Judgment before chainsaws
Arborist Services in Portland, Maine
The most valuable tool on a tree job isn't the saw; it's knowing whether the tree needs one. Risk assessments, cabling and bracing, health care, and honest keep-or-remove verdicts from a Maine-licensed arborist.
Free estimates ยท Written assessments available
In Maine, "Arborist" Is a Legal Term. Use That
Most states let anyone with a chainsaw call themselves an arborist. Maine doesn't. Under state law (Title 7, chapter 404), anyone who takes down trees, diagnoses or evaluates them, or prunes them off-the-ground for compensation must hold a Maine arborist license (earned by exam) and must have signed an affidavit committing to carry liability insurance of at least $150,000 per occurrence. A licensed arborist is required on the jobsite while the work happens, not just somewhere back at the office.
That law is your best consumer protection in this industry, and it only works if you use it: ask any tree company (including this one) for the license number, and check it against the DACF's public arborist list. The bargain quote from an unlicensed crew isn't a bargain; it's you volunteering to be the insurance policy.
What the Arborist Actually Does
- Tree risk assessments. The big pine over the bedroom, the maple that dropped a limb last month, the oak with mushrooms at the base: inspected root plate to crown, with a written keep / prune / cable / monitor / remove verdict and the reasoning behind it.
- Cabling & bracing. Structural support that buys decades for landmark trees with split-prone unions: the 200-year-old sugar maple gets engineering instead of a eulogy.
- Plant health care. Diagnosis of decline (insect, disease, soil compaction, construction damage, salt) and a treatment plan that starts with the cause, not a spray rig.
- Pre-purchase and pre-construction consults. Know what that giant beech will cost you before you buy the house; protect the keepers before the excavator shows up.
- Storm-readiness walkthroughs. One visit before ice season that answers a simple question: which of these trees would keep me up at night in a nor'easter, and what do we do about it now, while it's a pruning job, not an emergency?
And when the verdict is removal, you'll get it straight, with the assessment as your documentation and a crew that removes trees properly to finish the job.
Common questions
Arborist FAQs
How do I verify an arborist license in Maine?
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) publishes the list of licensed arborists. Search it before hiring anyone, including us. A legitimate crew will volunteer their license number; hesitation is your answer. Maine also requires licensed arborists to carry liability insurance ($150,000 per occurrence minimum), so ask for the certificate of insurance too.
What does a tree risk assessment involve?
A licensed arborist examines the tree from roots to crown: root-plate condition and soil heaving, trunk defects (cracks, cavities, fungal fruiting), the attachment strength of major limbs, deadwood, lean history, and, critically, what the tree would hit if it failed. You get a plain-English verdict: leave it, prune it, cable it, monitor it, or remove it, with the reasoning written down.
What are cabling and bracing?
Support systems for trees worth saving: high-strength cables installed in the upper crown limit how far co-dominant stems can move apart in wind, and brace rods reinforce weak crotches. Done right, they add decades to landmark trees with structural flaws. They're not fire-and-forget: installed systems get inspected every few years, which is exactly the kind of thing a licensed arborist plans with you.
Is an assessment worth it for one tree?
If that one tree could reach your bedroom, absolutely. An assessment costs a fraction of a removal, and a written arborist report is also the document that matters in neighbor disputes (it converts "I told them the tree looked bad" into legal notice) and with insurance after a failure.
Get a licensed opinion on the trees that matter
Free estimates on all work, written risk assessments for the trees you worry about, and verdicts you can hold us to, because the license is on the line with every one.
Call (207) 558-3036- Maine-licensed arborist crew
- Free estimates
- Fully insured tree work