4.9 · 462 Google reviews · Licensed & Insured
Meet the ISA Certified Arborist on Our Crew
Every assessment we write is signed by an ISA Certified Arborist on staff - not a salesperson with a clipboard. Book an assessment: (727) 365-1803.
“This was the second time I'd hired Happy's to take down some dead trees and I couldn't be happier with the job they did. First off they gave me a great price for the amount of work I needed done.”
- 462 Google reviews
- Licensed & Insured
- ISA Certified Arborist on staff
- Pinellas since 1989
There is an ISA Certified Arborist on staff at Happy’s Tree Service, the credential is held by a person, the way ISA certifications always are.
The arborist reviews the tough calls, and a fair share of the time the recommendation is pruning, cabling, or nothing at all, not removal. An ISA certification is held by a person, not a company, and it is verifiable in the ISA’s public registry. Ask any company bidding your tree who on their staff holds the certification, then check the name in the ISA’s public registry.
Why it matters that he is on staff
Most tree companies quoting work in Pinellas County do not employ an arborist. They employ estimators. An estimator is paid to close the job in front of him, and the one thing an estimator will almost never tell you is that your tree does not need to come down.
our arborist’s job includes telling you that. He walks the tree before we put a number on it, and a fair share of the time the recommendation is reduction pruning, or cabling, or moving the target that sits under the limb, not removal. That is a worse day for the invoice and a better one for the customer, and it is the difference between hiring a tree service and hiring a tree removal service.
What an assessment actually involves
It is not a glance from the driveway. A proper look at a mature tree covers:
Species and stage of life
A laurel oak at sixty is a completely different proposition from a live oak at sixty, and UF/IFAS useful-life figures are the reason.
The root plate
Lifting turf, a slight lean that was not there last year, cut roots from a driveway or a pool trench, saturated ground after a wet week.
The trunk and unions
Cavities, old wounds, included bark at codominant stems, fungal fruiting bodies at the base, the things that decide whether a green canopy is telling the truth.
The canopy
Deadwood distribution, dieback pattern, end weight on long horizontals, previous topping cuts and the weak regrowth they produced.
The target
What is underneath it, how often, and for how long. A defective limb over a shed is a different risk from the same limb over a bedroom.
The output is a plain-English recommendation, and where a written report is needed, one that is signed rather than anonymous. See tree risk assessment for how that process works and the arborist consultation report for what a written one contains.
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.
Where a credential is not just marketing
Several Pinellas County ordinances require an arborist, and that is checkable:
Pinellas County § 58-813(b)(2)(b)
lets an applicant supply their own tree rating assessment by a "qualified professional", the county’s definition includes a certified arborist, instead of accepting county staff’s grade.
Clearwater § 4-1202.A
requires a tree inventory prepared by a certified arborist, plus a tree preservation plan, on every commercial, multi-family and subdivision tree permit. Not optional.
Pinellas Park § 18-408(C) and § 18-420
waive the replacement requirement and the permit fee for a dead or hazardous tree only "as determined by an arborist certified by the ISA or a Florida licensed landscape architect."
Seminole § 62-36(a)
waives the mitigation fee where a report by a certified arborist finds the tree diseased, dead, in severe decline or a safety threat, and § 62-35(a) requires a signed arborist report with the application for any live oak or laurel oak of four inches DBH or more.
Dunedin
requires that Grand Tree canopy and root pruning be performed by or under the direct supervision of an "Approved Arborist," which its code defines as ISA Certified or ASCA Registered Consulting.
On Florida Statute § 163.045
There is one more place a credential appears in Florida law, and it deserves a precise answer rather than a confident one.
Section 163.045 lets a single-family homeowner remove a dangerous tree without a local permit, but only on signed, on-site documentation from an ISA Certified Arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect. The 2022 amendment additionally requires that the assessment be performed to the ISA Best Management Practices – Tree Risk Assessment, 2nd Edition methodology, which is the standard behind the ISA TRAQ qualification. TRAQ is a separate credential from ISA Certified Arborist, ask any company which of the two they hold.
So: we explain that law in full because homeowners in this county need it explained, and we do not claim on this site that we can produce § 163.045 documentation.
Frequently asked questions
What does ISA Certified actually mean? It is a professional certification from the International Society of Arboriculture, earned by examination and maintained through continuing education. It is not a business license and it is not something a company holds, an individual holds it. Ask any tree company you are considering who on their staff holds it, not whether the company "is certified."
Will the arborist come to my estimate? That is the point of having one on staff. He assesses the tree before we quote.
Can he tell me my tree is fine? Yes, and he does. It is the most common reason a customer ends up spending less than they expected.
How do I check a certification? The ISA maintains a public verification tool for certified arborists. Use it, on us, and on anyone else bidding your work. See ISA Certified Arborist vs. "a guy with a truck".
Call (727) 365-1803 to book an assessment anywhere in Pinellas County.
Google reviews
Rated 4.9 by 462 of your neighbors.
Reviews · Meet the ISA Certified Arborist on Our Crew
4.9
462 reviews on Google, the count on our public Google listing
“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!!”
“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.”
Every one of these lives on our public Google listing, where we cannot edit or delete a word. Read them all on Google →