Thank you, neighbors, for taking the time to give me your recommendations. If I missed replying to you individually to thank you, I apologize. The most recommended was Bert Ackerman. Because of our urgency to uncover our car and his immediate short-term travel plans, we did not use his service. But he has fantastic recommendations and I found him to be a very nice when we spoke on the phone. The next company that received a number of recommendations was DC Culley, Inc. I will add my recommendation, as well, because that is who we went with. Very nice person, very responsive to phone calls, worked unbelievably fast, did a great job on the clean-up, and the price was outstanding. I highly recommend him and his company. My summary of recommendations follows, including comments when provided. Thank you again for your help!! --mlr ______________________ 6 recommendations: Bert Ackerman 412-521-1938 --"Bert Ackerman is the best. We have used him for at least a decade for a variety of tree problems. The latest was the pussy willow that collapsed against our neighbor's house in the big Feb snow. I called Bert Mon AM. At 5 pm, I heard a chainsaw. Streets had not been plowed. He was out there, clearing the trunks from the neighbor's house and sidewalk. His team came back after the snow melted to clear the rest of the tree. I was fine with that. I just wanted my tree off the neighbor's house, and Bert went out of his way to help us. --"Its been several years but we were very pleased with Ackermans." --"He did a very nice job on our trees." --"The best. You get what you pay for. He is top notch! Knows what he is doing." --"The best is Burt Ackerman - wonderful." --One additional recommendation without comment. 4 recommendations, including mine (above): DC Culley, Inc. 412.828.0811 --"Have used Corey Culley exclusively for several years, great work & fair prices." --"We just had DC Culley Lawn Works remove a med-lrg dead maple from the front of our house. Really nice, professional individual who bid lower than the other companies we went with, and did MORE work. It is his own small business and he has 2-3 workers under him; they also did a fantastic job of cleaning up and took great care. He does do emergency work, and has done other jobs in Highland Park." --"They are reasonable and dependable." 2 recommendations: Davey Tree Service 412-453-4123 --Our neighbor's tree fell in our yard and they called Davey's Tree & Lawn. They came right out and took the giant tree away. Our neighbor had anticipated the tree falling and worked with the Davey people to rig a wire so the tree fell exactly between our house and the garage, ruining nothing. It was amazing and worked exactly as planned." --"The best one is Davey Tree." Note: I contacted Davey Tree, but I think our downed branch may have been too small of a job for them. Nonetheless, I was impressed that they were up front about the fact that it would be at least a week for an estimate, and likely several weeks before they were able to actually perform the service. They were not right for our particular problem, but I really appreciated the honesty. --mlr Doug Bozick --"He's punctual." --"When I lived in Swissvale our neighborhood HOA used Doug Bozich in Verona. He serviced the property annually and always did a fantastic job. Nice guy too!" 1 recommendation each: Naughton's Tree Service (412) 331-5952 "They took down a huge maple tree for us last Fall. We thought their price was reasonable and did a great job." Asplundh "I know my dad used 'Asplundh Tree Experts' years ago....and I believe Duquesne Light use them as sub-contractors for works done in residential areas. the card I have from 2008; but it is worth a shot....the cell # listed is 412-657-3109 and the name on the card is Vern Schifino." Leo Saello 412.823.8175 "We have used Leo Saello in the past and just recently had him come out to cut down a very large branch. I called him late Tuesday and by Wednesday afternoon the branch was gone. You will, most likely, get a recording because he will be out working." http://www.horhuttreeexperts.com/services.html Note: I filled out their Web form requesting and estimate and never received a call or email in response. In fairness, they may be more responsive to a phone call, which I did not do. --mlr Jason Rich 412 487 7575 Arborel 412-953-1955 --"I have had great experiences and know them personally! Also I have recommended them to friends and they have loved them too. If your problem is an easier fix or a whole tree removal, Arborel will contract it out, but another neighbor had a great experience with them still." Hellmanns Tree Service 412.921.7149 --"They were reliable quick, showed up on time and cut back two LARGE trees from my house as well ground 2 stumps up in the front yard for a very reasonable price. I highly recommend them." Steve Miller Bartlett Tree Expert 724-863-8951 --"If you need more of a tree rescue, disease consultation, or other serious problem. Finally, some good overall advice from Caitlin Lenahan: "When looking for a reliable tree service, I highly reccomend finding one using this site: http://www.isa-arbor.com/findArborist/findarborist.aspx It is extremely important for the health of your tree that you have it properly taken care of and pruned by a person who understands tree biology, growth, structure, and function, and who also has a deeper understanding of pests and diseases, some of which are taking a toll on our urban forests in the Eastern United States. (Perhaps you have heard of Oak Wilt, the Emerald Ash Borer, or the Asian Longhorned Beetle?) Arborists know to clean their pruning tools after working on each tree so that a fungus that may have been present in the last tree they worked on doesn't come to your neighborhood and damage your trees. I am more than glad to give the names of great, reliable, certified arborist tree companies my organization regularly works with, and I usually do each time someone posts a question about tree services. Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest cannot do private property work, but we do hire contractors from time to time who do. For the health of your trees and of the trees throughout the city, I emplore you to hire a certified professional. They should be able to provide you with their arborist number, and proof of insurance, etc for their work. thanks so much and I hope this helps you in the future! Caitlin Lenahan Certified Arborist # PD-2013A Education & Outreach Coordinator, Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest www.pittsburghforest.or