Jason Lewis owns Diversified Tree Company LLC, and Jason is the one who walks your property, writes your scope and stands behind the cuts. His is an owner-operated, Black-owned, family-focused crew working out of a yard on Paris Avenue in south Grand Rapids — 10+ years in business with 25+ years of combined crew experience, rated 5 out of 5 from 13 reviews and BBB accredited. What he won't do is top your tree to make a quick sale.
Trimming is for your house. Pruning is for the tree.
People use the two words interchangeably, but they are different jobs. Trimming clears branches away from the roof, siding, driveway and sightlines and shapes the tree so it fits the space it has. Pruning removes dead, diseased, rubbing or structurally weak limbs so the canopy grows strong and rides out a storm. Most visits are some of both, and every trim job we do includes haul-away of every branch we cut.
We prune to arboricultural standards: correct cuts outside the branch collar, no topping, no lion-tailing, and never more than the canopy can afford to lose in a season. Bad pruning is slow-motion tree removal. We see topping jobs fail across this town every year, and we don't do it — if you want height off a tree, we take it with proper reduction cuts back to strong lateral limbs.
Signs your trees are asking for it
- Deadwood you can see in the upper canopy
- Limbs hanging over the driveway or a play area
- Crossing branches rubbing through each other's bark
- Cracked, hanging or storm-damaged limbs
- A canopy so dense the lawn underneath has given up
How a trim day actually runs
- Walkthrough. We look at every tree with you — what's bothering you, what's at risk, and what the tree actually needs.
- Written scope. Exactly which limbs come off and why, at a fixed price. No "while we're up there" surprises.
- Climb and cut. Climbers make the cuts with clean, sharp gear, rigging and lowering limbs anywhere a drop could do damage.
- Cleanup. Branches chipped and hauled, lawn raked, driveway blown clean before the truck pulls away.
Most residential trims finish in a half day. You don't need to be home, but if you are, the crew lead walks the finished work with you before we leave. Expect the canopy to look lighter and better balanced — not butchered. Good pruning is mostly invisible from the curb. On young trees, structural pruning every three to five years is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy against a five-figure removal down the road.
What a prune costs in Grand Rapids
A professional prune here typically runs about $450with most jobs landing between $375 and $525 per tree depending on size, condition and access. If we're doing several trees in one visit, each additional tree prices lower — the crew, the chipper and the truck are already on site. Roofline and utility clearance trims are quoted on inspection, because what's growing into the service drop is never the same twice.
- Full prune, mature tree: around $450 (typical range $375–$525)
- Additional trees on the same visit: discounted per tree
- Chipping, haul-away and cleanup: included in every quote
Glad I waited for the right professional. Jason was very careful in his approach with my tree fallen after the storm. If not for him I would have definitely damaged my roof. Very happy. — Tom, Google review
Permits, timing and how much canopy comes off
Estimates are free and we answer within one business day. We trim and prune across Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Grandville, Byron Center, Caledonia, Moline, Jenison, Hudsonville, Dorr, Ada, Wayland, Alto, Marne and Comstock Park — from the Paris Ave SE yard, most of the metro is about 20 minutes away in normal conditions. If a limb cracks overnight, the phone is answered; storm response is a core service, not an upsell.
Call Jason at (616) 407-0044 or send the details to thegreatestwoodchucker@gmail.com and he'll tell you straight whether your tree needs a trim, a prune, or nothing at all this year.
I had 2 trees growing over and around my house. — Marvin Fulbright, Google review