Brende & Lamb were contracted to do tree trimming on my neighbor's property. I made it clear to my neighbor that my trees were not to be trimmed (though branches reaching into their yard are fair game) and that I did not grant access to my yard for liability reasons. On the day of the work, I stayed home from work to make sure my trees were not damaged. The team lead climbed from my neighbor's tree onto my tree (the trunk of which is several feet inside my property line). I asked him to please exit my property, because he was standing on a very precarious branch and this is a liability issue if he were to fall or the branch were to break causing property damage. He proceeded to yell back at me that he's allowed to be there by my neighbor. I said no, I'm the homeowner and I did not give you permission to enter my yard. We had a heated exchange and he called me crazy multiple times. This was very stressful and unnecessary. I had to get my neighbor involved. I would not use this company if you want to maintain civil relationships with your neighbors. read more

Brende Lamb has been taking care of the trees in both our backyard and front yard for over 10 years. They do great work, particularly with the forest of trees in the back. They are very reasonably sized. The best thing about the work is how they clean up and chip all the cuttings for compost read more

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The Brende & Lamb service truck plus a pick up and a sedan with workers arrived at a job site near or at 1139 Shattuck Ave. , Berkeley shortly after noon on Aug. 14. As the workers in the Ford pick up (CA 6F4 7555) and the white sedan (CA 222G495) parked nearby, a dog inside a neighboring house began to bark. One of the workers who had come in the white sedan picked up a rock and threw it at the house inside which a dog was barking. I do not believe any windows were broken but Brende & Lamb will not be welcome in this neighborhood in the future. read more

Absolutely exceptional in every way. The crew arrived exactly on time and did a thorough and beautiful job of pruning a variety of maple and cherry trees on our property. The cleanup was pretty amazing as there was hardly a twig left on the ground! We've used variety of pruning companies over the years and, without question, Brenda and Lamb is the best. read more

The crew was very professional, fast and did an excellent job. Top notch, would absolutely use them again.

Good communication. Work completed quickly and the cleanup was excellent. Nice people.

They have been trimming our trees for about 10 years. Great job each time. Recommend them

Luis and his very skilled crew did a lovely job pruning my very large (+40 foot tall) stuck between two houses oak tree. With great care and a very good eye, they climbed to great heights to lighten the crown and the result enhanced the natural sculptural lines of our beloved coastal oak. Thank you Brende & Lamb. read more

Mike from Brende and Lamb lied to me about where and how much of of the hedge between our properties would be cut. For 35 years the hedge provided privacy between us and out neighbors. Now all privacy is gone and we can see everything. Do not trust this company to adhere to agreements. They butchered our hedge. read more

Brende & Lamb have cared for the trees in my extensive garden for at least 3 decades! So here we are in COVID19, and they are still stellar in their professionalism and skill level plus tons of HEART! Every year they prune a huge hedge and maple and oaks and redwoods, etc. The beautiful garden I have lived in for over 40 years, looks so harmoniously- sculpted and cared for with love. The crew is fabulous - all wearing masks, keeping noise down, cleaning up, being polite with neighbors. I thank Brende & Lamb for their outstanding company that keeps the Berkeley Hills trees in gorgeous shape/health. The same crew comes each time and we all know each other well. Love this company and all their people. Joe and Pedro are especially terrific! read more

We live in Lafayette and we've been using Brende and Lamb for expert Tree pruning for eleven years now! They are experienced, professional and they (Joe Lamb and crew!) have an artful eye for balanced and beautiful pruning while also honoring the health and well being of each tree. Start to finish, every job at our home property in 11 years (over 15! and counting...) is professionally executed. Thank you Brende and Lamb! Lafayette Family read more

I was impressed by the knowledge of the arborist that came to provide the estimate. He took his time, knew the trees, and made suggestions for me to consider with the work. The folks who did the actual work came on time, were courteous and professional. They did the work promised in a quality manner. I would hire them again. One note - although they say they take a variety of payment methods online, only paypal worked for me. read more

