🌳 Tree Trimming
Tree Trimming: The Core of My Work
Trimming is the foundation of what I do as an arborist. I climb most jobs myself, which means your tree gets attention to detail, not a quick pass by a crew in a hurry. I take out the deadwood that weakens the structure, clear branches away from your roof and back lane, and bring the crown back into balance without rounding it off into an unnatural ball shape. The work is precise because it matters: a well-trimmed tree looks healthier and lives longer.
Here in Winnipeg and the surrounding area, I spend a lot of time working on the enormous American elms that line the old streets, and the green ash planted on post-war boulevards. Each species has its own growth habits and needs. When I trim, I follow the natural branch structure so the tree heals properly and doesn't develop weak crotches or disease entry points. I also clear sight lines and keep branches away from your house and hydro lines on your property, respecting safe approach distances. If a tree is too far gone to save, I can discuss tree removal as an alternative.
One thing I will not do is touch an elm between April and July. That is illegal in this province, and I follow that rule without exception. I check the regulations for your address before I start any work. Call me at (431) 444-5195 for a free estimate and a straight answer about what your tree actually needs.
🪓 Tree Removal
Tree Removal in Tight Spaces
I'm known for removals where there's nowhere to go. A tree against the house, a back-lane lot with no gate, a yard on the river bank, those are the jobs I take on. When a tree has to come down and the space is tight, I dismantle it by rope, section by section, lowering every piece under control so nothing lands on the roof, the fence or the neighbour's deck. It takes time and focus, but that's how I work in the Winnipeg area.
Most private trees don't need a permit, but elm is its own world. Removals are allowed year-round, and the wood has to go straight to an approved site, I handle both halves of that job. If you're not sure whether your tree needs a permit, I check the rules for your address before we start. I also work with storm damage, dead ash that's unsafe to climb, and trees that are simply in the wrong spot. Sometimes a tree doesn't need to come down at all, and I'll tell you that too. If removal is the right call, I can often combine it with stump grinding so you get a clean slate.
Call me for a free estimate. I'll walk your property, explain what the job involves and what you'll see on the ground when we're done.
🌿 Hedge Trimming
Hedge Trimming Through the Growing Season
I trim hedges right through the season here in the Winnipeg area, and the species matter more than most people think. Caragana, cotoneaster, lilac, dwarf spruce, these are the hedges I see on neighbourhood properties, and they respond well to regular cutting. Not much cedar survives our winters, whatever the garden centre promises you. Each species has its own rhythm, and I've learned which ones bounce back from a hard cut and which ones don't.
When I trim a hedge, I work the top and both faces wherever I can get at them safely. I'll often square things away with your neighbour too, so the whole hedge gets done in one visit and looks uniform from both sides. A caragana hedge left five years will take a hard renewal cut and come back strong. A spruce hedge cut into the brown wood won't recover the same way, and I'll tell you that before I start so there are no surprises. The work itself is straightforward: I shape it, clean out the dead wood inside, and leave it looking neat without that scalped appearance you get from a contractor who just runs a hedge trimmer over it once.
If your hedge is overgrown, thin, or just needs its annual shape-up, call me at (431) 444-5195 for a free estimate. I can also advise on whether it's worth renewing or whether tree removal makes more sense if individual plants have failed. Let me know what you've got and when you'd like it done.
A question about hedge trimming? Call me, the estimate is free.
📞 (431) 444-5195
⛏️ Stump Grinding
Stump Grinding: Remove What's Left Behind
A stump left in your lawn becomes a real problem. The mower catches it every time you cut grass, shoots and suckers keep sprouting from the roots, and in our clay soil here around Winnipeg, the stump slumps and settles as it rots. I grind the stump low enough that you can re-sod right over it, plant a new tree, or simply reclaim the space. The grinding wheel chips the wood down below grade so there's nothing left to trip over or catch your equipment.
