Treeways Arbor Care

We recently hired Michael Crane of Treeways Arbor Care to trim a large Japanese maple tree in our backyard. Michael performed an inspection, provided a reasonable estimate and was very thorough in walking us through his vision for the work to be done. The work needed was fairly overdue and we discussed what was needed to meet the standards set by the Fire Dept as well as appealing to our homeowners insurance. Throughout the process Michael was a great communicator and showed his genuine care for maintaining the health and integrity of trees while getting the job done right for his clients. From start to finish, including the clean-up and hauling away of debris, Michael was a pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend him if you are in need of a licensed arborist.

We had 4 cherry trees and a Japanese Pittosporum that needed pruning - Michael did a great job! The cherry tree branches were too dense, encroaching on the neighbors and interfering with some power lines. Michael cleaned them up, thinned them out and gave them an aesthetically pleasing new silhouette. He invited feedback throughout the job to make sure we were happy with the end result which was great because sometimes it's difficult to know what to ask for until the shape starts to emerge. I am glad I didn't try to prune the Pittosporum myself. I would have removed too much since many of the branches looked dead to me. Michael assured me that the tree mostly needed some TLC and only a little bit of a trim since it had been suffering from environmental causes. Before he left, he gave us advice about feeding and watering to help the tree recover. I would happily have Michael care for our trees again. He is experienced, knowledgeable, efficient, tidy and reasonably affordable.

My new house came with a beautifully-tall and intimidating Deodar cedar, and after some scary wind storms last year and a few broken limbs, I knew I needed to find an arborist to properly care for this pretty tree. Michael has been out a few times and has done fantastic work tidying up the interior dead branches and storm casualties, and has made thoughtful cuts to reduce weight and cross branches, while keeping the tree looking natural and happy. I also have an odd yucca on my property that was left a little lopsided by a general yard clearing service, and Michael was able to give it a good trim to bring it back into balance. He's a delight to work with, punctual, very attentive to texts, and very considerately leaves my yard cleaner than when he arrives. I'm so happy I found Michael, and I look forward to having him back to keep an eye on my cedar and to tackle a few other trees in my yard :)

Michael did a fantastic job pruning three different tree species and some overgrown large shrubs at my house. None of the plants looks like it has been "whacked"; they all look natural, healthy, open and airy. He also provided advice on potential problems to watch for, especially with my apple tree. He does all the work, including tree climbing, himself. He provided great value and will return in the fall to work on my oak trees.

Michael did a fantastic job pruning our camellias to reduce structure and fix visible issues along with a few other trees. He definitely has a great arborist's eye for the structure reduction which is something I'm not good as when I prune off new growth which is easier. Overall very glad I chose not to attempt pruning these myself and got Michael in. He taught me a lot along the way about pruning from equipment, maintenance, how choices are made, fertilizing, watering and details on making cuts look better. Michael was also on board with a multi year care plan to not reduce too much in the first pass, allow for a year of growth and healing, and then continue the process. Looking forward to working with Michael again. I will add some before and after pictures once the initial cuts have healed a bit.

Michael did an amazing job, was a pleasure to work with and gave a bargain price. He took into account aesthetics, tree health, neighbor politics and "bang for the buck" when discussing with me what exact work he recommended. He and his assistant did a jaw-dropping amount of work in one day and left my yard/driveway cleaner than when they started. I cannot recommend him enough !!!

It was comforting to know Michael is a Certified Arborist. His passion for trees was very evident from our first meeting. He was very responsive, showed up on time, and we received his quote quickly. If you are looking for someone to care for your trees well and who has an aesthetic eye I would definitely give him a call. His prices are competitive, especially for the quality of his work. He listened to what we wanted and we were very satisfied with the final product!

I have a tall cedar tree that leans towards my two uphill neighbors, who were both worried that it might fall during the recent windstorms. I had 3 arborists take a look at it and offer varying proposals. I was shocked at how expensive they all were. One of them referred me to Michael Crane ("Treeways Arbor Care" in Berkeley) who came and spent over an hour educating me about every possible option, without trying to sell me on anything. He then returned and spent almost 2 hours talking with my concerned neighbors, again patiently explaining the risks and the options. Michael is extremely knowledgable and a genuine tree lover, and he earned everyone's trust, and I decided he was the one I wanted to do the job. So I was overjoyed when his bid came in considerably lower than all the other arborists. When his two-man crew (I call them the Tall Tree Guys) arrived the day of the job, I immediately knew I was in good hands. The three of them had a great rapport and a deep reverence for working with trees. One of them named Greg is also a first-rate arborist. And OMG they did an amazing job...watching them work together was like a meditation, it was almost magical. Over the course of a peaceful, flowing afternoon my cedar was transformed from unbalanced and dense (and somewhat threatening) to open, balanced, safe, thriving and beautiful. Hallelujah! At last I have an arborist who I totally trust AND can afford. Michael is a gem - honest, friendly, knowledgeable, passionate about trees, and an EXCEPTIONAL arborist.
The other person I can recommend is Kingman Lim, or "LImb King Tree Service" in Berkeley, who has taken of my huge Chinese Elm tree for years. He is also a brilliant big-tree arborist, I think more expensive than Michael but less than most others. How fortunate to have these two great arborists nearby.

Michael Crane helped us transplant our apple tree. He was very knowledgeable, prepared, hard working, and a great communicator. He had some great suggestions regarding some of our other trees and even volunteered to help protect our camelias that were going to be impacted by construction. I especially appreciated that after he had already been paid for the apple tree job, he came back on his own time to take care of the camelias. He also was genuinely interested in how the apple tree fared after it's move and has checked in on it. The tree is doing great. We hope to bake him an apple pie down the road. : ) He can be reached at: treewaysco@gmail.com or 510-332-0561.