“The ash in our front yard was hollow inside. I called The Vancouver Arborist and he didn't try to save it, just told me straight it had to come down. Removed it cleanly, ground the stump. No mess left behind.”
“My maples were rubbing on the roof and blocking light. He pruned them back properly, didn't butcher them. They look better now and I can see my garden again.”
“After the windstorm, a big branch cracked but didn't fall. He came out, looked at it honestly, and said it could stay if I watched it. Gave me a clear report for my insurance.”
“Two old stumps were taking up half my back corner. He ground them out, chipped everything, and left the area flat and ready. Took one morning.”
Tree Removal in Westwood Plateau: Planning Around Your Lot
Westwood Plateau has newer subdivisions with larger single-family lots, and I see a lot of mixed street maples here alongside pockets of ash that are in decline. When a tree needs to come down, I don't rush the decision. Sometimes what looks like a hazard tree can be saved with cabling and bracing instead, so I assess it honestly before I quote the work. If removal is the right call, I plan the drop carefully, rigging down anything that can't fall straight without hitting a fence, shed or your neighbour's property.
Lots in this area tend to have decent space, but access matters. I'm used to working with what you've got, side yards, laneway gates, tight corners, and I bring equipment that fits the site rather than forcing a standard rig into a space where it doesn't belong. I'll scout the job first, check sight lines, and flag any obstacles before I start. Cleanup is part of the removal; I'll haul brush and debris as part of the work. Stump grinding is separate, but I'll point that out on site and explain what the options are.
Declining ash trees are common in this pocket, and I've handled plenty of them. I document what I find and can support your application for a permit if the City requires one. Reach out to The Vancouver Arborist for a free estimate, no obligation, just a straight assessment of what you're dealing with. Call me at (778) 654-3998.
Cedar Hedge Trimming in Westwood Plateau
Westwood Plateau has some of the healthiest cedar hedges on the east side, thriving on the larger lots typical of the newer subdivisions here. Those same hedges, though, are less forgiving than homeowners think. I've walked plenty of properties where someone cut back too hard and left brown patches that take a couple of years to fill in again. The trick is understanding where the live green ends and the dead wood begins. I trim for a clean, even line while staying inside that green zone, so the hedge keeps thickening instead of thinning out and exposing bare stems.
Most amateur jobs go wrong at height. I bring my own ladders for taller hedges rather than freehanding it from the top, which is where you lose your sight lines and end up with one side higher than the other. I work methodically down the face, stepping back to check my line as I go. Once I'm done, every clipping gets hauled away, no mess left for you to rake up. Whether it's a quick tidy-up before a gathering or your annual trim to keep the hedge sharp and dense, I leave it looking intentional.
I've seen plenty of declining ash trees mixed in with the street maples around here, and I'm honest about which ones need to come down. But your cedges are worth maintaining properly. Call me for a free estimate and I'll walk you through what your hedge needs.
Stump Grinding in Westwood Plateau
Westwood Plateau has the look of newer suburban growth: wider lots than you find closer to Vancouver, single-family homes on streets lined with mixed maples, and pockets of ash trees that are starting to show their age. Once I fell a tree on one of these properties, the stump left behind is a real problem. It sits there, roots still alive underneath, and within a few years you are tripping over what comes back up through your lawn or garden bed. I grind it below grade so you get a clean slate to work with, whether that is grass, a garden, or pavers. The job is done right the first time.
What matters on these east-side lots is access. My equipment is compact enough to fit through a side gate or squeeze down a narrow lane, which saves you from tearing up your driveway or your neighbour's fence. I walk the site with you first so you know exactly what I am doing and there are no surprises when I show up. I can leave the wood chips in your yard for mulch or garden amendment if you want them, or I haul everything off for a completely clean finish. Either way, the stump is gone and the ground is level.
I have done dozens of these removals across Westwood Plateau, especially after taking down declining ash or storm-damaged trees. Call me at (778) 654-3998 for a free estimate, and I will tell you what the job looks like before we schedule anything.
Tree Pruning in Westwood Plateau
Westwood Plateau has the look of newer suburban growth, with larger single-family lots and street maples mixed through the neighbourhood. I spend most of my time on pruning work here, and it's where the real difference shows between a tree that stays healthy for decades and one that slowly falls apart from bad cuts made years earlier. The maples on these streets respond well to proper pruning, but I also see pockets of ash trees in decline, and those need honest assessment before they become a safety issue. When I prune, I cut back to the tree's natural shape, working to a proper branch collar instead of just lopping off length. Timing matters too, I prune to the species so the tree heals fast instead of pushing weak regrowth that invites disease.
A lot of what I do here is preventative work. I'm looking for weak forks before they split, for crossing branches that rub and wound each other, for dead wood that won't come back. If a tree hasn't had real attention in a few years, the difference a good pruning makes is visible within a season. I'll climb it myself, assess what the tree actually needs, and explain what I'm doing and why. I won't over-prune, and I won't strip a tree down to stubs just because someone thinks it looks too full.
If your trees on Westwood Plateau could use that kind of attention, I'm happy to come and look. Call me for a free estimate, no obligation.
Tree Cabling and Bracing at Westwood Plateau
Westwood Plateau has plenty of mature maples and some older ash scattered through the newer subdivisions and larger single-family lots. I see a lot of trees here with real structural problems: a trunk that splits into two heavy co-dominant leaders, or a big limb that's leaning further than it should. Most homeowners assume that means removal and starting over with a sapling. That's not always the case. I install cable and brace systems to support the weak point and let you keep the tree instead of waiting ten years for a replacement to mature.
The hardware I use is engineered to move with the tree as it grows, not fight against it. I run cables through the crown to distribute load between the main stems, or install braces lower down where a limb attachment is failing. The system takes the strain off the damaged wood so the tree can compartmentalize and heal. I come back periodically to inspect the cables and braces as the tree changes shape, tightening or adjusting as needed. It's usually a fraction of what removal and replanting would cost, and I've kept plenty of good trees standing this way over the years.
If you have a tree on your property with a structural flaw, something that worries you but the tree is otherwise healthy, I'll come take a look and give you an honest assessment. Call me at (778) 654-3998 for a free estimate.
Westwood Plateau, as the arborist sees it
When I work through Westwood Plateau, I'm looking at subdivisions built more recently than older Vancouver neighbourhoods, with the larger single-family lots that come with that newer development pattern. The street maples here are mixed in age and health, and what strikes me most is the pocket of declining ash trees scattered across the area as you move toward Coquitlam. These ash trees tell a story: some are simply past their prime, others show the stress of our freeze-thaw cycles, and a few carry the weight of emerald ash borer pressure that moves through the region. I've walked enough driveways here to know that honest assessment matters more than optimism. A declining ash that looks solid from the ground can be hollow at the crown, and a homeowner deserves to hear that before a storm does.
The terrain itself, with its mix of newer construction and maturing plantings, means I'm often doing removals where the tree has outgrown its space or where the soil around it has compacted over years of settling. I trim a lot of street maples that need clearance from hydro lines on the customer's private service entrance, and I see plenty of storm damage after wet snow or wind events. The work here is straightforward: I remove what's declining, I prune what's worth keeping, and I grind stumps so the next planting has a fair start. When I pull up to a property in Westwood Plateau, I know I'm looking at a neighbourhood where people care about their land and want the truth about their trees.
