Tree reviews in Durham, North Carolina

Friendly, professional, courteous, thorough, mindful, cost-effective, and timely!

We initially found Grateful Trees & Bees to help us get bees going in our urban landscape. After talking with Jake we decided to have them rework our yard into a living landscape with raised beds, walkways, building a mushroom cabin, fruit orchard, irrigation system, seating area, grape arbor, etc. The finished product is exactly what we envisioned and we're excited to get everything growing. When we shifted directions mid-stream, they were ready & willing to head in the new direction. And they left the site cleaned up better than they found it!

Working with Grateful Trees & Bees was a great experience. There was a continual flow of communications from Jake about the project, materials, needs and timeline. They even finished ahead of schedule....which (if you've ever hired someone to do work in your yard, around/in the house) is unheard of. Many thanks to Jake and the rest of the crew who busted their backs!

All told, we used Grateful Trees and Bees for everything on their website: felling trees, bees, and kitchen garden (which is more like a neighborhood garden) and we highly recommend them for any of these services!

My husband and I have worked in the customer service field for 36+ years and I would have to say that Grateful Trees and Bees dedication to their customers puts them above all their competitors. We would not hesitate recommending Grateful Trees & Bees to our friends, neighbors and co-workers.

My husband and I loved our Bradford Pear tree; it was beautiful and very shady. It was always the last tree in the neighborhood to lose its leaves, but we always knew it needed to be removed one day. Our yard is small and the roots of the tree were killing the grass. Years from now the roots would have begun to destroy the sidewalks, the driveways and the streets. We just wanted to wait until the leaves fell off the tree and was close enough for planting season before we began looking for someone to do the tree removal.

It was important for us to find a company that was insured, especially given the close proximity of the neighbors and the utility lines involved. It was also important to find someone who was knowledgeable and had great customer service. We found a few local companies, but my husband and I called Grateful Trees & Bees first because Jake’s last name just happened to be the same as ours and we thought he can’t be all that bad, since he is a Pressley. Plus, Jakes’ credentials were impeccable.

Jake and Jennifer make an amazing team. They were both very responsive throughout the whole ordeal and we were impressed with the level of detail on the quote. Everything they said they would do was done and every home visit Jake made was on time and on the day he committed. We were extremely pleased. When we met Jake in person he was extremely knowledgeable and was eager to answer any questions we had, which we appreciated very much.

Now the job is complete and we couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. We look forward to watching this tree grow, which will always be tied to the best customer service experience we have ever had.

Thank you Grateful Trees and Bees for working with us and making this process such an easy and enjoyable experience. We wish you both great success!

Sincerely,
Mike and Laura Pressley

These guys are great. Very pleasant to work with, very efficient and hard working. Jake cares deeply about trees, so it's nice to know that they're not just a company trying to rip out as many trees as possible (and therefore charge as much as possible!). We had a good discussion about keeping trees healthy by both pruning and also sometimes removal of trees that are too close to one another. They came removed two very large trees & pruned two others, it took them less than a day so they came in under budget (and adjusted the bill accordingly). They cut the wood into appropriate lengths and stacked it all neatly for us to split into firewood in 6 months time. They also raked the yard and blew off the driveway, which hasn't looked so clean in all my life. One other thing - they charge on a sliding scale... so they provide a minimum and maximum amount that they will accept for the job. This is quite nice, as you get a chance to pay near the minimum if you're on a budget, or near the maximum if you're feeling rather "grateful" for the excellent job they did... highly recommend!

Jacob and his crew are fantastic. On-time delivering estimates and doing assessments, Jacob shows a passion for his work, and a desire to keep as many healthy trees as possible, while educating home owners about the relative health, or danger posed by a particular tree. Jacob’s crew is considerate of the rest of your property as well, leaving nothing more than some scattered shavings from their chainsaws. I've used them twice over the last few years and both experiences have been top notch. I heartily recommend GTB for any of your tree related needs!

Excellent service. The team was very friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and a fair value. We had 3 big ash trees back in the woods behind our house and didn't want to have our whole back yard torn up by trucks that other companies said they needed to use, but Grateful Trees & Bees did it simply by climbing. Didn't damage the yard at all, except for a small strip on the side in the front where they needed to haul the logs and branches out. But they patched it up very nicely, and now you can't even tell they were there. Highly recommended. In fact, I am about to call them again for another job a neighbor and I need done.

The owner, Jacob of Grateful Trees & Bees is a local treasure! Jacob has a background in forestry & was the best tree consultant I've ever met! I learned so much from him as he walked my land examining my trees. Jacob will explain in enriching detail the condition of your trees & if they are in danger of falling on one's house etc. He is extremely professional & has great integrity. I highly recommend his business.

I used Grateful Trees & Bees to remove a tree that I had already cut down. They were very quick to respond to my request for service and meet me on site to discuss options. Jake was fantastic. He was knowledgeable, humble, down to earth and fair. He was able to give me by far the best price out of 4 other services. I also love their mission. They make sure they don't waste any part of the tree if they can help it. They were also very accommodating towards my schedule. I will suggest them 100% of the time.

Jake and his team removed two trees from our lot about a year ago. I didn't review them then, but when I realized I needed tree service again this year, I didn't bother to look around or get quotes; I contacted Grateful Trees and Bees immediately as I had such a great experience the first time. Jake is a true professional with deep knowledge and a personable approach to his business that makes them easy to work with.

