All your tree care needs under
one canopy

We provide a full range of professional & ethical tree care services to private, commercial, and municipal clients throughout Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

Animal Rescue & Additional Services

Pruning

Pruning is the most common tree care procedure, and is performed for a variety of reasons—to maintain or improve a tree’s health and vitality, to improve structure, to reduce risk, to provide clearance, to generate fruit and flower production, and to improve aesthetics are among the most common reasons for pruning.

The pruning of trees is both an art and a science, and should only be performed by an arborist with an understanding of tree biology. Improper pruning can create longterm damage, threaten the health of a tree, ruin a tree’s appearance, increase risk and maintenance costs, and shorten a tree’s life. A knowledgable pruner takes a lifespan approach to tree maintenance by mitigating future issues before they have a chance to occur.

By understanding how trees grow and develop, our arborists make pruning decisions that achieve your goals while also saving you time and money.

+ Young Tree Training

Young Tree Training is the most important tree pruning practice. It corrects any defects in a tree’s form at a stage in its growth in which it is more responsive, establishing good form and structure early on. Pruning a tree appropriately when it is young minimizes the need for corrective pruning, increases safety, and reduces future maintenance costs as the tree matures. Young Tree Training is usually performed on a multi-year cycle.

+ Mature Tree Pruning

In most cases, mature trees only require corrective or preventative pruning. We perform crown cleaning to remove dead, dying, diseased, interfering, and weakly-attached branches in a tree’s crown to enhance its health and reduce the risk of branch failure.

Tree Planting

Planting a tree generates longterm environmental, economic, and social benefits—if done properly and with care. Successful planting requires careful planning, which begins with selecting the appropriate tree for the right location. Providing diligent care during and after planting are also key to ensuring a tree’s survival, health, and safety. Planting the wrong tree for the site conditions or improperly handling and planting a tree can lead to dead or hazardous trees, as well as a wasted landscaping or maintenance budget.

From planting or transplanting single trees to large-scale planting projects, from homeowner garden planting recommendations to urban forest planting prescriptions, we cover all aspects of tree planting with the knowledge and experience required for successful outcomes. In the initial planning and establishment stages, our arborists invest a lot of time and care to help ensure that your trees are planted properly and grow as healthy as possible. We also work with the best local nurseries to help you obtain the best quality trees available, and offer post-planting advice to help keep your young tree healthy.

Looking to plant a large tree? We have the equipment to properly and efficiently install large trees with little to no impact to the surrounding landscape.

Tree Removal

Most tree removals can be avoided with proper tree pruning and Plant Health Care.

When all other options to maintain the health, vitality, and safety of a tree have been exhausted, sometimes removal is the only choice.

You should never attempt to remove a tree by yourself. Tree removal is a high-risk activity that poses potential hazards to people and property, and should only be performed by trained, experienced, and fully-insured professionals.

Limited access? We have the equipment and experience necessary to ensure safe and efficient tree removals, even in areas that are difficult to access or pose exceptional risk.

Looking for stump removal? We are equipped to handle the removal of stumps of all shapes and sizes, with variously sized stump grinders to access a variety of areas—big or small.

Outside of the Lower Mainland? We can easily travel to you.

We recycle all wood chips produced during tree removal operations.

Utility Tree Work

A Utility Arborist is a person who undertakes any work required to prune or clear vegetation in proximity* to energized electrical equipment, structures, and conductors, or who in the course of utility line clearing operations, prunes, falls or removes trees which could come into contact with energized power lines.

Trees do not always grow in the best locations. A lot of the work we do is on trees located close to energized power lines. We staff qualified Utility Arborists, who are trained and experienced working around these types of trees.

Tree Cabling

Cable bracing is used to support structurally weak trees that are susceptible to damage from winds, storms, or even the weight of their own foliage. This support technique uses hardware to make the tree more structurally stable and help reduce the likelihood of tree failure.

We use two types of systems: traditional (static) cabling techniques and progressive (dynamic) cabling techniques.

+ Static Systems (Steel Cable & Eye Bolts Drilled into the Tree)

This is an invasive technique that is warranted in some situations.

+ Dynamic Systems (Synthetic Cable Wrapped around the Tree)

This is a non-invasive technique that is warranted is some situations.

