4.9 · 462 Google reviews · Licensed & Insured
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ISA Certified Arborist Consultation & Written Reports
Written arborist reports for permits, insurers, HOAs, real estate closings and disputes - prepared by an ISA Certified Arborist on staff. (727) 365-1803.
“Fast quote and when we decided it was time to remove our Oak, they were there on time and ready to get to work. They have all the equipment necessary for this huge job and work very efficiently.”
- 462 Google reviews
- Licensed & Insured
- ISA Certified Arborist on staff
- Pinellas since 1989
Anyone can put "tree service" on the side of a truck. There’s no license requirement in Florida specific to tree work the way there is for, say, electrical or plumbing contracting, which means the trade has a wide range of actual expertise behind an identical-looking pickup and chainsaw. The ISA Certified Arborist credential is one of the few ways to tell the difference, it’s awarded by the International Society of Arboriculture to individuals who meet its experience requirements and pass its certification exam, and it’s specific to tree biology, structure, and care, not general landscaping or business licensing.
Happy’s Tree Service keeps an ISA Certified Arborist on staff and is itself an ISA member company. Most of the time, that credential shows up folded into another service, a removal, a pruning job, a health diagnosis. This page is for the situations where what you actually want is the arborist’s judgment on its own, independent of a specific job already being sold.
When a standalone consultation makes sense
A second opinion
Another company has already recommended a removal, a major pruning job, or treatment for a health issue, and you want an independent assessment before committing. We’ll tell you honestly if we agree, disagree, or land somewhere in between, including cases where the original recommendation was right and there’s genuinely nothing more useful to add.
Pre-purchase or pre-sale property walks
Trees are a real factor in a property’s value and its ongoing cost, a mature, healthy canopy adds value; a declining or hazardous tree is a liability the new owner inherits. A walk-through before closing flags what’s actually there, rather than finding out after you own it.
Whole-property planning
ahead of a landscaping project, an addition, or simply a multi-year maintenance plan across a lot with a lot of established trees, figuring out priority order, what needs attention this year versus down the road, and what’s fine as-is.
General questions that don’t fit a single service page
a tree that seems to be behaving oddly without an obvious cause, a boundary-line tree question with a neighbor, or wanting an informed opinion before making a decision on your own.
How we actually do it
The arborist walks the property (or the specific area in question) and gives a plain-language assessment, what’s healthy, what needs attention, what’s a genuine concern versus a cosmetic one, and what we’d actually recommend if it were our own property. Where the question calls for something more formal, a documented structural risk finding that could support a permit application or Florida Statute ยง 163.045, for instance, we’ll say so and scope that as its own tree risk assessment rather than fold a formal finding into a casual walk-through.
This service is deliberately not tied to selling a specific job. If the honest answer is "nothing here needs doing right now," that’s the answer you’ll get.
Start here
Send us a photo of the tree.
You do not have to know whether it needs to come down. That is the part we are for.
- One photo, whole tree in frameTrunk base to top. A close-up of anything that looks wrong helps.
- Text us the photoThe text button below opens the right thread. Add your street and city.
- We come out and lookEvery estimate is in person, free, sometimes the answer is that it needs nothing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "ISA Certified Arborist" actually mean? It’s a credential from the International Society of Arboriculture, an arborist trade and research organization, awarded to individuals who meet its experience and testing requirements. In a trade where anyone with a chainsaw and a truck can call themselves a tree company, it’s one of the few credentials that specifically verifies tree-care knowledge, rather than just business licensing. Happy’s has one on staff and is an ISA member company.
When would I book a consultation instead of just getting a quote for work? When the question isn’t "come remove/prune/treat this specific tree" but something broader, a second opinion on work another company recommended, a walk-through of a property you’re about to buy, a full-property assessment before a landscaping or construction project, or a question about a specific tree that doesn’t neatly fit one of our other service pages.
Can you give a second opinion if another tree company already gave me a quote? Yes. We’ll assess the tree(s) independently and tell you honestly whether we agree with the other recommendation, a different approach, or no action at all, including if that means telling you the first quote was right and there’s nothing more to add.
Do you do pre-purchase tree assessments for home buyers? Yes, a walk of the property’s trees before you close, flagging anything that looks like a real structural or health concern versus something cosmetic, so it’s a known factor rather than a surprise after the sale.
Is a consultation the same as a risk assessment? A consultation can include a risk assessment as part of it, but it’s broader, covering the whole property, general health and maintenance planning, and second-opinion questions, not just structural failure risk on one tree. See our tree risk assessment page if that’s specifically what you need.
Available throughout Clearwater and St. Petersburg, and the rest of Pinellas County.
Next step
Call (727) 365-1803 or request a free estimate to book a walk-through with the arborist directly.
Google reviews
Rated 4.9 by 462 of your neighbors.
Reviews · ISA Certified Arborist Consultation & Written Reports
4.9
462 reviews on Google, the count on our public Google listing
“We were looking for a tree service with a certified arborist. We got just what we needed with Happy Tree Service. Steve gave an estimate and knowledgeable advice. They arrived on time did an excellent job and cleaned up all debris. We recommend them and will use them again.”
“Happy trees did an amazing job cutting my trees and providing information. Steve was really nice and knowledgeable. Great communication and pricing. Definitely will be using their service again!!”
Every one of these lives on our public Google listing, where we cannot edit or delete a word. Read them all on Google →
Frequently asked
Questions we get asked on this one.
What does 'ISA Certified Arborist' actually mean?
It’s a credential from the International Society of Arboriculture, an arborist trade and research organization, awarded to individuals who meet its experience and testing requirements. In a trade where anyone with a chainsaw and a truck can call themselves a tree company, it’s one of the few credentials that specifically verifies tree-care knowledge, rather than just business licensing. Happy’s has one on staff and is an ISA member company.
When would I book a consultation instead of just getting a quote for work?
When the question isn’t "come remove/prune/treat this specific tree" but something broader, a second opinion on work another company recommended, a walk-through of a property you’re about to buy, a full-property assessment before a landscaping or construction project, or a question about a specific tree that doesn’t neatly fit one of our other service pages.
Can you give a second opinion if another tree company already gave me a quote?
Yes. We’ll assess the tree(s) independently and tell you honestly whether we agree with the other recommendation, a different approach, or no action at all, including if that means telling you the first quote was right and there’s nothing more to add.
Do you do pre-purchase tree assessments for home buyers?
Yes, a walk of the property’s trees before you close, flagging anything that looks like a real structural or health concern versus something cosmetic, so it’s a known factor rather than a surprise after the sale.
Is a consultation the same as a risk assessment?
A consultation can include a risk assessment as part of it, but it’s broader, covering the whole property, general health and maintenance planning, and second-opinion questions, not just structural failure risk on one tree. See our tree risk assessment page if that’s specifically what you need.
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