Michael made quick work of a straightforward request to clean up the trees in my backyard, create some separation and get them ready for spring. It was a small job but he was responsive, came by on time, and had the work done within a couple of hours. A surprisingly large amount of trimmings ended up fitting just right in my 64 gal green bin. Thanks, Michael! See you next year. read more

Michael is an expert horticulturalist and will maintain and improve your trees in a way most landscapers and yard crews won't. I've had him fix a neglected laceleaf maple and turn it from a gumdrop-shaped mass into a work of art. He's also cleaned up and advised on some California native landscaping which is tricky to do well, and diagnosed some problems with my citrus and avocado trees and proposed solutions. Prices are reasonable for what he's providing. read more

Expensive for services offered. Doesn't do much. No hauling away of trimmings and barley wanted to pick up cuttings. Better options out there. read more

Michael is super easy to work with and does a great job on my trees! I have two apple trees that he has been trimming annually for several years and they are doing very well. read more

Good news: Michael's a tree nerd. Better news: Michael's an effective tree nerd. He's got a bag full of tricks to max out your existing treescape, and he's got some vision tucked in there for you who aspire to have an aesthetically beautiful, productive, and region-appropriate treescape. Put his knowledge to work! read more

I've had Michael come to trim the trees in our yard for the last 3-4 years, and I have been very satisfied with the quality of Michael's work as well as ease of communication and reliability. I notice that he takes his time, and he thinks about the health of the tree and how to best support continued health and growth. Michael really works with a strong ethic of care and integrity. He thinks about the yard space as a whole and how each tree fits into the collective space and with the other trees/plants around it. He thinks about the views of our beautiful trees as seen through the windows of our home, and works to also create stunning views for the homeowner. I would highly recommend Michael's arborist services to anyone who wants quality work with integrity, vision, and care. read more

Michael was working in our yard today and everything he did was great. I had always taken care of the yard and pruning but it was a pleasant to have him shape our Japanese maple, our smoke tree and take care of our long neglected wisteria. This guy knows his stuff so he gets 5 stars without hesitation. read more

Our trees look great. Moreover, they are being set up to look great for years to come. Michael is professional and brings artistry to his work. you will not be disappointed. read more

I highly recommend Michael, the Cycling Arborist. His knowledge is extensive and it has been a relief to know that my trees are being properly pruned. And my camellias have never looked better! read more

Michael was great to speak with about the best trees for our particular property/yard. He is super knowledgeable and enthusiastic about a wide variety of species and loves to share his knowledge and apply it very specifically for his clients. Highly recommend! read more

I have an active interest in my trees. Michael has looked after them for several years now, and has effectively put any of my ligering anxiety about their long-term happiness to rest. I highly recommend him. read more

Michael helped me with identifying and addressing some dead and dangerous trees on my property. He also help with suggesting trees to plant in order to beautify and productify my yard. He was very friendly and willing to work with my needs. read more

I was lucky enough to speak with Michael about tree types, vegetation and climate zones, soils, geology and the like- things I know a tiny bit about and which he clearly is seriously expert and passionate about, and I realized how lucky I was to find a fantastic and uniquely helpful tree consultant. He's already given us laser focused advice on which tree to have put in and also on saving an old tree we thought was dead for sure from an invasive moss and possible insect damage. Michael is highly recommended! read more

Michael has an artistic eye for trees and a wonderful aesthetic pruner. Really lovely person. Highly recommend!

I recently had the pleasure of working with Michael the Cycling Arborist to prune our 20-foot orange tree and several other trees in our yard. I am happy to say that he did an excellent job. Michael was very responsive and easy to work, has good attention to detail and left our yard looking neat and tidy. We are very happy with the results and proud to support an Alameda local business. We plan to have him come back and continue to take care of our trees in the future. I highly recommend Michael for anyone looking for a reliable and skilled arborist. read more

I've had Michael Thurman prune for us twice over the last year after seeing what a great job he did on a neighbor's garden a year ago. A true professional with a great eye for detail and the aesthetics of arborism. He's easy to reach, responsive, punctual, and highly skilled. And he left the area free of debris when the work was done. read more

Michael and his assistant came yesterday to prune and shape our Japanese Maple Tree. They did an outstanding job, from start to finish. Everything about them and their work aspect , was on point. You've got to love the bicycle and trailer behind. After discussing our tree with Michale, we will have him prune and shape our tree twice a year. Thank you Michael for a job well done!! read more

Michael did a lovely job pruning our trees and shrubs. He is easy to communicate with and very professional.

Michael is so great to work with and has done my tree pruning several times now. He does the work himself with an assistant if necessary, so the trees are beautifully and properly pruned. Highly recommended. read more

They did an excellent job, listened to what I wanted and did exactly that. He was knowledgeable and did a neat job.