All cabling requires post installation inspection by an ISA Certified Arborist and Tree Risk Assessor.

Plant Health Care

Plant Health Care (PHC) is a program for ensuring that trees have the basic requirements for health and vitality. It entails proactively providing a tree with the water and nutrients it needs to thrive, as well as identifying potential problems within the landscape, diagnosing deficiencies or diseases in a tree, and providing prescriptive treatment plans to correct problems and restore health.

+ Irrigation

Water management is a vital aspect of tree growth and development. There are several ways to manage water, including amending soil, providing an irrigation schedule, and installing landscaping that facilitates watering. We uniquely use rainwater to water trees generated from our in-house rainwater catchment system, ensuring the purity of the water and reducing waste.

+ Mulching

The singular most effective way of maintaining a tree’s health and vitality. It replicates the forest floor in a tree’s natural environment and continually supplies nutrients, regulates moisture and temperature, and protects the roots from compaction. We assess your tree’s needs and install high quality, locally sourced, composted bark mulch.

+ Fertilizing

Like people, trees require a balance of minerals in order to sustain good growth and biological function. Soils need to be replenished every so often to ensure trees have a proper, balanced diet. Among the various tree fertilization methods, we specialize in deep root fertilization with customized fertilizers and treatment protocols.

Integrated Pest Management

Most pesticides are harmful to our health and the environment, and are increasingly being banned by local governments. We practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM), a common sense approach to pest control. When done correctly, IPM causes minimal ecological disturbance and is more effective at controlling pests and enhancing a tree’s health and appearance.

We practice IPM because it works, but it also entails a significant amount of monitoring and collecting of information. You can expect to see our IPM and Plant Health Care technicians rooting through your garden and climbing your trees looking for pests!

+ What does Integrated Pest Management consist of?

Identifying the pest
Determining when damage is sufficient to warrant control
Identifying and using the least environmentally harmful control method
Going back and checking up on effectiveness
Promoting healthy ecosystems where human intervention is not required

We provide pest management services to homeowners, commercial properties, and municipalities. We are equipped to handle all your pest management needs with our state of the art equipment, including reaching your 90 foot tall trees!

Erosion Control & Soil

At BC Plant Health Care, we can choose the best type of erosion control for you taking into account factors such as slope, usage, soil and erosion type. Your erosion control plan will be customized to suit you and your project. We use environmentally friendly practices such as the traditional biodegradable erosion control blankets and also the newer practice of using live walls and staking systems. These live systems are built using native specimens and will soon take root holding the hillside in place while also growing and creating a natural landscape on your hill. Live systems are a great tool as they mimic natural succession in the environment and eventually species other than the original plantings will appear and thrive.

We also build drainage systems, our team can create a custom drainage system that will look at all aspects and issues of the situation. Depending on the environment, we can look at using live drain systems, using native specimens which will direct the water and also grow to form shrubs adding a natural aspect to your landscape, or we can build you a drainage system using standard drainage products.

Root Barrier & Root Pruning

Our recently purchased root cutter is able to cut roots to a depth of 14” in one quick pass. Contrary to our conventional stump grinders which only facilitate about half of its depth, this new root cutter is much more efficient when it comes to installing root barrier since very little manual labour will be required due to the depth it provides.

Our air spade may be used to inspect root issues prior to deciding management procedures, especially when large supporting tree roots are in close proximity to infrastructure. It may also be used for rocky soil areas which would rapidly damage conventional stumper teeth. In most circumstances, the air spade is a more expensive technique for root pruning but it provides the Arborist the opportunity to make precise and well placed cuts back to lateral roots which is best for tree health.

+ Root Barrier

Root barrier is a physical barrier used to preventing conflicts with the wrong tree being planted in the wrong place. Root barrier is a plastic membrane that is installed below the surface of the ground with the intent of restricting future root growth or re-directing it. It is normally done at all soil/infrastructure interfaces within a 2-3 meter radius of a tree trunk.

