Tree Service in Signal Hill, CA
Signal Hill rises 365 feet, and the city looks after about 3,000 of its curbside and park trees. The rest are up to you, and that is where our tree service in Signal Hill comes in, trimming and removing trees slope and all.
Tree care in Signal Hill
From Porcupine Hill to a city with a tree plan
In Signal Hill, city trees need an approved application and fees before anyone cuts them. The 365-foot hill got its name in 1889, when it became a U.S. survey signal point. Long before that, the Tongva lit signal fires here. In June 1921 the Alamitos No. 1 well struck oil and shot a gusher 114 feet high. Derricks soon covered the hill, and people called it Porcupine Hill. The city formed in 1924. Today Public Works cares for about 3,000 curbside and park trees, and a 2023 master plan guides planting for drought and fire risk.
Signal Hill's curbside trees are the city's. Apply and pay the fee before a single cut.
Who governs tree work in Signal Hill
City of Signal Hill
Tree work in Signal Hill follows the city's own tree rules. Trees can be trimmed or removed by submitting a Street Tree Request Application (PDF) and related fees. The Street Tree Ordinance (PDF) was amended and adopted by City Council on March 14, 2023. Rules change. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction before work begins — filing a permit is the property owner's responsibility, not ours.
Services
Pruning, palms and stumps on the slopes of Signal Hill
Supreme Tree Experts prunes yard trees, trims palms and grinds stumps on the 365-foot slopes of Signal Hill. Wind hits this hill from every side, so Signal Hill owners with weak limbs call in Supreme Tree Experts.
Tree Removal
Trees on private lots are taken down in pieces, with the slope in mind. A curbside tree comes down only after the city gets a Street Tree Request Application and fees. We point out which trees that rule covers.
Tree Trimming & Pruning
Our crews thin yard trees to strong limbs and clear roofs, walls and the road. The city trims its 3,000 curbside and park trees by zone, on a yearly rotation. Your trees need a plan of their own, set with you.
Stump Grinding & Stump Removal
Stumps are ground below the surface so the spot can be replanted. After the 1921 oil strike, 108 wells went up on this hill within a year. Before grinding here, we check the ground for buried lines.
Palm Tree Trimming & Skinning
Wind-whipped palms get their brown fronds and seed stalks cleared, and their trunks skinned, from the lift truck's basket. On a 365-foot hill, wind reaches palms from every side. Clearing loose fronds keeps a gust from dropping them.
Emergency Tree Service
When your own tree lands on the house or blocks the drive, call our crew 24/7. For a damaged city tree, the city takes reports through its Citizen Request Form. We handle the trees inside your lot line.
Tree Maintenance
Regular checks look at roots, lean and dead wood on sloped yards. The city's 2023 Street Tree Master Plan treats drought as the new normal. We watch each tree for dry-season stress and tell you what helps.
Tree Height Reduction
A yard tree that blocks your view is trimmed down with proper reduction cuts, never topped. From the top of this hill, views reach all the way to the ocean. Careful reduction keeps both the tree and the view.
Estate Tree Care
Lots with several mature trees get one care plan that covers them all. Signal Hill fits 11,848 people into 2.19 square miles, with homes on every side of the hill. Work is ranked by what sits under each tree.
Tree Shaping & Shrub Shearing
Hedges and shrubs are sheared and thinned so dry, dead growth doesn't build up inside. The city's tree plan names fire risk as part of the new normal here. Regular shearing keeps shrubs green, open and less likely to carry flame.
Landscaping
Yard planting is chosen to need little water once it settles in. On a hillside lot, water runs off fast, so thirsty plants go low and dry-tolerant ones go high. We keep the plan simple and easy to care for.
Hardscape
Steps and paths on steep lots need a firm, level base. Grades here can be sharp, so each step is set to drain. We keep new paving back from big roots so it stays flat.
Reviews to read before you book in Signal Hill
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 Signal Hill: 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 Signal Hill.
“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
The questions worth asking any Signal Hill tree company
6 of them, answered here for Signal Hill. If yours is not here, call 877-787-7363 and ask.
Send the city a Street Tree Request Application with the fees. The Street Tree Ordinance was amended on March 14, 2023, and rates are on the Public Works fee schedule. Call City Hall at 562-989-7300 with questions. Filing is the owner's job, but we can look at the tree first.
On a yearly rotation by zone. Public Works splits the city into four zones and trims them in turn. It looks after about 3,000 trees, including those in city parks. The current schedule is on the city's Street Trees page.
A five-year plan for city trees, adopted February 28, 2023. It updated the 2010 plan and changed the city's tree rules. It aims to help the city adapt to what it calls the new normal of drought and fire risk. It shapes which trees the city plants on its streets.
Because of the oil derricks. After Alamitos No. 1 struck oil in 1921, 108 wells went up within a year. The derricks stood so close that the hill looked spiny. On Willow Street, families even got royalty checks for oil drawn from under cemetery plots. Discovery Well Park, 4.9 acres, is on Temple Avenue today.
Yes — $600 for tree services, wherever the job is. Price here depends on the tree's size and how steep the road is where our truck parks.
Yes, 24/7. Wind hits a 365-foot hill from every side, so a weak limb here can fail fast. Call 877-787-7363.
Three steps in Signal Hill, and no surprises in between
- 01.
Whose tree, whose rules
Our arborist checks the tree and tells you if the city's application applies.
- City or private
- Estimate free of charge
- 02.
Plan for the slope
We set the cuts, where the truck parks on the grade, and the day.
- Truck spot on the grade
- Date agreed
- 03.
Rope, chip, grind
The crew lowers limbs by rope, chips them, and grinds the stump if you want.
- Rope-lowered limbs
- Stump if you like
Paperwork and reach: why Signal Hill homeowners hire Supreme Tree Experts
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 visits for free and tells you if a tree is one of the city's roughly 3,000, which need an application and fees, or your own.
Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Signal Hill wants paperwork before its trees are touched. We bring ours too: license #1002853 (C-61/D-49 and C-27), a bond, and insurance for every worker.
Southern California Since 1985
Signal Hill became a city in 1924. Our family company started in 1985 and has stayed in the same hands.
Our Own Equipment
On a steep hill, reach matters. Our boom trucks go to 75 feet, and our chippers and stump grinders come with them.
Getting to Signal Hill
Signal Hill is a small city of 2.19 square miles, set on and around its hill and fully surrounded by a larger city, with Hilltop Park at the top.
- ZIP code
- 90755