B&L trimmed two trees in our front yard to reduce their fire-spreading risk -- and made an impressive difference to the overall look of the front yard. We bid the project around with four different companies and B&L quote was considerably below the competition. They completed the work quickly and cleaned up thoroughly -- I'd certainly hire them again! read more

On a friend's recommendation we called Joe Lamb from B&L to come to our new property to assess the health of our many live oak trees. We thought one was dying and wanted to be sure the other 15 or so were in good shape. Joe arrived right on time and immediately went to work. He walked the property with my wife and I, looking at each tree carefully. He educated us on all sorts of ways to ensure the health of our trees. He confirmed one of our oaks was mostly dead and showed us the signs of its decline. He then went on to assess our overall landscaping, walking us through various considerations for future tree growth. He didn't stop with our Oaks. He very thoughtfully looked over our redwoods and other trees. Overall, I was extremely happy with Joe's consultation. I feel so much better about our trees and know a great deal more than before. Doing internet research is no match for having a skilled, experienced professional like Joe on the job. In the end, he gave us some quotes for taking down the dying oak, but also told us how we might save some money by doing it ourselves, then walked us through how it should be done and safety considerations. Amazing. I truly appreciate Joe's help and will absolutely call B&L for our future arborist needs. read more

Brende and Lamb just finished pruning several different types of trees in my yard. Their work is excellent - well planned and executed even though one tree was a real challenge. I am very pleased and will recommend them to people I know. read more

the estimate was detailed and the person was very knowledgeable and helpful to make a plan. the crew were terrific- knowledgeable, professional, very courteous and the final bill came way under their own estimate. I am having them back to do more work later in the year. read more

Blaine Brende inspected our yard and provided a reasonable cost proposal to remove and prune 7 trees. I signed the proposal and waited 6 weeks for the scheduled appointment. When the Brende & Lambe crew failed to appear I called the office. I was told the crew evaluated the job and decided it was too dangerous to perform the work. I informed the office no one contacted me, came into my yard or explained what dangers existed by pruning trees between 8 and 20' tall. Such dangers don't exist given that the crew worked in my neighbor's yard all morning on substantially taller trees. The appointment had been arranged for the adjacent yards to be serviced on the same date to avoid minimum charges. The office staff apologized. It appears the tree crew values Friday afternoons off work more than keeping their word. I can not recommend this unreliable company in which the crews lie to the office about false hazards simply to skip out of work heading into the weekend. read more

Brende & Lamb pruned my Pine Tree and did a great job. The clean-up was beyond horrible. They had a worker who hadn't been trained adequately and no one was supervising him. His idea of clean-up was to blow all the pine needles and detritus into each and every plant. I have had to clean out or prune back each plant by hand. So far, I have spent 60 hours cleaning out the beds and I am still not finished. Mike, one of the arborists, came the next day to fix a broken sprinkler head the crew broke. I told him how unhappy I was with the clean-up. He said I needed to have the crew come back and try to fix the situation. The crew tried but using rakes doesn't get the job done. Susan, the office manager wanted me to talk to Joe Lamb about the situation. Joe Lamb is one of the owners who has worked in my garden. Unfortunately, this time Joe dropped the ball, he barely stayed seven minutes to talk to the crew and myself before he left and didn't come back. Susan was trying all day to get Joe to call me about the poor clean-up. She called later to make an appointment for Joe to come the next day. I told Joe the clean-up was beyond horrible. I told Joe the worker hadn't been trained properly and wasn't supervised. I pointed out different areas that I hadn't cleaned up and Joe said his workers couldn't have made a mess in that area because the distance from the Pine Tree was too far. If Joe had stayed with the crew he would have seen how windy it was and how the worker went all around the garden blowing detritus into the beds. Joe started rambling about how beautiful I keep the garden and basically, my standards were too high. Joe started to recommend that they have workers who can do meticulous clean-up. I was considering this when all of sudden Joe became enraged, saying that he had put up with a lot of abuse in his life time and wasn't going to take any more abuse from me. At this point, he was shaking and told me he was leaving and if I didn't want to pay the bill that was fine. I would say Joe Lamb was incapable of apologizing to me, and he didn't take responsibility for not supervising the crew. In summary I have spent 60 hours (I am not finished yet) cleaning up their mess. I had to replace mulch they raked and took way with the debris. Finally, and what bothers me a much as their shoddy work is that I have not received an apology. read more