+ Root Pruning

Tree roots can grow towards cement walkways or building walls and create structural issues. Root pruning is the process of exposing roots and cutting them to prevent or redirect future growth. Typically, it is done in conjunction with the installation of root barrier. An experience Arborist can expose the roots and decide whether or not to cut certain roots as to not harm the tree in the process of saving your pavement

Stump Grinding

Have you been getting blisters on your hands from trying to get rid of that nasty stump in your yard? Our stump grinders can fit through a standard fence gate (no smaller than 29 inches) and can remove your stump with ease and efficiency. Give your hands a rest and let us do the job for you! We can remove any size stump.

Stump grinding produces an excellent organic rich mulch. It composts very well and is an excellent source of organic material for gardens and flower beds. We can leave it for you or truck it away if you would prefer.

Shrub & Hedge Maintenance

Properly pruning overgrown shrubs and hedges is essential for their health and aesthetics. We carefully trim and shape shrubs and hedges, reducing them to a manageable size while maintaining their natural appearance.

+ Pruning Shrubbery

The general rule of thumb is prune for reduction after flowering. Pruning is a skill that is developed with time, education and experience and is species-specific. Please don’t hesitate to call us and we can discuss techniques required for your plants.

+ Shearing Hedges

This is practiced in late spring for containment of new growth and again in late summer for dormant season tidiness.

Vegetation Management

Managing unwanted or dangerous vegetation can be an overwhelming task. Our team is licensed, trained, and experienced in the management of problem vegetation, invasive plant species, and noxious weeds.

We employ a variety of control methods based on the target species and site particularities. We follow best management practices and comply with all applicable government laws or regulations, ensuring that all vegetation management procedures are are safe, environmentally and socially responsible, and cost efficient.

Storm Damage

We offer 24 Hour Emergency Tree Service! Call our 24 Hour Emergency Pager at 604-607-1616 or during regular office hours, call 604-575-8727.

Our highly experienced crews are ready to deal with any type of hazardous tree(s). Crews are prepared prior to predicted storm events and are ready to marshal out at a moment’s notice with their equipment.

One of the greatest dangers to life and property during storms is posed by falling trees and limbs. Growing trees will ‘catch’ more wind and become heavier, so they are prone to increased mechanical stresses, increasing the chances of failure. Preparing trees for natural disaster is a must and should be done well in advance of the storm season. To help ease these dangers, have a professional Arborist evaluate your trees. Doing this will help you determine potential weaknesses and dangers.

+ Look at your trees for the following warning signs:

Wires in contact with tree branches. Trees may become energized when they are contacted by electric wires.
Dead or partially attached limbs hung up in the higher branches that could fall and cause damage or injury.
Cracked stems and branch forks that could cause catastrophic failure of a tree section.
Hollow or decayed areas on the trunk or main limbs, or mushrooms growing from the bark that indicate a decayed and weakened stem.
Peeling bark or gaping wounds in the trunk also indicate structural weakness.
Fallen or uprooted trees putting pressure on other trees beneath them.
Tight, V-shaped forks, which are much more prone to failure than open U-shaped ones.
Heaving soil at the tree base is a potential indicator of an unsound root system.

Remember, too, that a tree is a living organism, and its integrity and stability change over time, so don’t assume that a tree that has survived ten severe storms will necessarily survive an eleventh.

+ Hazard Tree and Crane Removal

Being an Arborist is a dangerous profession. We take the risks very seriously and have made it our credo that safety is practiced first. To ensure this happens, we have a rigorous safety program, we have on the job mentoring where seasoned Arborists supervise and instruct new Arborists and we have regular safety training seminars for all employees. Not only do we take our own safety very seriously but we take the safety of our customers equally seriously. This is why we feel there is no other company who is as proficient at hazard tree removal as we are. We can do it all and we can do it efficiently.

If you are worried about your tree, please feel free to give us a call and we will be happy to send an Arborist out and discuss it with you. Sometimes it is worth it just for peace of mind.

Animal Rescue & Additional Services

Don’t see a service you’re looking for?

From animal rescue when your beloved pet is trapped in a tree, to safely and efficiently stringing lights, we’ve got you covered.

+ Animal Rescue

Every so often we get a call from an anxious pet owner wondering if we could help rescue their special pet out of a tree. We are an animal loving company and have plenty of practice with just that. Don’t hesitate to call on us if you need a calm, expert climber to carefully bring your pet down to safety.