Once the stump is gone, I have two options for what happens next. I can backfill the hole with the chips I've created, or I can haul the lot away clean. The one exception is elm: because of Dutch elm disease, elm chips never stay on your property. I take them straight to an approved disposal site, so you don't carry any disease risk into your soil or neighbourhood. I also grind stumps that somebody else walked away from. If you have a stump from a previous removal or an old tree that's been dead for years, tell me where it is and I'll give you a free estimate with no obligation.
The work is straightforward and the results are immediate: you see bare ground where the stump was, and within a season the soil settles. If you've had a tree removal done by another contractor and the stump's still in the way, or if you're planning a new planting, call me at (431) 444-5195 for a free estimate.
A question about stump grinding? Call me, the estimate is free.
📞 (431) 444-5195
✂️ Tree Pruning
Tree Pruning: Structural Work That Matters Here
Pruning is structural work, not cosmetic trimming. I lighten the crown, open the centre, and cut the load down. That matters in Winnipeg because a wet October snowfall landing on trees still in full leaf is what breaks branches in this city. I won't top a healthy tree, no matter who asks. Topping weakens the structure and leaves you with fast-growing, brittle wood that fails in the next windstorm. What I do instead is thin the canopy so snow and ice slide through rather than accumulate on dense branches.
On a big boulevard elm, I split the job across two winters, because elm can only be pruned between August and March under the provincial ban. I show you the cuts before I climb, and looking costs you nothing. You'll see exactly where I'm removing weight, how I'm opening sightlines, and what the tree will look like when I'm done. If the elm is diseased or the ash is dead, we move to tree removal instead. But if the tree is sound and just needs structural help, pruning is the answer.
I work from the ground up, assessing the crown and the branch collar before I make a cut. Every cut has a reason. Call me at (431) 444-5195 for a free estimate, and I'll walk you through what your trees need.
🔗 Cabling & Bracing
Cabling and Bracing for Split Limbs
When an elm or ash in your yard develops a split union or a cracked scaffold limb, you don't always have to lose it. I fit a flexible cable between the leaders to hold them together and stabilize the crack, and sometimes I'll install a brace lower down where the wood is under the most stress. Then I come back to check it. That matters a lot here in Winnipeg, because we have the biggest urban elm canopy left on the continent and we're losing thousands of them a year already. Cabling gives a tree a real second chance.
The work is straightforward. I assess where the split is, how the weight is loading, and whether the limbs are still growing together or pulling apart. I run a cable through the canopy, you'll see it, but it's designed to stay flexible so the tree can move in the wind without snapping. A brace is a steel rod that I install at a lower crotch to prevent the limbs from spreading any further. I come back after a season or two to see how the tree is healing and whether the cable needs adjusting. What I won't do is cable an elm that's been tagged for Dutch elm disease, no cable saves an infected tree, and I'd rather tell you straight than waste your money.
If a tree has storm damage or a structural weakness, cabling can be part of the answer, though sometimes tree pruning alone will do the job. Call me at (431) 444-5195 for a free estimate and I'll climb up and tell you what will actually work.
A question about cabling & bracing? Call me, the estimate is free.
📞 (431) 444-5195
🐛 Emerald Ash Borer
Emerald Ash Borer: Spotting It and What to Do
Winnipeg lost so many elms to Dutch elm disease that when the emerald ash borer showed up, it felt like a one-two punch to the city's canopy. I've watched ash trees thin from the top down across the area, and once you know what to look for, the damage is unmistakable. If your ash is thinning that way, with small D-shaped exit holes in the bark and woodpeckers hammering the trunk, that's the borer at work. The tree is already in trouble, and the clock is ticking.
When I come out to look, I'm honest about whether treatment still makes sense or whether the tree needs to come down while it's safe to climb and the wood is still solid. A dead or dying ash becomes a hazard fast, and once it's brittle, the job gets dangerous and expensive. I'll check what you've got, walk you through what I see, and tell you straight: treat it now, remove it soon, or wait and watch. If it does need to come out, we can handle that as part of a full tree removal, and the wood goes to the chipper rather than the landfill. And please, don't plant another ash in its place. The borer will be back.