I was looking for someone to trim my palm tree (in preparation for El Nino 2015-16 *fingers crossed*) after getting bamboozled by an Angie's List suggestion. Not only did B&L respond quickly, they gave me an estimate that was 1/3 of what someone else bid me. Today I came home to a wonderfully trimmed palm tree. They also did a great job removing all of the mess from the cleanup. I highly recommend them! read more

After going thru the experience of working with an inexperienced and cheap tree trimmer, I was so thrilled to have a knowledgeable team that knew how to professionally trim my large trees in a fashion that didn't make them look butchered! They were professional, quick, on time and cleaned up well. They are a bit pricier than others. My neighbors also used them across the street and were happy with the results. I would not hesitate to refer them out to clients and friends. read more

I needed an arborist to come out and look at my Italian Cypress. Brende and Lamb was recommended to me by the Grand Lake Nursery, so I had confidence in B&L from the start. Blaine Brende came to my house and provided a free estimate. Along with the estimate, he also explained to me how to handle the issue on my own. He stated that his company likes to empower people to help themselves when possible. As it turns out, I will do the work on my own, which means that B&L don't get paid. But they do get a 5 star review for their knowledge, customer service and promptness. If I ever need an arborist again, B&L is my company, and I will recommend them to others in need. read more

B&L has been doing routine safety and aesthetic prunings of our huge old pine and our huge old locust for many years. They always do an absolutely beautiful job -- we call them artists. Joe Lamb, Blaine Brende, and their crews and office staff clearly love trees and are committed to doing the best for their customers and the trees. Prices are reasonable, protection of surrounding plants during pruning is thorough, and cleanup is impeccable. We'll be calling B&L as long as we have trees. read more

Spectacular, gorgeous, pruning of 4 very large trees, one a landmark. Done on time and within budget. Brende and Lamb have done routine work on 3 cedar trees at a Berkeley property and always done a very aesthetic and functional job. We moved to a new place with a huge majestic (landmark) Monterrey Cypress, 2 Incense Cedars & a Ginkgo that needed a lot of work. We got 3 bids, B&L were right in line, and we chose them b/c we had some previous experience w the company. The work, it turns out, was severely underbid and a full crew spent an extra day working, but B&L honored the bid. I doubt i would have rec'd the same from others who were more ambiguous in the wording used regarding how firm their bid was. Beyond that, the work itself was so beautiful and thorough that in the future i wd pay a premium for it. read more

We received various quotes for the work we needed, and they were all about the same price. We had a good feeling about Brende & Lamb, so we chose them to remove a holly tree that was dying, and an acacia tree that was threatening to engulf the garage. The crew showed up right on time, reviewed the work order with me, and set right to work. In two hours, they cleared out two huge trees, as well as all of the demon spawn acacia seedlings that had come up from runners. We have light in our yard, and our garage is safe from the clutches of the evil acacia! read more

Once again Brende and Lamb have done a world-class job of pruning back a giant oak tree, and doing with artistry and care for the tree itself. Clean up was also exemplary! Top Rating 211 Arlington Pancho Huddle read more

They trimmed a few trees in our front yard a couple years ago and did a good job. They may have trimmed back one a little more than we expected, but it has grown back fine. However, I believe they are one of the more expensive tree services in the area. read more

These guys did a really good job in our yard. We have two Japanese Maples that we hadn't trimmed since we bought the house 5 years ago. I couldn't believe what a difference it made - well worth the cost and they were friendly and VERY professional. They also took down a tree that was hazardous and did a great job with that too. I would highly recommend them. read more

