Pruning Specialties

We had a very large persimmons tree as well as a pair of apricot trees, which we inherited with a new house in Santa Clara, which had long since been neglected.
Mark was an expert. He’s a certified arborist and in particular with fruit trees that matters. a *lot*. Don’t let the other tree guys tell you they know how to handle fruit trees unless they’re certified (and most of them will make up clever lies or talk around it). Mark’s an expert, and he has the experience we wanted for sure. As he explains, it’s not just a matter of trimming trees. you’re really training them for what you want them to do.
I would recommend Mark’s services to anyone. He took the time and care that the job called for, and was more than fair in every respect. Go with an expert. and don’t look further than Pruning Specialists.
note: I do not know Mark or anyone from the company, this is an unbiased review based on using him for the first time recently

I’ve never consulted an arborist, and admittedly had some concerns about what I would find with a consultation. But I had some mature fruit trees that were dying, and I needed help. In short, I’m quite impressed. I spoke directly with Mark Barton, and he identified the issue and offered solutions.
Mark was very patient with his explanations and approaches. He was very knowledgeable about what was killing the tree (a fungus), and provided a number of suggestions to help the tree out. Additionally, he explained the circumstances which led to problem, and how to correct it.
He has an awesome breadth of knowledge, but his interaction with us was even more refreshing. He was friendly and straight forward. Much appreciated (especially, since I was a bit flaky, initially). Very approachable and easy to get a hold of.
I look forward to using Mark’s services in the future for the rest of my trees.

I had Mark Barton, the owner of Pruning Specialties, over today to consult on several tree issues in my yard. In summary, Mark far exceeded my expectations.
He was exactly what I was looking for — an experienced arborist, with an amazing breadth of knowledge, who knew all facets of a tree’s development and who cared about trees and keeping them healthy. His specialty is fruit trees and he seems very careful about using pest control techniques that are sustainable and have minimum collateral impact on the environment.
Mark spent over two hours with my wife and I and provided a wealth of information. He was very open about everything — not hiding any information — and was comfortable with me doing the work later or hiring him for further work. An important area for us was information on drip systems and how to better set them up to support our trees during this drought. He made a number of suggestions — we hadn’t been doing it properly and have a number of trees in stress. Mark also provided many landscaping tips regarding tree root systems and how to mitigate their impact on buildings and other nearby plantings — I wish we had had his direction before we planted a number of trees.
One aspect that I appreciated was his very analytical approach approach to problem solving. Determining the root cause of a tree problem by walking though all the symptoms in a very methodical way. And then providing very clear answers that were based on university and arborist research, rather than «I think this might be better.»
And finally, in my discussions and dealing with him today, I felt Mark to be a person of high integrity who cared about doing right by his customers and keeping them happy. He was very clear about his billing and what was or was not included. He stayed much longer than his «paid» time because he wanted to make sure we had all our questions answered.
If you have any issues with trees, Mark is the person to go to. I will definitely use Mark’s services again.

The reply by Mark B to my review is not accurate. He is thinking of the wrong person. I never had those conversations with him. The fact is that almost all trimmers include debris cleanup in their price. How hard is it to just drop the trimmed branches into a green recycling container AS you trim them from a tree. This doesn’t take any extra effort or time! The additional charge for debris clean-​up is just a price gouge.

I had a very pleasant experience when working with Mark. At that time, I was seeking for an arborist’s opinions about how to deal with a big tree in my front yard.
I talked to a few arborists before reaching to Mark. Mark is very different from the others. Mark is a true arborist. Unlike others who just focused on removing the tree, Mark gave me invaluable knowledge about how to live better with the trees.
He also found out that my tree is not the species that I thought of. Again, no other arborist noticed the slight difference. After all, Mark gave me a very reasonable quote and is lower than others. How can I be happier with this? When the time comes to prune the tree in my backyard, I will surely ask for Mark’s help.

I requested a permit from the City of San Jose to remove a Siberian Elm tree from my back yard. It has been losing major limbs at an alarming rate in the past couple of years and I believed it had become a hazard.
Due to the size of the tree the city required a report from a Certified Arborist as to the health of the tree.
Mark was referred to me by an acquaintance and I called him and explained the problems I had experienced recently with the tree.
Mark talked to me on the phone for at least half an hour and asked me a series of questions about the tree.
He came out the next day at the appointed time carefully examined the tree and took a series of pictures of the tree to document the problems he saw. He explained what he was seeing and what kind of infestation he was finding during the entire process.
As he was leaving he noted a couple of young fruit trees that i had not pruned this year. He asked if I was interested in learning how to prune them properly. i said I yes and he retrieved his tools and showed me how to properly prune these trees by showing me where he was cutting and why and what he was trying to accomplish by each cut. He pruned several limbs on each of the trees and I later had no problems in completing the pruning.
The next day he e-​mailed me the completed «certified Arborist» report required by the City. His cost was what he had stated it would be and there was no extra cost for the «pruning Lesson».
I am very pleased with the services he provided. He was prompt and completed the report in a timely and professional manner.
I would recommend him highly and would hire him again. In fact I intend to use him next year for a couple of fruit trees that are too large for me to prune.
Sandy R.