I had an excellent experience with Grateful Bees and Trees from beginning to end. Jennifer was a pleasure to communicate with via email and I am super appreciative of Jake's focus, care, and thoughtfulness when it came to our tree trim (a few larger trees) and removal of a tree. The crew members were great as well - friendly, skilled, efficient (Jake was part of this crew). Pricing was fair and comparable, if not better, than other tree trim companies, and this is based on the top end of their scale.
Thanks to the entire team at Grateful Bees and Trees for being so knowledgeable, patient, kind, responsive, thoughtful, and professional. And a special thanks for making a point not to use the chainsaw on the tree with the birdhouse which had a baby bluebird in it ❤️ I am really thankful that the team at Grateful Bees and Trees are the ones who took care of our property - they were definitely worth the wait :)

Jake and the team were FANTASTIC! We have a tree in our backyard we were really worried was going to have to be taken completely down and were so happy to find someone who is so devoted to preserving and improving the health of trees. Jake is incredibly knowledgeable, communicative, and so personable. Plus they came in under the price originally quoted because they were so quick with the work! I can't recommend Grateful Trees & Bees highly enough!! As a new homeowner, I really appreciated feeling I could fully trust their assessment and recommendation. A++ rating in my book!

Called to ask about the management of trees in our new yard and was met by a very passionate and knowledgeable source on the other end. Jake couldn't have been more approachable! Luckily we found out no immediate action was needed, but when it comes time, Grateful Bees and Trees will be my go to for tree help! Thank you for doing what you do!

Jake is truly a one-of-a-kind heart of gold person. It was such a pleasure to hear him tell the stories of what's happening with the plant & animal relationships on our property. He also got the job done in no time & pro-rated the fee because it took less than the estimate. Who does stuff like that these days?

Can't recommend GT&B enough!

The GTB crew has been invaluable in helping maintain our tree-filled yard, and I recommend them to anyone who asks. They are skilled and safe workers, with clear communication and rates which are more than fair. Jacob clearly has a passion for trees, which comes through in his deep knowledge and sincere efforts to preserve the ones which aren't being removed. I look forward to seeing them again.

Jake and his team did a great job removing 4 trees from my backyard, safely and efficiently, and then were able to come back and grind the stumps down and infill the holes. He was also very helpful in talking to me about the trees on site when he came out for an assessment before the work was done. His wife Jennifer is a great communicator, timely and thorough. I am very happy with the work I had done by this local business and will contact Grateful Trees & Bees again in the future for any tree work on my property.

Our back yard ends in a lovely small forest, and the view is one of the things that we love about the house. A dead tree recently fell and has been leaning against a healthy tree, so we had to hire a service to remove the dead tree (these are VERY tall trees at around 100+ feet). My partner found Grateful Trees and Bees.
This is an amazing business. One of their employees, Jake, is a former forestry service ranger and an arborist. In addition to being a lovely human, his knowledge of trees and their health is vast. He and two assistants arrived this morning and got the tree down with minimal effort in about 30 minutes. It was impressive to watch the whole process. They placed the remains in the forest to serve as detritus for the rest of the forest and its creatures. Their prices are VERY fair and also on a sliding scale based on the ability to pay, which is AMAZING for those who need it because having a tree removed can be extremely expensive.
I love their commitment to the health and sustainability of the trees. I honestly cannot recommend them enough if you need any tree-related services. They also provide beekeeping services!

Had a consultation with Jake today and he is “one of a kind” out of all the tree service companies I’ve spoken to. You can tell that compassion for people, animals and trees/plants are a guiding value in his business. He was knowledgeable, trustworthy and generous with his time. He also tries to be as fair as possible with pricing. I hope it will work out for him to trim the trees on my property! Very grateful for Grateful Trees and Bees!

Excellent company to work with from start to finish. They made me feel like a priority and made sure I understood the entire process from the health of the trees to how my desired trimming would impact my sunlight. I highly recommend this company to anyone looking for tree removal or trimming. They showed up early and did an excellent job!

I cannot say enough positive things about my experience with GTB. I was absolutely traumatized after my 80+ foot oak came down on my 75+ year old magnolia. Not knowing where to begin, I reached out to GTB. They were responsive and incredibly helpful. More than that, they were very compassionate about the situation, gave me great guidance in every way including how to obtain quotes other than just theirs. My trust was earned right away. They started and completed the project yesterday which, I promise you, was no small task. Their crew were all very friendly - every one of them. I have no trees left (other than a very sweet little spare oak tree they set me up with, which was incredibly sweet) but I would use them again in a second if I needed to. I give them my HIGHEST recommendation.

Here’s a polished, Google-ready review for Grateful Trees and Bees:

Grateful Trees and Bees did an outstanding job trimming our trees and shrubs and installing our bat boxes. The arborist, Jake, is incredibly knowledgeable—you won’t find anyone who understands trees and plant care better. Jennifer in the office is responsive and thorough. They took great care with our trees, our landscaping, and our property overall. We’re extremely happy with the work and highly recommend them.

I had two large tree stumps ground up by Stump Bandit, Joe Parrish. All that is left is two small mounds of sawdust and fine chips suitable for grassing over. The area was dressed up nicely and no damage to my yard . Very smooth process from estimate to job completion. Great customer service, Joe.

Joe was very professional and did a great job for a reasonable price. I highly recommend him.