Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, Independent Tree is fully insured with liability and workers compensation insurance that is specific to tree care work. Please call the office at 440-564-1374 for proof of insurance.

Tree work is inherently dangerous, both for the workers and the property on which the work is done. Without the proper insurance (this is very different from insurance for "landscaping") and workers comp, you are on the hook in the unfortunate event that something goes wrong.

Please, always check the insurance credentials of someone you're considering hiring to do tree work on your property.

Our liability policy covers damage to any property, people, or buildings. It specifically covers any damage caused by tree work.

You may view a copy of our Certificate of Liability Insurance here.

You'll find our Certificate of Ohio Worker's Compensation here.

If a contractor shows you a certificate of insurance, it may be expired or not cover the job that you are having done (for instance, most landscapers have insurance that only covers work done up to 10-15 feet off the ground, but not above).

For your peace of mind, we can add you to our insurance certificate.

you may want to contact our insurance broker after you have signed a proposal and the work has been scheduled. In that situation, they can add you to the policy to be covered for the work being done. The contact information for our broker is on the copy of insurance that is linked above.

We provide one free estimate per project. Estimates take about ½ hour.

If we must go out to provide an additional estimate on the same project, there may be a charge. Likewise, if we have provided you multiple estimates in the past and never worked for you, there will be a charge for an arborist consultation.

Arborists consultations are different than when you need a work scope developed and are charged by the hour at $150/HR.

In general, we do not charge for a tree care estimate within our service area.

There is a fee, however, if you require an estimate for insurance purposes, an appraisal, property valuation, etc. Please contact the office at 440-564-1374 to discuss your needs.

We have to see your property and the tree(s) we'll be working on before we can give you an estimate. Every job is different - tree removal, pruning, and other tree treatments can vary widely from property to property.

It takes a trained tree care professional to diagnose the problem, assess the situation (including structures in the surrounding area, any dangers posed by the tree, proximity to electrical wires, access to the work area, etc.), and determine the best course of action. Without seeing the tree and what's around it, we can't know what will be required to complete the work.

It is not always necessary to be present. Your proposal is always personalized to meet your needs. However, to do that, it's best if we have a chance to meet and examine your property together so you can help us understand your objectives for the work, as well as any limitations or other factors we need to be aware of.

We work outside so if the trees are not locked behind a fence you do not need to be there, but we prefer to meet you in person. We like to build a relationship with our clients, as well as explaining what we suggest for your trees and the reason why. 

For your first appointment with our company, it is best that you are present.

However, if you cannot be present, we request that you mark the tree(s) in question... ribbon, tape, snowplow markers, and paint (for removals) all work well. We also ask that you be available by phone for any questions or a virtual walk-through.

Ultimately, understanding the regulations for tree removal within your municipality and securing tree removal permits (if applicable) are your responsibility.

The Village of Moreland Hills does require some permitting (see the details here). It is your responsibility to secure those removal permits. The Village also requires a road damage fee to be paid before any work can be done. If you (the resident) acquires this yourself the Village charges $150 for the road damage fee; if we must acquire that on behalf of the resident, we charge $300. 

If you need assistance with this process please contact the office at 440-564-1374.

We do our best to protect your lawn and plantings when doing tree work. And of course, we're always careful to avoid damage to structures, such as your house!

However, tree removal and pruning may involve lowering or dropping large pieces of heavy wood onto your lawn; as a result, minor lawn damage is inevitable. We patch minor lawn damage, such as small divots, with dirt and grass seed. If it's something major, like large ruts or divots, we'll lay topsoil and some grass seed but we are not responsible for fixing or repairing your lawn beyond that extent.

We also ask that you have all underground utility lines marked out before work begins and notify us if there's anything underground that we should know about, such as dog fencing or a septic or oil tank.

If you are having any planting, transplanting, or stump grinding work done, we must be sure that all underground utility lines are marked out before work starts. We may also require this for tree removal and land clearing work to prevent any potential damage from heavy equipment.

We will call OUPS (811) on your behalf prior to the scheduled start date. They will mark your property with paint, flags or stakes to indicate the presence of underground lines.

