanup. They always answer the phone and show up when they say they will, which is better than almost every other tree service I've used. They brought a bucket truck which was handy for my tall trees and a dumpster to put all the trimmings in so they don't have to pile them in the yard -- came in real handy to help complete a whole yard cleanup. They did everything I asked for and even some things I didn't, and recommended a few more which only made the finished job that much better. They cleaned up everything! I won't hesitate to recommend Ballard Tree Service and will definitely be using them again. read more

Called at 8am and they had someone at my door at 10:00am. Work on my tree by 10:30am. So far I'm pretty happy. I called other places and they didn't bother calling me back or showing up. read more

Five Stars for this outstanding service provider! I had a huge 40-ft Quaking Aspen that just looked "sick". Normally, I trim my own trees, but this one had grown so large there was no way I could handle it. I google "tree pruners" then followed the results to the outstanding reviews here and called. Within in 24 hours, an estimator came out, the tree was diagnosed as "dying" and also it was pointed out to me that the tree had grown so far into the overhead wires that it was potential liability. During the estimate, Greg the owner popped by and answered a few important questions, then zoomed off (this guy is busy, and it is clear why: he is running a great business!!!) The next morning, on time and on track, a two-man crew came out, removed the tree quickly, cleanly, efficiently while I was at work. That evening I received a follow-up call asking how everything went, and I replied very, very well. It is so refreshing to call a service company out of the blue, then, within 36 hours have your problem solved. Great job Ballard Tree Service, thank you!!! read more

I wish I could have given them a better review, but they never even worked on our project. Greg was nice enough to stop by and check out the project I requested an estimate for, but the communication ended there. After a quote, he never returned any correspondence and I was never able to get in touch with them. read more

I tried calling and emailing this company 3-4 times. They did respond once and scheduled a time for me to come by, but they never showed up, and since have not responded to emails. I think its fine to let customers know you are too busy, just please respond! It's rude not to respond, and shows a lack of professionalism. read more

I was walking my dogs around the neighborhood on Friday, October 7th, when I happened to see a red truck pass by that said "Ballard Tree Service". We had been looking for a reliable tree service that could cut back an out of control laurel hedge in our back yard. We had received two previous estimates that were extremely high and didn't feel we could or would pay that amount. As soon as I got back from the walk, I called Ballard Tree Service and was told that Greg would be out to give us an estimate that day, and that I wouldn't even need to be home if he could access the hedge. Sure enough, Greg arrived within a couple of hours, was extremely friendly and professional, and left a very reasonable quote, complete with a sketch of the job. We set up an appointment for Monday, October 10th. Two of Greg's men showed up promptly at 9 am on Monday and stayed until around 4, chopping and hauling the branches to the front yard to wait for their chipper guys. Both men were very courteous and professional and wore all of the proper safety gear and followed all of the proper safety rules. (My husband is a heavy construction manager and very fussy about safety regulations). The chipper guys turned out to be busy at other jobs all day Monday but showed up at 9 am Tuesday morning and had literally tons of branches ground up and the yard completely cleaned up by 9:30! Alicia in the office is also highly professional, calling to confirm appointments and to follow up before invoicing. We couldn't be more pleased with the job Ballard Tree Service did! Thank you, guys! read more

Every other year I call Ballard Tree Service to come thin the clumping bamboo planted in my yard by the previous homeowner. The bamboo is a pain, and they do a great job of getting it under control for a most reasonable price. read more

My friend had Jose and two other guys ( didn't get names ) work in her yard 8-6-19, she was so pleased with what they did, commented on how nice all of them were. Had respect for her. ( she is 91 yrs. old ) Jose explained what they would be doing, she/we watched them from her windows. Quite a job, done so well. Thank you very much. If more work needs to be done in West Seattle, she will call you again. read more

I wrestled with whether to write a poor review for Ballard Tree Service. The owner is a hell of a nice guy and I have used them to prune my trees in the past with great success. But my latest experience with his company has been horrible and I think it's important to post this review so he gets the message about his staff. A year ago, I called to get 3 trees pruned that are in front of my house. The owner gave me a bid and I agreed to the work. He said they would call back to schedule. I waited a couple of weeks and finally called myself. The office said because the trees were under power lines I needed a city permit. They sent me the link. I tried to fill it out but there was some information I didn't know. I called and asked if they could do it for me. They said yes, for $25. I agreed. - Two months went by with no contact. I called and asked what the status was and they said a particular woman was in charge of the permits and would get back to me. - One month went by and I finally called and got her on the line. She said I needed to fill out the paper work. I explained that I had asked they do it and was going to pay the $25. She said ok, she was on it. No apology. - Two months go by and no response. I call and am told I didn't sign the paper work she never sent me. They send the pdf, I sign and respond with a scanned copy the same day. - Again a month with no response. I call and they said the city was the hold up. Again they do not apologize for how long this is taking. - Two months go by with no response. I call and pitch a fit. I am cc:ed on my permit application to the city. Doesn't appear the woman ever submitted it. No apology and a clear tone in their voice that I am irrational. - One month goes by and I call. They blame the city. At this point I am questioning my own intelligence for waiting for so long and I engage another tree service who promptly comes and prunes the trees. - Finally they call unprompted, almost exactly one year later to schedule my service. I explain that I got tired of waiting and hired someone else. The woman says ok, well glad you are taken care of and hangs up. No apologies. Ridiculous. read more

The tree was dying and leaning into the street. They got the permit and got everything ready, then the quote, a couple days the tree is gone. The only thing was I would have liked to see them cut the tree, too fast read more