The Ranking
Our top 5 tree services in Dallas
Tree work in Dallas is driven by big, old trees and sudden weather. Live oaks, post oaks, pecans and cedar elms line the older neighborhoods, and crape myrtles fill nearly every yard. Spring brings hail, straight-line wind and tornado warnings, and the February 2021 ice storm showed how much damage a hard freeze can do to trees that look healthy. Many Dallas companies get their busiest calls the morning after a storm, so it helps to choose a crew before you need one.
Texas does not license tree trimmers or arborists at the state level, so there is no general licence to look up. The credential that does exist is ISA Certified Arborist, a voluntary certification you can verify by name or number on the International Society of Arboriculture website. Anyone who sprays, injects or applies a pesticide for pay needs a licence from the Texas Department of Agriculture, which covers many fertilizer and insect treatments, so ask who holds it. Texas also lets most private employers skip workers' compensation, so ask for a certificate of liability insurance and say plainly whether workers' compensation is carried before anyone climbs a tree on your property.
Oak wilt is the disease to ask about. It is a fungal disease that kills live oaks and red oaks, and Texas A&M Forest Service guidance advises avoiding oak pruning from February through June when possible. Emerald ash borer is another pest worth raising for owners of ash trees. Near power lines, leave the work to Oncor or a qualified line clearance crew rather than a general tree company. Dallas also has tree preservation rules in its development code, which mostly come into play when a lot is being built on or a permit is open, so call the city before removing a large tree in those cases.
This list covers five companies with a real Dallas street address and strong Google ratings. Google's search quota was exhausted on the day of the check, so the order follows review count from a business listings dataset, not Google's own ranking. Each company was checked against its own website for services, and none paid to be listed. Before you hire, get a written scope that names each tree, proof of insurance, the arborist's name and ISA number, and the cleanup terms.