Brende & Lamb wrote me the below email two days after I wrote about my experience with them on yelp. I appreciated that they responded and followed up after reading my review. "Hi. I was doing some YELP research about our company (Brende & Lamb) and saw your posting. I am sorry that you did not get a call back. If you like - we could try again. In the transition from 2009 - 2010 - we may have missed something. Let us know if you would like us to contact you. Thanks for your time. Ben Brende & Lamb bl@brendelamb.com" read more

Brende and Lamb just finished trimming my oak trees, and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. They knew how to bring out the beauty of the trees through their trimming. It's been great to see the transformation of the oaks, before they were heavy and dark, now I can see how the light moves through the tree and catches on the individual branches and leaves. The branches look natural and balanced, with small windows opening up to catch the views. They really knew what they were doing. I consider them the artisans of the local tree trimming world. The crew got along well and really seemed to enjoy their work. They spread out a large tarp underneath the trees, to catch the branches and leaves, and to protect the garden area below, and also did a through cleaning before they left. Just a first rate experience, from beginning to end. read more

I have been using Brende and Lamb for their tree pruning service and was satisfied with their services until now. I had them come out again and prune my trees on September 25, 2020. Shortly after, one of the trees they pruned started to turn brown. Within three months, the tree died. It was green and thriving for years. In fact it was so vigorous it was growing too close to the house and that's why I needed it pruned back again. I called Brende and Lamb for them to send an arborist out and see if the tree is really dead and to talk about removal. The arborist came out this morning. He confirmed the tree is completely dead, but said they are totally not responsible because the pruning was done three years ago. I reminded him that the work was done three months ago and not three years ago. He insisted that their record shows that work was done three years ago, that their record shows no recent work. I informed him that when I called their receptionist she confirmed that the work done September 25, 2020 is on their record. He then said well the tree likely has a disease that pre-existed the work and then died from that disease. I asked him in that case why did he not mention the disease when he came out to look at the trees to give an estimate, since he's an arborist. In any event the evidence of disease he was pointing to now did not exist before and only developed after the work. The tree was thriving before the work. He then said the tree may be poisoned, pointing to a nearby stinkweed that is brown and dead as evidence of poison. I told him it's a stink weed and they turn brown and die every winter. In any event the lemon tree and the rosemary bush which are closer to the tree are thriving, so it cannot be poison. He then admitted that it's not poison. He said he nevertheless denies all responsibility and I would need to hire an expert arborist to prove that their pruning somehow caused the tree to die. He said he could give me an estimate with some sort of discount for being a repeat customer because he absolutely denies any responsibility. I told him I am not about to spend money to hire an expert over a dead tree because I'm not interested in litigation, I just want the dead tree removed. Hiring an expert would mean spending more money than it would cause to remove the tree. He then accused me of insulting him by saying that. May be I have entered the twightlight zone. You all draw your own conclusions. read more

Brende & Lamb did a fantastic job removing my Ornamental Bradford Pear tree this week. They had consulted with me on the issue of the tree leaning dangerously and not being very well connected to the ground -- and gave me a estimate for 13 person hours to cut the tree down and remove the stump and roots. Their team of four arrived on time and had the tree and stump quickly removed in just an hour and a half -- and I was charged only for 6 person hours as a result. I am VERY impressed with the professionalism and integrity of this company! read more

B & L and their crew have pruned and trimmed trees in several locations for us for many years. We are always very pleased with their work and enjoy the difference their work makes throughout the seasons and the years. Their knowledge, bidding estimates, timeliness, pricing and clean-up are all excellent. They add beauty to the trees. Joe Lamb earned 6 stars recently for his help with a city sidewalk tree that was leaning. Joe identified the tree, photographed it from several angles and e-mailed his thorough and professional evaluation. I forwarded the evaluation and photos to the city who removed it in a few months. His words and photos helped me put the city on notice. As the tree was being removed, I could see the rot and decay Joe had predicted was right there in the tree. We highly recommend Brende and Lamb. read more

