Anyone have a tree guy they trust? Limbing, a takedown, haul-off

Winter did a number on my lot. The ice in the early part of the year brought down a bunch of limbs, and the wind we've had since has knocked loose what the ice didn't. I've got a big oak hanging over the back corner of the house that I don't love looking at, plus a dead pine that needs to come down before it picks its own direction.

I've been told to get the trees limbed every two or three years back here and I've let it go longer than that. Need someone who can do the limbing and the takedown, grind the stump, and actually haul the debris off instead of leaving a pile at the curb. Insured is a must, I'm not paying for a roof repair on top of it.

If you've used somebody around the Bay who showed up when they said and gave a fair price, I'd like to hear who. Also, if anyone knows a crew that'll leave the oak and hickory in rounds, tell me. I'll gladly take it for the smoker.

Thanks in advance.

Don't have a name I'd hand you today... the fella I used moved off a few years back. But a few things I learned the hard way...

Ask for the certificate of insurance and have them send it from their agent, not just say "yeah we're covered." Get the haul-off in writing in the quote, because "cleanup" can mean a pile at the curb. Stump grinding is often a separate outfit with its own machine, so you might end up calling two people.

On the oak and hickory, tell them before they start. Most crews would rather leave the rounds than pay to dump them, so you'll likely get your smoker wood free...

I'd move on that dead pine first. They get brittle and don't fall where you want them. And a tree leaning toward the house is the kind of thing an inspector notices when it comes time to sell.

Good tip on getting the certificate sent from the agent. I'd have taken a guy's word for it. I'll put the haul-off in the quote too, since a pile at the curb is exactly what I'm trying to avoid.

You're right about the pine. It's the one I lose sleep over when the wind picks up, so it goes first. I'll deal with the oak after that.

I'll mention the rounds up front. Oak and hickory season out nice for the smoker if I split and stack them by fall, so free wood would be a bonus. I'll post here if I find someone who does the job right.