Tree Service in Laguna Hills, CA
Since 2004, an Office of City Forester has guarded the trees on Laguna Hills streets, parks and creeks. Private lots are where our tree service in Laguna Hills comes in, with pruning and removal, and we say plainly if the city controls a tree.
Tree care in Laguna Hills
A young city on old ranch land
Laguna Hills is one of Orange County's younger cities, but its land has a long past. It was ranch land for decades. Lewis Moulton bought it in 1894, and the Moulton Ranch was split up in the early 1960s to build homes. Residents voted 86% to form a city in March 1991, and it became official that December. In 2004 the city passed its tree ordinance. It covers trees on streets, in parks, on open space and along creeks, and no one may prune or remove them without a permit. The state's new fire hazard maps, the first update since 2007, also cover the city.
In Laguna Hills, the first question is simple: is the tree on your lot, or on city land?
The list
Light pruning, street-clearance lifts and removals in Laguna Hills
Supreme Tree Experts prunes lightly, lifts limbs for street clearance and removes yard trees in Laguna Hills. For a tree on a steep back slope behind a wall, the usual call goes to Supreme Tree Experts.
Tree Removal
We take down yard trees in Laguna Hills in sections, lowering each piece clear of walls and slopes. Trees on streets, parks, creeks and open space fall under the city's 2004 tree ordinance. Work on those needs a Public Services Director permit, so we check first.
Tree Trimming & Pruning
Branches over a street need 14.5 feet of clearance, and over a sidewalk, 9 feet. We lift and shorten your overhanging limbs to meet those heights. The tree keeps its natural form, and nothing gets topped along the way.
Stump Grinding & Stump Removal
Once a yard tree is down, we grind its stump low so a new tree can go in. A city tree removed under permit must be replaced inch for inch within three months. On your own lot, the choice of what to plant is yours.
Palm Tree Trimming & Skinning
Date palms can pass Fusarium wilt from tree to tree on dirty saws. The city makes its crews clean tools between palms, and we do the same. From our lift truck, we trim spent fronds and skin old frond bases for a smooth trunk.
Emergency Tree Service
If a tree on your lot falls on the house or blocks the drive, our crew answers 24/7. Slope lots get the footing checked before anyone climbs. Then the tree is cut free and the wood is chipped on site.
Tree Maintenance
Many yard trees went in with the first homes, after the old ranch was split up in the early 1960s. Now full grown, they need checks for weak forks and dead wood. A light trim each visit keeps them in balance.
Tree Height Reduction
The city does not trim or remove its trees to restore a view or cut litter. On your own lot, we can lower a tall tree with proper reduction cuts, never topping. That opens the hills again without harming the tree.
Estate Tree Care
Larger lots get a yearly plan instead of a one-off visit. The city removes no more than a quarter of a mature tree's leaves, and a tenth from a live oak. We keep to those same limits on your trees.
Tree Shaping & Shrub Shearing
The city does not prune a street tree that a resident has sheared into a hedge shape. So we keep the sheared look for your own shrubs and hedges, trimmed on a cycle. Street trees are left to grow naturally.
Landscaping
The state's new fire hazard maps, the first since 2007, cover Laguna Hills. In a Very High zone, new buildings need 100 feet of defensible space. We plan yard planting that fits your zone and keeps trees back from the eaves.
Hardscape
On these sloped lots, paths and low walls need a firm base and good drainage. We set them where water runs away from trunks and foundations. Big roots get room, so the stone stays level for years.
How we work in Laguna Hills, before anything is cut
- 01.
Whose tree is it?
Our arborist notes if the tree grows in a street, park or creek area the city owns. If so, the Public Services Director must approve first.
- City or private, checked
- Live oaks handled gently
- 02.
Agree the cuts
You hear which limbs come off and why. On a mature tree we keep to about a quarter of the leaves, and less on an oak.
- No topping
- Slope access worked out
- 03.
Crew day
Limbs come down on ropes so nothing rolls down the slope; brush is chipped and stumps ground if you ask.
- Brush chipped on site
- Walks swept before we go
Laguna Hills city trees, sloped yards and a crew that sorts them out
Tree work goes wrong when it is rushed or under-equipped. We run our own 75-foot boom trucks, lift trucks, chippers and stump grinders, and every crew works under an ISA Certified Arborist — so the job gets done right the first time.
We hold California license #1002853 for both landscaping and tree and palm work, we are bonded, we carry general liability and every employee is on workers’ compensation.
ISA Certified Arborist
Our free arborist visit sorts yard trees from city ones. The city tree ordinance covers streets, parks, creeks and open space, and work there needs a Public Services permit.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
On a sloped Laguna Hills yard, ask who is covered. Each person on our crew has insurance, the firm is bonded, and our license, 1002853, holds both tree and landscape classes.
Southern California Since 1985
Our family business began in 1985 — six years before Laguna Hills residents voted to become a city in 1991.
Our Own Equipment
Slopes like the one on La Paz Road are common here. Our 75-foot booms lean out over back walls; brush leaves in our chippers.
Reviews to read before you book in Laguna Hills
Every word below was written by a customer on Google, not by us. Long reviews are shortened to fit the card — never reworded. None of them was left in Laguna Hills: they come from customers across Southern California. Read them for how a crew behaves on a job, then decide whether that is who you want in Laguna Hills.
“Great pricing & service. Highly competent with tricky jobs. We have used them for more than 10 years.”
Melanie Butler
Local Guide
“We got bids from five contractors. After I talked to them all and checked out their licenses and work, we decided to go with Supreme. … The job took a day and a half, and when they were done, they left the place immaculate.”
Hank Shaeffer
“Great tree trimmers! I’ve used Supreme Tree Experts twice to trim the palm trees in my yard. … The guys who come out are quick thorough, and clean. And very careful not to damage property.”
Emilie Pacheco
“These guys have worked on my property 3 times now. They are always on time and do a fantastic job. I highly recommend them!”
Ray Thompson
“After soliciting several quotes on some difficult yard work, we chose Supreme because of their licensed Arborist Temis … The crew was extremely hard working and we couldn’t believe their continuous work ethic on one of the hottest days of the year.”
Gary Brown
Local Guide
Before you book in Laguna Hills
6 questions worth having answered before you book tree work in Laguna Hills. If yours is not here, call 877-787-7363 and ask.
Not without a permit. Under the city tree ordinance, no one may prune, cut, spray or remove a tree in a public place — a street, sidewalk, park or open space — without a permit from the Public Services Director. If a street tree needs work, ask the city first.
No. The city tree ordinance says the city will not remove, trim or change a tree for litter, or to protect or restore a view. The city does remove trees it finds hazardous. If you think a city tree is dangerous, report it to the city.
It must be replaced, inch for inch. Anyone who removes a city tree under permit must replant within three months. A 12-inch tree, for example, is replaced by six 2-inch trees or four 3-inch trees, with a one-year guarantee. The city decides where they go.
Check the state map. The State Fire Marshal updated the zones for Laguna Hills, the first update since 2007. In a Very High zone, new buildings need 100 feet of defensible space. In a High zone, fire-resistant building rules apply. The city's Fire Hazard Severity Zone page links to the map.
Yes — $600 for tree services, wherever the job is. Here, a steep back slope or a tree behind a wall often matters more to the price than tree size.
Yes, 24/7. A limb can fail at any hour — the city keeps its own tree crews on 24-hour call for the same reason. Call 877-787-7363.
Laguna Hills and its surroundings
Laguna Hills sits on rolling hills, with Interstate 5 along its eastern edge.
- ZIP code
- 92653