Tree Service in Malibu, CA
In Malibu, fire, slides and native tree rules shape every tree job, and native trees with trunks over 6 inches need the City Biologist's review. Every Malibu tree service job we take follows those rules, whether we trim or remove.
Tree care in Malibu
21 miles of coast, and a long fire record
In Malibu, tree work starts with two questions: is the tree native, and is it a fire risk? The city stretches along 21 miles of beaches and has burned again and again. A 1993 fire destroyed 739 homes, Woolsey took 1,500 structures in 2018, and Franklin burned 4,037 acres in 2024, before the Palisades Fire in 2025. Native trees with trunks over 6 inches need the City Biologist's review. New homes need fuel zones reaching up to 200 feet out. In September 2026, the city issued its 100th rebuild permit.
Here, a dead tree near the house is a fire question before it is a garden question.
Who governs tree work in Malibu
City of Malibu
Tree work in Malibu follows the city's own tree rules. Malibu has five native, protected trees that require a permit before being trimmed or removed: Oak, Sycamore, Alder, Walnut, and Toyon. Rules change. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction before work begins — filing a permit is the property owner's responsibility, not ours.
Source: Biology / Landscaping | Malibu, CA - Official Website
What we handle
Burned trees out, natives kept: Malibu removal, palms and pruning
Supreme Tree Experts removes burned trees, trims palms and grinds stumps in Malibu, where larger native trees need city review. After a fire leaves dead trees above a canyon drive, Malibu owners turn to Supreme Tree Experts.
Tree Removal
We remove hazardous and fire-killed trees in Malibu, cutting protected natives only after city review. A burned native may come out when an arborist's report and the City Biologist agree it cannot recover. Other yard trees we take down in sections.
Tree Trimming & Pruning
Pruning here keeps each yard tree's natural shape, and our crews plan every cut around natives nearby. Malibu protects five native trees, among them oak, sycamore and toyon, and trimming one needs a permit. We check the list before any saw starts.
Stump Grinding & Stump Removal
Charred stumps on rebuild lots get ground down below the soil by our crew. That clears the site for building crews or new planting. Burned roots near the surface come out too, and the chips can stay as mulch or be hauled off.
Palm Tree Trimming & Skinning
Before fire season, we take dry fronds and stalks off palms and skin the trunks from our lift truck. This coast has burned again and again, from 1993 to 2024. A clean trunk leaves far less dry fuel beside the house.
Emergency Tree Service
When a tree comes down on your home or drive, our crew answers any hour, 24/7. Winter rain after a fire can loosen slopes, and trees on them can fall fast. We make the area safe, then clear and chip the wood.
Tree Maintenance
Our yearly visits clear dead wood and raise low limbs before fire weather sets in. Each tree is checked for cracks, decay and stress from heat and drought. Steep canyon lots get a close look at root hold as well.
Tree Height Reduction
We take height off tall trees near the house by cutting back to sound lateral branches. That lightens the tree and keeps limbs back from the roof. We never top a tree, since stubs send up weak, crowded shoots.
Estate Tree Care
For large Malibu properties, we plan tree care around the home's fuel modification plan. New homes in fire zones need one, reaching out in three zones up to 200 feet. We space, thin and raise trees to fit each zone.
Tree Shaping & Shrub Shearing
We trim hedges and shrubs back from walls and eaves, keeping a tidy shape. A new hedge that forms a solid screen, or grows over 6 feet, may need a city landscape plan. We tell you when to ask first.
Landscaping
Our landscape plans for Malibu yards start from outside the city's list of banned invasive plants. Natives and other low-water plants suit dry summers and steep ground. New trees go where they have room and stay out of the zone nearest the house.
Hardscape
Steep drives and canyon lots need walls, steps and paths on firm footing, and that is how we build them. Drains carry winter rain off the slope instead of under the paving. Roots of nearby trees are mapped first, so the work misses them.
Malibu tree questions, answered
Start here — these 6 cover most of what you need before booking tree work in Malibu. If yours is not here, call 877-787-7363 and ask.
Often, yes, but ask the city first. Malibu says a fire-damaged native tree can come out if an arborist's report and the City Biologist agree it will not recover. The City Biologist holds hours on Tuesdays, 9 to 11 a.m., at City Hall. The owner handles that step before any crew cuts.
Put it in the green waste bin, or use a hauler the city has permitted. Malibu does not require a HazMat clearance for charred plants when the house itself was not damaged. Bigger jobs, like whole burned trees, go faster with a crew and a chipper.
Sometimes. Malibu asks for a landscape plan when new plants may grow over 6 feet tall or form a solid hedge, or when you add more than 1,500 square feet of lawn. The city also keeps a list of banned invasive plants. Check both before you plant.
It is a map of how plants are thinned around a new home. In Malibu's fire hazard zones, any new building over 120 square feet needs one. It shows the plants now on the lot and what will change, across three zones reaching up to 200 feet from the house.
Yes — $600 for tree services, wherever the job is. Steep drives, canyon lots and burned trees that must be lowered with care shape most prices here.
Yes, 24/7. Winter rain after a fire can loosen slopes, and trees on those slopes can come down fast. Call 877-787-7363.
What happens after you call from Malibu
- 01.
Read the lot
An arborist walks the lot, marks any protected native and measures its trunk. Burned trees are noted too.
- Trunks measured at 4.5 ft
- Burned trees noted
- 02.
City first
If a protected tree is involved, the owner goes to the City Biologist first. Other trees we can plan right away.
- Owner contacts city
- Plan fits fuel zones
- 03.
Clear the zone
The crew cuts and lowers wood, chips brush and grinds the stumps you want gone.
- Brush chipped
- Burned stumps ground
Native trees, steep lots, rebuilds: a Malibu crew you can check
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 arborist checks each tree against Malibu's native tree list and trunk size before we price the job. The estimate is free.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Malibu leans on licensed pros for hazard trees. Ours: state license #1002853 (C-61/D-49 tree service, C-27 landscaping), a bond, and insurance for every worker.
Southern California Since 1985
Our family business dates to 1985 and has never changed hands. Rebuilding lots need that kind of steady partner.
Our Own Equipment
Our own 75-foot boom trucks reach trees on steep canyon lots from the drive, and our own chippers take the brush down to chips.
Reviews to read before you book in Malibu
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 Malibu: 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 Malibu.
“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
Malibu and the area around it
Malibu covers about 20 square miles, from the coast road up into the canyons and out past Point Dume.
- ZIP code
- 90265