Urban Timber Tree Service has been proudly serving Portland, Oregon, since 2014, offering expert tree care services including tree removal, trimming, cabling, stump grinding, tree health and pest control for trees. Founded by licensed arborist Jeremy Wagener, we are committed to preserving Portland’s urban canopy and enhancing the beauty and safety of residential and commercial properties. As a family-owned business, we combine skilled certified arborists with state-of-the-art equipment to deliver exceptional tree care. In 2024, Willamette Week recognized Urban Timber as Portland’s Best Tree Service, a reflection of our dedication to quality and customer satisfaction. Contact us today for a free estimate and experience top-tier tree care!
About Urban Timber Tree Service
We hired Urban Timber to prune some trees in our yard after reading lots of great reviews. When their sales guy came out to assess the project, he recommended pruning a tall, majestic spruce tree in our yard to “remove dead branches” and “make it so we could walk under it”. We agreed and signed the work order. On the day of the service the arborists came out and did a walkthrough with us. They never actually verified what was in the work order with us or communicated how much they planned to trim the tree — we assumed that since we were home they would check with us before making any drastic changes. We had just had a newborn so we were busy most of the day, and hours later they came in and asked us if we wanted more branches cut from the tree. We looked outside and were shocked — they had cut easily 12 feet of branches from the base of the tree. In no world is this a normal way to trim a spruce like this, and at no point during them cutting did they stop to ask us if we really wanted that much cut off. You can see before and after photos in this review. We talked to Duncan, our sales guy, and his response was essentially to deflect any responsibility and said “you signed the work order” — which is obviously a pretty bad way to respond to a scenario where you’ve made a pretty bad and permanent change to someone’s yard, and I’m kinda shocked they wouldn’t even attempt to make it right. No refund or credit, no “hey that sucks, our bad, we really should have checked with you first before starting the work, here’s how we can make it right”, just “it’s your fault”. We’re really bummed about our tree. Those branches are never going to grow back and the look of the tree (and the privacy and shade it gave us) is forever changed. Should we have read the work order more carefully? Perhaps. But in all the years we’ve had any work done on our house, this is the first time a contractor hasn’t at least checked with us when they’re onsite to make sure they’re doing the work we want. And then it’s also a first for that same contractor to not even attempt to make it right or take some kind of responsibility. We hired them to be experts and to ensure we were happy with the look of our yard — to suggest that we should be experts on how much a tree should be trimmed based on a work order and a vague description without any detail on the day the work is being done is simply ridiculous. Plus side: the arborists were very nice, and the rest of work they did was good. But this experience ensures we will never work with them again. It sounds like others who have worked with Urban Timber have had better experiences where communication was strong. Unfortunately ours was not so. I really have never taken time to write a bad review about any business because I always want to give feedback privately and get things resolved before trying to do anything to publicly disdain a business’ reputation — in this case they kinda left me no other outlet.
The arborist was experienced, listened, and help us form a good plan. He double-checked everything with us before the work started. We had two trees taken out. The crew left rounds from those and larger branches, as we requested. On time, efficient, careful-- and worked as a team, friendly with each other. They cleaned up all debris. We also had the company come out and fertilize a couple of ailing, older trees -- a very large, ornamental cherry, and a hemlock. Time will tell on these. Very satisfied.
I called Urban Timber for a 2nd opinion after being told that my Hemlock was dead and needed to come down. I am so grateful that I called them. They came out and assessed the hemlock and a spruce and gave me a very reasonable bid to trim both and to give the hemlock an injection to boost the health of it. Eric, August, and Will were all extremely kind and considerate of my yard. They cleaned my trees up beautifully and cleaned up the yard as well. I will always call Urban Timber and absolutely feel confident in their work and expertise!
Urban Timber Services did an outstanding job from start to finish. Their team was professional, reliable, and clearly takes pride in their work. Communication was excellent throughout the entire process, and they delivered exactly what was promised—on time and with great attention to detail. The quality of their craftsmanship truly stands out, and the final result exceeded my expectations. If you’re looking for a company that values quality, integrity, and customer satisfaction, I highly recommend Urban Timber Services.
The Urban Timber Team came out and pruned our sweet gum and a couple arborvitae in the front yard. The whole process was easy from start to finish. Got an estimate at a great price. Scheduling was easy and they came out within a couple weeks to do the work. They got everything pruned just as we discussed. Very happy with the quality of their work.