Gunnison Tree Specialist

Gunnison was hired by my HOA to come around and pick up limbs and debris that homeowners would put by the curb. We all paid our HOA the pick up fee. After several days of delays, they finally came by and picked up the debris. I was glad to see they finally picked it up, but to my horror, they destroyed my nice zoysia grass, and dug several deep holes with the grappling truck. Attached is the picture after I filled the holes with topsoil. The HOA spoke with the Gunnison coordinator who assured us they would fix it. Never saw them. Now my front lawn looks horrible, cant get enough water on it. I’m out several hundred dollars because of it too. I would not hire these guys again.

We had a very large oak branch (literally the size of a tree) that was compromised hanging over our patio and landscaping in the backyard, so we called a couple tree service companies for estimates. Gunnison was priced right AND we felt comfortable with their level professionalism — which is as important as price. It had been raining a lot, so we had to reschedule the job. We didn’t want our grass trampled and the rain obviously impacts their ability to work. The reschedule was no problem and handled via email. They arrived on time, quickly were able to figure out how to tie off and maneuver the falling branches so they wouldn’t do any damage, and proceed to remove the branch without any issues. The crew worked efficiently to remove the small stuff and throw it in the wood chipper, and they hauled the large logs to the curb where another truck came and removed them a couple days later. When they were done they blew the driveway where the wood chipper had been parked and walked the site with us to make sure we were satisfied with everything. All around great customer service — good communication, friendly crew, completed the job without any damage, fair price. I would use them again and recommend them to neighbors.

Let me start by saying that I have never written a bad review before. However, I am disappointed with how Gunnison has handled our situation. We had used Gunnison for a job a couple of years ago and based on that positive experience, we decided to use Gunnison again to remove 3 extremely large trees from the back of the house. 4 workers showed up on time and did a great job of carefully taking down the trees in an unbelievably quick time. They left the bigger trunk pieces in a neat pile in the road which were then collected the next day.
The issue we have is related to the oil spill left on the road by the mulching machine. This dark black patch is about 8’x5’ right outside our house. I called Gunnison who sent someone out to clean it but they only removed about one fifth of the oil patch. I called the office again to ask that someone be sent to clean the area but no-​one has come out and it’s been over 2 months. I’ve sent various emails and included pictures of how terrible the mess is but have not received a response. This is very disappointing and I regret paying the invoice so promptly because now there is no incentive for them to act… apart from having a conscience to do what’s right.

My husband and I had a tree in the front yard that was about ¹⁄₃ dead. We probably could have waited to get it taken down — but I’m a «better safe than sorry» kind of person. I wanted to go with a company who was fully licensed and insured. Not only did Gunnison quote out a VERY FAIR price, but they were able to get us on the schedule the very next week!
We set up a day and time (I was told I didn’t need to be there, but I work from home anyways), and unfortunately we got rained out and we had to understandably reschedule. But they showed up the very next next business day!
A crew of 4 men set to work right away, with ropes and pulleys and hard hats. They worked like a well-​oiled machine: cutting, carefully lowering with pulleys and belays, and then chopping and tossing limbs into the wood chipper. My neighbor/​friend and I watched and ate lunch from her driveway across the street. The entire tree was down in a little over an hour. The whole time I was impressed beyond words at how efficient the team was, and how safe they were with all these chainsaws and «falling» limbs.
When they were done, they raked up the debris, blew off the yard and street, and left my yard in pretty good shape. The thicker limbs and the trunk could obviously not fit through the wood chipper, so they were left in tidy piles in my yard near the street where (only 2 business days later) a big truck with a crane (I’ve been told it’s called a «grapple») was able to come pick them up and haul them away.
Let me tell you about the Grapple Operator: that man has the delicate touch of a brain surgeon! He moved that giant machine with such finesse — it was like watching a ballet. It was amazing: the way he picked up the tiniest (but not really tiny) of branches with just a corner of the claw to delicately arrange them so he could get more limbs per scoop, and the power of the machine that was able to lift the giant tree trunk as if it weighed nothing at all! And when he was done, he raked up the remaining debris, stomped down a few divots in the grass, and went on his merry way quick as a bunny!
Everyone I’ve encountered at this company was just as nice as could be, and I would absolutely recommend Gunnison to anyone looking to get a tree taken out. The speed and efficiency of this company, as well as the way they tidy up after themselves, really made a mark on me!