My husband and I own a house here in Alameda. We recently hired Michael Thurman to prune our Japanese maple, fig and apple trees. He did a great job. I would use him again. read more

Michael is a genuine artist. He has left our wisteria looking simply superb after its winter pruning and ready to burst into glorious bloom the moment spring arrives. We are absolutely delighted. We hadn't realized what a gifted arborist can do until meeting him, in fact, and feel very fortunate to have found someone of his caliber here in Alameda. We can't recommend him highly enough. read more

Michael did an excellent job of pruning and shaping our orange and plum trees. He replied quickly to our request, scheduled us ASAP and was very friendly, helpful and informative on his visit. He event went "above and beyond" when the trash people didn't take the debris and hauled it away himself--with his bike even! I can definitely recommend his services without any reservations! read more

He earns his five stars, that's for sure! We've had a few gardeners completely flake on us, and we had one guy who was decent, but not great. Michael is great. He shows up on time, works REALLY hard, managed to turn a poorly pruned and subsequently mangled-looking rosebush into a well-pruned-looking rosebush (possibly saving my marriage - I did the original pruning, someone was *not* happy). He understands plants, understands what will look good, and made our yard look fabulous. He's an artist, and plants are his medium. read more

We have a maple tree that had grown too tall and wide and had not been pruned in years. Michael was very professional, courteous, attentive to our needs, accommodated our trimming requests and provided excellent service. We are very happy with the end result. read more

Well, shoot! I thought I'd given Michael a review before, but now I remember I told him I didn't Yelp! Now I do! Michael is the best. He does the heavy lifting for me, and then gives me the impetus to do the rest. He communicates well, and even after service, if you have lingering questions, he answers them cordially. He takes away all the debris and leaves your place spick and span. Michael sticks to his estimate and makes a methodical run of your plants, and you can tell he cares about every one of them. Can't recommend him enough! read more

Michael was easy to work with and did a great job! He arrived on time for the estimate gave us a fair price and did the work exactly as we had discussed! read more

Over the past several years, Michael has done beautiful pruning and shaping on our large black pine, Japanese maples and other groupings of small trees. He brings an extraordinary sense of esthetics and understanding to each tree and makes the groups of trees dance together. He is a truly gifted arborist. Michael is highly conscientious about communication as well as friendly and professional in the best sense. read more

I highly recommend Michael's services after two separate appointments with him. He is very responsive and did an excellent job of pruning my bougainvillea and magnolia tree. I also appreciated how well he cleaned up the fallen branches afterwards. I will definitely be contacting him again! read more

I have 2 Japanese maple trees, a lemon tree, a nandina, bougainvillea, and a potato vine tree. Micheal pruned them BEAUTIFULLY. I'm so glad he was able to schedule me in. read more

I was excited about working with Alameda's Cycling Arborist, but he turned out to be very flaky, asking me to call if I emailed him, or to email when I called- and then never getting back to me. Too bad, sounds like he does a nice job. read more

Michael is extremely professional, talented and does a great job. He pruned two apple trees and one lemon tree. They are very beautiful now, and the birds seem to be enjoying them more as well. He is also a nice person and good communicator. I am planning to hire him for another tree and recommend him to my friends. I think you'll be very happy with the quality of his work. read more

Michael came over to our property to consult us on how to best take care of a massive Eucalyptus Tree we have in our backyard. While he was here, he helped us with some smaller fruit trees we'd recently planted. Michael was extremely knowledgeable about how to care for the trees and offered us some amazing tips and tricks for encouraging better fruit quality as the trees grow. We will definitely be using him to prune and take care of our trees. He knows so much! read more

Michael did a beautiful job shaping our Japanese Maple tree. Being very overgrown he trimmed it to regain it delicate shape and opened it up to see the beauty of its branches. Great person to work with, give him a call. read more

Our tree service suggested Michael to properly trim and shape three Japanese maples in our yard. We are very happy with his work. We will definitely hire him back to maintain these trees in the future and also recommend him to others. All the prior 5-star reviews here are accurate. Plus, he included before and after pictures of the trees with his invoice which was a nice touch.. read more

We thought it was a dwarf tree when we planted it next to our house. It's not. But Michael gave it a new life and a future with his careful pruning. read more

Michael pruned several overgrown trees and bushes in our front and back yard. The plants were thatchy and misshapen, and now they look terrific. Michael is very knowledgable about trees and plants generally, worked really hard, started and finished when he said he would and cleaned up the yards beautifully. And he has very fair rates. He'll be coming back to work on our big orange tree later in the year. read more

Ran into Michael at the local farm's market. The HOA covers almost everything around our house, but I have an ornamental pear tree in the backyard that's my responsibility. He seems to know what he's doing, and offered plenty of suggestions about our other plants and shrubs. Price was fair, and he got the job done quickly, when he said he would. That's about all I want. read more

Honest guy, no hassle, great rates. Had Mike remove 4 trees from my backyard. He showed up while I was at work, got the job done, and the yard looks great. Am also going to use him to plant new trees and do some landscaping. read more