The ANSI A300 standards are voluntary tree care industry consensus standards developed by the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA).

The standards cover all aspects of tree care and are based on current research and sound practice for managing trees, shrubs, and other woody plants.

By following these standards, we ensure that your plants are being taken care of properly and in a way that keeps them healthy, safe and beautiful.

A Certified Arborist is a tree care expert who has a minimum of three years experience in the tree care profession and has passed an exam developed by an international panel of arboriculture experts. The exam extensively covers every aspect of tree care and requires that the tree care professional has an acceptable level of knowledge in all areas of arboriculture.

This means that you receive the best possible tree care from a Certified Arborist. We have the knowledge, training and experience to recognize and treat any tree health issues, we practice arboriculture according to best practices and safety standards, and we love working with trees.

We are proud to have several ISA Certified Arborists on staff - learn more about them here.

Sometimes the symptoms you're observing in your tree(s) are very distinctive and one of our Certified Arborists can make an accurate diagnosis over the phone.

If that's not possible, we also offer an online diagnosis option! Simply send an email to [email protected] with the following:

• a close-up photo of the problem area(s)
• an overall picture of the tree
• any relevant details - the more details, the better!

Based on that, we can often determine what's going on and recommend a treatment option.

This is an excellent way to get your trees treated more quickly as you won't have to wait for an Arborist to visit your property (to make a diagnosis) before scheduling a treatment.

We work with many HOA management companies around the area and would be happy to provide you with any details you may require. Please call us at 440-564-1374 for more information.

Our invoices are due at the time of service. The crew foreman or technicians can collect the fee when they are at your property.

You will receive an invoice in your email within 24 business hours of your work being completed & there is a link in that email to pay by credit card, just click the blue “Pay Now” button.  

We accept payment through check or credit card.

At this time, there is no additional charge for paying over the phone and we are happy to help you with that.

No, you do not need to be home unless the consulting arborist specifically notes otherwise.

The crew or treatment technicians will have a work order describing the work the consulting arborist wrote up for you & they will complete the work following these guidelines.

We usually have a backlog for work to be completed, so cannot schedule new work to be done immediately.

Even though it sounds like the logical thing to do, we also cannot just pick a date to schedule your work to be done. A lot of factors influence our scheduling. For example, timing is affected by weather, equipment, employees, release forms, and sometimes we need to coordinate assistance from energy providers and utility contractors.

When we schedule, we first look at the date on which a proposal was accepted; work that was accepted first will be scheduled first. We usually notify you 48 hours prior to the work to let you know your work has been scheduled. These scheduled workdays are always weather and equipment pending.

Unless otherwise specified we do not require you to be present for work to be completed, although we do ask that you mark the trees that will be worked on and be available by phone for any questions or a virtual walk-through.

Even though you see a crew in your neighborhood, they cannot be called over to work on your property. Their day is fully scheduled out with work they have to complete. They will not have a window of time available to add more work.

If you like what you see, please call our office at 440-564-1374! We will schedule one of our ISA Certified Arborists to visit your property. They can take a look at your wants and needs and write you an estimate for the work using industry standards. After you accept the proposed work, we will call you a few days before the work is scheduled to be completed.

Every profession has its own unique terms, and tree care (or "arboriculture") is no different!

Instead of trimming, we say pruning.

Rather than talk about a tree's trunk, we call it the stem.

Sometimes we are aware of these differences, but other times we forget that not everyone is as familiar with tree care terms as we are.

So if you want a crash course on why cavities have nothing to do with teeth and how the term stress can be applied to trees as well as humans, check out the glossary of tree terms linked below.

Glossary of Arborist Terms >>

There are 4 simple ways to accept a proposal for tree work, tree health care, or tick control treatments.

1. Call the office at 440-564-1374.
2. Print the proposal, sign it, and mail the signed document to PO Box 244, Newbury OH 44065.
3. Print and sign the proposal, then scan it and return it to us via email at [email protected].
4. Print and sign the proposal, snap a photo of the signed document and then return it via email.

If you would like any changes to the proposal, please call our office to discuss options as it may change the price and scheduling of the work