Let me preface my review with a few remarks. I have been a homeowner in Atlanta for over 12 years, and I have had to maintain, prune and remove trees not only on my property, but also at my girlfriend’s house as well as on neighbors’ properties. I used the services of two companies before I settled on a third company permanently; I was really impressed with the professionalism and knowledge of that last company, owned and operated by an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist (the highest credential of the International Society of Arboriculture;
). Every year since 2007, I have had this arborist inspect and take care of a very large (52″ diameter) water oak located in the back of my property, between my neighbor’s house and mine, about 15 feet away from each. Therefore I consider that I have a lot of experience with this type of tree service. Finally, let me add that I have three degrees in Mechanical Engineering, including a Ph. D from Georgia Tech.
On a Saturday, a major branch of the oak fell in my backyard, breaking several medium-​size branches in its fall and breaking the symmetry of the canopy: most of the weight was now located over our two houses. I contacted my arborist right away, and he sent his crew on Monday morning. A climbing inspection revealed that there was major crack in the trunk, and that the tree was now in imminent danger of crushing the houses. The climber told me that he did not feel safe being in the tree, and that it had to be cut down. Since access to our backyards is limited, he indicated that a crane would be necessary to do the work from the street.
My arborist does not have a crane, so he made some calls and informed me that Gunnison would be able to come over on Tuesday to determine if theirs was large enough for the job. That morning, Matt Cathell, the owner of Gunnison, came over, and I explained the situation to him, pointing out the crack and the comments from the climber. Matt said they would prioritize the job, given the severity of the problem. He did not discuss how the job would be done but I assumed that a crane would be involved. Later on that day, I exchanged email with Kelly at the Gunnison office and signed the estimate and the consent forms. She assured me that she knew that the tree was hazardous and that she would call me that same day to update me on when they would be able to fit me in their schedule. She did so a few hours later, to inform me that a crew was at my house.
When I got there, there was no crane. I talked to Taylor, the foreman and Bobcat operator. His tone was very condescending, and when I mentioned the crack, I realized he did not know about it. One of his men was already in the tree, above the crack. That did not seem to bother Taylor, who said that his climber «was the best» and was going to do what was necessary. He and his men worked very fast (a little too fast in my opinion) and although I have no problem with the «cowboy» mentality that this line of work seems to bring out in a lot of guys, I do expect safety to be the number one priority; I was not favorably impressed. I then went to my backyard, and I observed the installation of a line tied to the oak, then looped around a medium-​sized tree in the backyard, and attached to the Bobcat; I assumed that the purpose of that line was to secure the tree while climbers would take limbs down. I had a bad feeling about all this and I emailed my arborist, explaining the situation. He called me right away, and expressed surprise that there was no crane. As I was speaking to him on my cell phone, standing in the street, I saw the whole tree fall backwards in the yard. My arborist said: «They did what? Was it on purpose?» I went to check, and it had indeed been planned that way: the purpose of that line was to fell the whole tree by having the climber chainsawing it about 30 feet above the ground and the Bobcat pulling on it. If that rope had snapped, or if the smaller tree around which it was looped had broken, there would have been no way to control the fall, and the oak could even have snapped back and crushed the houses. The crew did not even bother to warn me or my neighbor to leave our houses before they attempted their stunt. My arborist and I were appalled.
Taylor, and later, Matt, told me that the climber had 15 years of experience and had made the decision that, given the situation, this was the safest way to take down the tree. Matt pointed out that I should have been appreciative of his effort to fit me in that day, despite a very busy schedule, and that ultimately, I had no reason to complain, because no damage had occurred. I was indeed very appreciative of the same-​day service, but I did not realize that I had to abandon my expectations of basic safety standards to obtain it. My arborist felt really bad about referring me to Gunnison, and said that its climber took «a ridiculous risk» and that he got the tree down with «dumb luck.»