There's no charge for me to come and take a look at your ash trees. Call me at (431) 444-5195 for a free estimate.
A question about emerald ash borer? Call me, the estimate is free.
📞 (431) 444-5195
🚛 Wood Chipping
Wood Chipping: Clearing Brush Right on Your Property
When I finish cutting a tree or limbing branches, I chip everything on the spot with my equipment. That means no second trip with a loaded truck, no mess left behind on your lawn, and you avoid the hassle of hauling debris to a disposal site yourself. If you've already done your own cutting and you're sitting with a pile of brush stacked in the back corner, I'll come out just for that job. I set up my chipper, work through the pile, and leave your property clean.
Most tree species in the Winnipeg area produce chips you can actually use. You keep them for your garden beds, your pathways, or anywhere you want ground cover or mulch. Elm is the one exception here. Because of the regulations around Dutch elm disease, it's illegal to store elm wood in Manitoba, so those chips leave with me and go to an approved facility. Either way, the work is straightforward: tell me roughly how big your pile is, and I'll give you a free estimate so you know what to expect.
Wood chipping pairs well with tree trimming and tree removal work, since the debris disappears as I go. If you have brush sitting around or you're planning a cutting job, call me at (431) 444-5195 for a free estimate.
🍂 Dutch Elm Disease
Dutch Elm Disease: Spotting and Stopping It
If one branch on your elm goes yellow and wilts in June while the rest of the tree looks fine, that's flagging, and it usually means the worst. I'll come out and peel back a bit of bark to look for the brown streak running through the wood. That discolouration is the disease itself, and it spreads fast once it takes hold. What I won't do is pretend it can be pruned out or managed with spray. It can't. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something, and I've been doing this work here in Winnipeg long enough to say it plainly.
Dutch elm disease moves through the tree's vascular system, blocking water and nutrients. Once it's tagged, confirmed by what I see under that bark, the tree has to come down. There's no other choice. The wood doesn't go to the chipper or the burn pile; it goes straight to an approved disposal site so the fungus doesn't spread to other elms in the neighbourhood. I handle all that. It's also worth knowing that Manitoba has a provincial elm pruning ban from April through July, and I check the rules for your address before any work starts, because elm care comes with special care.
The hardest part of this job is telling someone their tree is gone. But catching it early makes the decision clearer and the removal cleaner. If you've spotted flagging on an elm, or if you're not sure what you're looking at, I'll come assess it at no charge. Call me at (431) 444-5195 for a free estimate. If the tree is sound, I can also help with elm pruning to keep it healthy and strong for years to come.
A question about dutch elm disease? Call me, the estimate is free.
📞 (431) 444-5195
🌱 Tree Planting & Transplanting
Tree Planting & Transplanting
I plant species that actually survive our zone and thrive here in Winnipeg and the surrounding area. Before I dig, I look at your lot, the clay, the exposure and how much room that tree will need when it matures. I set it far enough from your foundation so the roots won't buckle the basement wall later, and I choose varieties that won't repeat the mistakes we made here decades ago. This city planted one species down whole streets and we're paying for it twice over now with disease and storm damage. What I won't plant is another elm or another ash. There's a reason for that caution.
I also move a young tree that went in the wrong spot, as long as the root system will take the transplant. This works best when the tree is still small enough that the shock won't kill it. I handle the pit, the staking and the real watering instructions for the first two summers. That's where most new plantings fail, not in the planting itself, but in the aftercare when the roots are still shallow. If you're thinking about tree removal elsewhere on your property to make room, I can often use that space for something that will serve you better.
Call me at (431) 444-5195 for a free estimate. I'll walk your property, show you what will work and what won't, and explain the work ahead.
A question about tree planting & transplanting? Call me, the estimate is free.
📞 (431) 444-5195