Update:
Mark called me back, in response to my review. He apologized for «dropping the ball» and offered to «Make Good» on our transaction — so that’s a definite plus.
At this point, we have already dealt with the branches that were left behind — so it’s not like he can un-​do what was done. He *did* offer a partial refund — which was appreciated.
I stand by my earlier assessment that you absolutely SHOULD state your expectations clearly, up-​front. He’s definitely a busy guy — especially in early-​spring — and I can see where things can easily get «forgotten.»
So play it safe and re-​confirm your expectations when he arrives.
I’m still very satisfied with the pruning job…

He may be knowledgeable but my overall experience with him is not that great. Be careful when hiring him. I definitely would not recommend
him.

We have been customers for around ten years. Mark has been prompt, courteous very knowledgeable and efficient. We appreciate his service and look forward to many years more.

We called Mark because our 40 year old Cherry tree started looking diseased and we really wanted to save it. While I researched other companies, Pruning Specialties stood out because as an Arborist, Mark’s information was all about maintaining and saving trees. When my husband described the symptoms we were seeing with Cherry tree on the phone, Mark guessed correctly what the problem might be and told us to look for specific issues in the tree — things that we had not noticed ourselves.
We exchanged a couple of calls about rates (very reasonable) and work to be done and Mark was prompt about returning our calls and setting up an appointment. Mark arrived for his appointment on time and the next hour was an eye-​opener for me. I learnt about all the things we were doing right, all the things we were doing wrong and how to fix it.
He pointed out bug problems and made observations about my trees (peach, pomegranate and orange in addition to the cherry tree) and taught me what to look for. We made a plan on things we will try to save the Cherry tree. I plan to have Mark take care of all our future tree needs. Mark’s passion for his work and the community comes through when you talk to him and I highly recommend his services.

Mark helps me to identify a sick tree (infested by thrips) in my new backyard that have been poorly cared for by the previous owners. He is very knowledge and give me lots of very useful tips on curing this tree. I would definitely consult him again in the future.
I would strongly recommend Mark to whoever needs a professional tree specialist!

Mark Barton has been taking care of the trees on our property for many years. He performed tree surgery on one of our beautiful maples several years ago, and that maple has come back to health as a consequence of Mark’s skill. In addition to being a technical expert on the diseases and maintenance of trees, Mark is an artist. His artistry has created the two beautifully shaped maple trees in our front yard. Furthermore, we will not let PGE touch any of the trees across our backyard property line. Only Mark is allowed to trim those trees so that they remain beautiful as well as healthy. We firmly believe beautiful trees increase property values and enhance our neighborhoods. If you have trees that need pruning or require the help of a skilled arborist, give Mark a call. He’s the best!

Mark is great at what he does and is extremely knowledgeable. I’ve had him do the pruning in my yard (about 6 fruit trees) and after being very happy with his work I had him come back and put in a whole new drip irrigation system in my yard… which works great. He’s honest about his pricing as well as what he can do and what he can’t. I had asked him if he could remove a 15 yr. redwood tree from my yard and though he is a certified arborist, he was honest about his capabilities which I really appreciated. My husband and I have recommended him to others and will continue to do so. He does excellent work.

Mark does know his stuff and more, he did such an awesome job on my Olive tree that had basically gotten out of control and some others. I recommend him highly

Mark Barton, owner of Pruning Specialties, knows his stuff. I inherited eight vigorously healthy fruit trees from the previous owners of my home. He can prune anything– in my case: orange, pomegranate, fig, plum, apple, apricot, almond, and peach. I tried keeping up with them on my own, but after the birth of my son I needed some help. Mark not only brought my trees down to a manageable size, but showed me how to do proper cuts on my own (when I’ll hopefully have more time).
I was first introduced to Mark when I took a tree-​pruning course at Almaden Valley Nursery. I brought home SO much information, but while pregnant, and then taking care my boy, I just couldn’t keep up with the work. Even though I thought I had a good grasp on the task after the workshop, I learned so much more while he was here taking care of my own trees. There is no circumstance in which I wouldn’t recommend Mark Barton Pruning Specialties. He brought my overgrown apricot and fig back into control (they were HUGE). He taught me where and how to make cuts. I learned how to care for my shears and snips. If you care at all about your trees, they couldn’t be in better hands, Mark Barton knows the Bay Area, knows trees, and knows how to give them the best care.
At the end of the day, the check I wrote was a little less than I expected. He was upfront about his costs, but I had priced several vendors. I attribute it to the fact that there was rain threatening on the horizon, and I had been following him around the yard, gleaning as much information as I could, and so our conversations took up as least as much time as the actual pruning.