After reading so many reviews, I am surprised by the experience by others. A family member referred me and I thought it was worth a shot. Matt came out within days (Thanks to Brittany arranging).
Matt walked our HOA community and saw the locations that needed the work done. I received the estimate within 1 business day which was reasonable. The scope of work included cutting back trees, with many of a very large size. The on site supervisor that came out who recently started with them was also awesome. The only concern I had was the large tree limbs falling on our property, which they promptly changed their approach to remove them along the side of the homes instead.
I had no date changes, was invoiced quickly and they were very flexible in questions on estimates, confirmation of dates, and us are reducing the scope of work while on site. Matt returned back to see the section we did not need done due to a new development area near our community already removing the trees. They offered a reduced price that made it reasonable as well.
I would highly recommend them for your future needs, the stump grinder took an extra day or two but was resolved within the same week.

I would not use Gunnison again. I had no problem getting an estimate. They seemed to know exactly what I wanted. There was a single omission on the statement of work, which I cleared up right away. It took a week or so to get on the schedule but the crew performed the work on time and completed the clean-​up the following day. The problem was, they didn’t do all of the work as laid out in the statement of work. The salesman called and argued with me a little until I pointed out they agreed to do it on the statement of work. They promised to come back the next time they were in my area, which took almost a month. Then there were reschedules and last minute cancellations. They insisted I be present this time to ensure the work was completed correctly, so I had to keep rearranging my schedule at work to accommodate their last minute cancellations. My time is worth more than my money, and they are a hassle to deal with.

Gunnison Tree Specialist did a quick job of getting down a pretty tricky tree in our yard at a competitive price. All interactions I’ve had with the staff have been fairly pleasant and they seem to be good people However… beyond that, my experience with Gunnison Tree Specialist has been a nightmare. I feel like our job was one that perpetually «fell through the cracks» for them. Our yard was torn up and left full of debris. I had to call them to come back over and clean up and repair two retaining walls that had bricks knocked out of them. The logs sat in our street for nearly 2 weeks before being removed. A skylight was busted during the tree removal that took them two months to repair (meanwhile they layer a tarp on my roof to cover up the hole and I had to go up and re-​secure it about once a week) and now even the skylight is leaking. In an effort to make things right, I was offered a 4% discount. That’s right… 4%! I’ve never, in my life, bad mouthed a company in the service business. I worked in construction and food service for long enough to know that things happen and expectations are not met. But usually when that is the case a company will do what it takes to make that right. This has not been my experience with Gunnison Tree Specialists. I’m still trying to get this sorted out and if they somehow manage to do what it takes to make this right, I will come back and amend my review, but my experience, thus far, tells me that is unlikely.

Contacted Gunnison Tree Specialist for a routine pruning asked for an estimate through their website a received almost immediate response. They were able to come out the same day and Andrew who provided the estimate was knowledgeable and provided a very detailed estimate and also gave several helpful hints. We agreed with the estimate and scheduled Gunnison to come out.
Unfortunately the rest of my experience with Gunnison was not as smooth. Gunnison had to reschedule service once, which was understandable since it was the day after a big storm and emergency calls took priority.
We then rescheduled for the following week. The morning before our appointment we called to confirm… everything was set and we cleared our work schedule for the following day. Late that afternoon (after 3), we received a call from Gunnison telling us that our appointment was canceled and we had to reschedule yet again (losing one work day)
We asked for a morning appointment for the following Saturday, the individual who scheduled was very pleasant and assured us we would have a morning appointment. The morning of the appointment came and went… no contact from Gunnison till early afternoon, apologizing that they would not be able to make it. Canceling the appointment yet again.
Everyone who I contacted was pleasant and friendly, but at this point I would not recommend Gunnison. I can understand emergency service takes priority, but canceling after confirming an appointment is bad. Canceling well after the appointment time window is unacceptable. At this point we have lost one full work day and one full Saturday due to Gunnison’s inability to properly schedule/​contact their customers.

Gunnison Tree Specialist is a first call tree service organization! Everyone in the organization is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I would recommend their services to anybody.
Matt and the rest of the guys at GTS do what they say they are going to do. By doing the job right the first time they consistently earn loyal customers. GTS provides quality work at a reasonable price. Whether you need a tree cut back or removed completely, contact GTS.