How I got into tree work

I grew up playing in the woods and building tree houses. Probably should have taken that as a sign. I've been in the tree service industry since 2014, when I started on the office side doing marketing for JR Tree Care, a Queens tree service owned by my wife's uncle Jeff. Over time I moved out of the office and started running crews in the field. Different work, same business — and I learned how the whole thing fits together from both ends.

When Jeff retired and sold the company, I stayed on for a short stretch under the new ownership to see how a larger tree operation worked from the inside. I learned a lot about what was working. I also learned a lot about what I'd do differently if I ever ran the show — and at the time, I wasn't in a position to change any of it.

The other half of my background isn't tree work at all. I've spent a full career in internet startups. Most tree service owners come from the field and only the field. I came from both — crews on one side, software companies on the other. That gives me a different lens on this business than most owners have. The same focus on customer experience, clear communication, and continuous improvement that you'd expect from a tech company, applied to a trade most people associate with a guy in a pickup and a chainsaw.

I started DC Tree Cutting and Land Service at the end of December 2022 to run a tree service the way I thought it should be run.

What I actually do

I'm in the office most days. Marketing, strategy, customer conversations, scheduling, the operational side of running crews across nine counties. I also get into the field — not every day, but enough to stay close to the work and the people doing it. I'm not a climber and I don't pretend to be one. I run the business that pays the climbers, sets the standards they work to, and stands behind the work after we leave.

I'm also working toward my ISA Certified Arborist credential — aiming for end of 2026. I'm not going to be doing the climbing. But the owner of a tree service ought to be fluent in the same standards the crews work to, and that's what the certification formalizes.

How I run this business

We deliver on the actual outcome, not just the cut

We don't just cut trees. We figure out what the actual outcome needs to be — what the customer is trying to accomplish, what they need to see to call the job done, what part of their bigger project is unblocked once we leave. A "tree removal" might really be "I need this lot cleared so I can pour a foundation by the end of the month." Those are different jobs even if they involve the same tree. We treat your job as a step toward your goal, not as a transaction.

Safety, because I've seen what happens without it

The reason I'm a stickler about safety is that I worked under people who weren't. I watched shortcuts that put crew members in jeopardy and put property in jeopardy, and I left that job knowing I'd never run a crew that way. We don't cut corners on PPE, rigging, power line clearances, equipment maintenance, or the time a job actually takes to do correctly. Insurance is non-negotiable here — general liability, workers compensation, and commercial auto on every job. The reasons why are in our post on what "fully insured" actually means.

Pay the crew above market

Tree work is hard, dangerous, physical labor and most of this industry pays rock bottom. I pay above the regional average on purpose. It's not charity. It's how I get crews who take pride in the work. A guy who's being paid fairly notices when a piece of debris got missed in the cleanup. A guy who's underpaid is just trying to get to the end of the day. The end-of-job experience our customers get is downstream from how we treat the people doing the cutting.

Hire by example, lead by example

I only hire guys who do the work the way I'd do it. And I don't ask anyone on the crew to do something I wouldn't do myself. "Always do the right thing" is the rule. It's the easiest way to make a decision when something on the job site doesn't go the way you planned.

Communicate better than any other tree service

Tree service has a reputation for being hard to reach, slow to call back, and vague on timing. We're trying to be the alternative to that. We aim for a 5-star experience every time, and when we fall short we look at why and fix it instead of pretending it didn't happen. If you've ever waited four days for a quote and then gotten a number scribbled on a napkin, you already know what we're trying to not be.

Why we're not the cheapest

If you call around, you will find cheaper. I'm fine with that. Our pricing covers what it actually costs to do this job legally and safely — trained crew paid above market, maintained equipment, three-policy insurance that actually pays out if something goes wrong on your property. Companies quoting 40% less are cutting something, and usually it's the workers comp coverage you'd want them to have if a climber falls out of your tree.

If the cheapest quote is what matters most, I'm not the right call. If you want the work done right by people who care about how it gets done, that's what we built this business for.

Where to find the rest of what I think

I write the cost guides on this site myself. They're the same numbers I'd give you on the phone, no fluff:

Talk to me about your job

Whether it's a single dead tree against the house, a five-acre clearing project, or a commercial property that needs ongoing work — the conversation starts with a free estimate. We'll walk the property, look at each tree, and give you a real number with no pressure to commit.

Call (252) 506-0099 or request an estimate online.

Anthony Caracappa