FAQs
What services do you offer?
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Tree removals, stump-grinding, pruning, hedge trimming, consulting arborist services, hazard tree or danger tree assessment or removal, wildfire mitigation and defensible space work, landscaping services, garden drainage systems, retaining walls, fences, decks, (new or repairs depending).
How do I get started?
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Getting started is simple. Reach out through our contact form on our website by clicking the button at the top or bottom of the page, email us at westkootenayarborist.com or give us a call on 236 866 9544—we’ll walk you through the next steps and answer any questions along the way.
What makes you different?
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We have arborists with over 10 years experience from all over the world and 6 years in the region. This gives our team the experience and knowledge to tackle any job efficiently, safely and smoothly. There is not a tree we wouldn’t do one way or another. We are all a team of passionate, punctual go getters. We communicate clearly with you, our customers at every point of the journey and get what we said done on the day we said we would. We are reliable and dependable. And don’t take our word for it, check out all our 5 star google reviews!
How can I contact you?
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You can reach us anytime via our contact page or email us at westkootenayarborist.com or give us a call on 236 866 9544.
What areas do you service?
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We are based out of Nelson, BC, but we serve the whole West Kootenay’s region, including Castlegar, Kaslo, Rossland, the Slocan Valley. We can also work further field if required but fuel and travel time costs will be included in the quote as well as overnight costs if we would need to put up the crew overnight.
Are your Arborists certified?
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Yes. Our crew operates under ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) certification standards and follows ANSI A300 best practices — the North American industry benchmark for professional tree care. We are also OFA First Aid trained and certified chainsaw operators. We're also fully registered with WorkSafe BC and carry liability insurance on every job.
Are you insured and WorkSafe BC registered?
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Contact us via our contact page, email us at westkootenayarborist.com or give us a call on 236 866 9544. We will then schedule a time for us to come take a look at your trees for free, after which we will provide you a written quote via email. We need to come take a look in person, because it is hard for us to properly assess all the hazards, sizes and distances in pictures. A lot goes into giving you, our customers, a good quote, we need to understand access, hazards, tree health of the target tree and surrounding trees, soil conditions, proximity to houses, fences, powerlines and the list goes on. Therefore, we can’t give a standard price per tree and have to come take a look for ourselves before providing you with a fair and accurate price.
Yes on both. We carry public liability and personal injury insurance to a value of $5,000,000 and are registered with WorkSafe BC. If any contractor you're considering can't confirm both of these, walk away — you could be liable for injuries or property damage on your own property.
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How do I get a quote?
Arboriculture is one of the most hazardous occupations in the world and it's significantly more complex than it appears. A tree that looks straightforward to fell can behave unpredictably depending on its lean, weight distribution, root condition, and what's surrounding it.
Our team brings ISA certification, years of hands-on experience, and specialized equipment to every job. That combination means we can assess each situation accurately, choose the right technique, and execute the work without damage to your property or the people on it. We also handle everything that comes after the cut, which is typically the largest part of any job. Wood can be bucked into firewood on request, or chipped and hauled away completely. Our skid steer lets us move heavy material out of tight or difficult spots, and our dump truck means nothing gets left behind.
If something unexpected does happen, we carry full liability insurance. That protection doesn't exist when the work is done by someone without coverage.
We take pride in making this look straightforward. It isn't — but that's exactly the point of hiring someone who does it every day.
Why should i HIRE A PROFESSIONAL, INSTEAD of trying to do the tree removal myself?
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Do you guys sell firewood and/or mulch?
Yes we sell both in bulk! Available for pick up or delivery just submit a request on our website (click the CONTACT US button at the top of this page).
Not quite. The difference between raw woodchips and properly aged mulch comes down to what happens during decomposition and whether that process has already happened before the mulch reaches your garden.
Fresh, raw woodchips are high in carbon and low in nitrogen. When they start breaking down, the microorganisms doing the work pull nitrogen from the surrounding soil to fuel the process. During that active decomposition phase, the nitrogen isn't available to your plants, which can show up as slow growth or yellowing leaves, especially in beds with shallow-rooted plants.
Aged mulch has already moved through the active decomposition phase. The nitrogen drawdown has happened, the volatile compounds have dissipated, and what you're left with is stable, beneficial organic material that suppresses weeds, retains moisture, and gradually improves soil structure as it continues to break down slowly.
Why does mulch quality and age matter? isn't wood chip mulch just wood chip mulch?
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What is Kootenay Classic Blend Mulch? What makes It different?
Kootenay Classic Blend mulch is our West Kootenay Arborist signature mulch produced from a variety of trees from the Kootenay region. We use a well-tuned chipper that produces consistent, appropriately-sized chips, not the oversized chunks or fine sawdust that come from lower-quality equipment. It's then aged before sale so the decomposition process is well underway. The result is a mulch that's safe to spread immediately, won't stress your plants, and looks good doing it.