Pruned the big tree in an acceptable way. However, trimmed the quince tree almost to the ground...as a result, was absolutely bare of fruit this year; also quasi destroyed the apricot tree. read more

These are trained arborists and the crew is amazing , skilled and hard working. Some of the crew have been with them for decades. We have about thirty Redwood trees and several other very large Cedars and they were extremely careful and neat. The guys climbing the trees ( probably up almost 150 ft in one tree just know what they are doing from experience and do it so carefully. The house was tarped in a way to protect it and all the little extra bits were vacummed up or hauled away. The big trimmings went into their chipper. They were punctual and did an amazing job making the yard feel so much airier yet with utmost care for the integrity of the trees. They also made the neighbors happy where they trimmed overhanging areas. I would recommend them highly. read more

My first review ever. And it's because Brende & Lamb not only delivered what they said they would but they did it with elegance. Every person I spoke with - from the quote through to the end - was friendly and knowledgable. They did a great job on 4 trees, and left the work space spotless. And, the invoice came in well under the quote - which shows how honest they are. So yes, well deserving of my first yelp review. read more

After my 8-year-old son flew his brand-new birthday drone into the top of a four story high pine tree, I panicked. I started calling arborists, one by one, from a Google search. The first human to pick up the phone was a friendly woman at Brende and Lamb. As I shared my story, she instantly wanted to figure out how to help us. Within 1/2 hour, she tracked a crew near our neighborhood, and said that if it was doable, they'd get our drone down, free of charge. A few minutes later, another friendly face shows up at our door to assess our dilemma. To my utter surprise and delight, he declares this tree ascent "easy!" My kids and I then marvel, as he scampers TO THE TOP of this tree like a monkey and retrieves my son's drone. All is not lost. People still help each other out when they have nothing to gain. Good people are who you want to do business with. The next time I need tree care, I'm calling these folks! read more

Ever hired a gardening service and watched it turn into a chainsaw horror show? Brende and Lamb is the complete opposite of that. Their love of plants really shows in their careful work. My trees and shrubs have been rejuvenated. They will also tackle non-tree jobs, such as a rose bush that was trying to take over the planet. I got quotes from other services, and B & L's was the lowest once factors such as clean up and hauling were taken into account. read more

Once again, Brende & Lamb, have helped the trees in my garden. For decades, these gifted tree lovers and arborists have taken the utmost care of the trees in my over-50-year-old garden! Today they rescued a beautiful "street" tree - a Chinese Pistach- that had been hit by a tall truck that ripped out a huge branch! Ugh! Came home to that last night :(. But by this afternoon, they had cleaned up the mess in the street - plus pruned the tree to minimize the damage that could be done by any more large trucks moving too fast in the Berkeley hills! The owners, both arborists, are gifted, incredibly knowledgeable, and kind. The crews are fantastic to work with. One crew has been with me over this last decade and they show real care and skill in working with the entire yard. They are the REAL DEAL! Well, NOT at all "cheap" ... BUT THE REAL DEAL AND WORTH IT! read more

Brende and Lamb is an honest company that did a fantastic job trimming a huge Italian oak tree and they only billed for the time they worked on the job. Workers arrived at our house on time at 8:30 AM. They along with licensed arborist Mike De Serio did a great job trimming back the huge Italian oak tree preserving a natural appearance and protecting the tree's health. They completed the job including all cleanup in 1 1/2 hours and left by 10:00 AM. read more

We have a massive oak tree that was poised to completely overtake our backyard and needed it pruned aesthetically. From start to finish the crew at Brende and Lamb were absolutely superb. The tree was pruned back while maintaining its aesthetic and natural integrity. We felt the price was quite reasonable given the size of the job and how long we had left the tree unattended. We will definitely be using their services again! read more