I just called the number listed on the website at 8:45am. A person (I presume Steve Marshall) answered saying "I am in Hawaii and its 6 a clock in the f-ing morning". I answered "I just called the number listed on your website". He answers: "You just woke up my wife. Call me in a couple of hours and hung up on me. Needless to say I will never call this clown business back. Update: Steve did send a text to apologize. I have to say it shows integrity by Steve to own up and say he made a mistake. I empathize that nobody likes marketing calls to wake you up during your vacation. But I was calling the official business number and as a business owner you have to either put your calls on silent during a vacation or when you pick up assume first it is a customer., before lashing out with expletives. read more

Steve Marshall is THE most professional, knowledgeable, experienced arborist. I called because we have a tree that has been pushed on an angle by the wind. Over the phone, Steve asked me numerous questions about the tree, and diagnosed, made suggestions. He didn't have to do that. I am so grateful. Hands-down, he is the person to call for any tree issues! read more

I can't say enough wonderful things about Steve, AKA The Urban Lumberjack! I hired another local crew to trim my tree, and the next day I noticed multiple areas of damage from spikes. I was very upset, needed more information, and found The Urban Lumberjack online, learning that Steve is very experienced and is an ISA certified arborist. I emailed him for advice and he called me within the hour. He was incredibly helpful and reassuring, giving me compassionate and practical advice to keep my tree alive and well. He really made me feel like my concern mattered. Since he no longer performs physical tree work, he recommended a trusted team that I will use in the future. I can't thank him enough for helping me. 5 stars are not enough! read more

Steve is incredibly knowledgeable and helpful! For a reasonable consultation fee, he spent a nice long time on our property diagnosing the health of various trees and giving us detailed, wise recommendations to maintain the long-term health of all our trees. He was prompt, easily contacted, and came within a few hours of calling. He answered all our questions (and then some!) and we learned so much from that one session. I cannot recommend Steve highly enough, and will always turn to him for all our tree related needs. Thanks Steve!! read more

Steve first looked at pictures of my giant canary island pine during an extreme wind event in 2017... he said my tree looked really healthy and if we start cutting it that will make the tree less healthy. About 4 1/2 years later (today) this tree has just gotten bigger, so I called him again! Steve stopped by on a Saturday and basically gave me a free consultation. He's a clear expert who obviously loves the trees and wants what's best for them. It is a treat in life to really engage with an earnest professional, which I believe Steve is. read more

I hired Steve The Urban Lumberjack after meeting with five or six different trimming companies. Steve is a certified arborist himself, whereas most other companies have one but did not sent them to my property. Steve didn't try to oversell me; he suggested that several trees I pointed out were just fine and didn't need attention this year. In addition, the value and price were very fair. Steve's crew did several days of work; they were polite and pleasant and I am very pleased with how everything turned out. read more

Steve responded quickly and was able to complete our site assessment soon after our phone conversation. We had concerns about the safety of our large tree. He was very clear about what his services included with regards to assessing a tree and obtaining a permit from the city for removal. He spent time explaining the health of our tree in a way we could easily understand and offered additional information regarding other parts of our yard/trees. He is very fair with pricing. He will not sell you services you do not need. He is extremely knowledgeable and you can tell he has a passion for trees. Would highly recommend Steve and would not hesitate to work with him again in the future. In the end, we feel confident about the health and safety of our majestic oak tree. read more

We've had Steve back here a few times to assess an ancient tree and clean up the other trees on the property. Still a pleasure to work with! He is still no nonsense, professional and courteous. Oh yeah, and his guys still do excellent work! read more

Honesty, integrity, professionalism, patience, and informative. I called to arrange a tree assessment, as we had (an admittedly thin) reason to question a prior arborist's determinations. Steve asked who the prior arborist was and said "I respect his knowledge and you can rely on it." He joked, "I'd happily take your money to come out, but I'd and tell you the same thing." In short, he gave up a job in favor of being a helpful straight shooter. And then he also volunteered some *additional* helpful guidance on some other questions about our trees. And simply said, "good luck with your trees". Highly appreciated. Solid, decent, and smart. read more

We have used Steve and his crew for years. Steve is a horticulturist and really knows his trees. His team is quick, professional and courteous. They leave our property cleaner than it was before they arrived. We recommend them highly. They just finished our podocarpus and Eucaluptus and they look Great. read more

I was finally able to get an answer on his phone. He asked me to leave a voice message with my name, address, and email, which I did. I did not hear back from him. So I sent a message on yelp with the same information. That was 11-9-23. I have not heard from him since. He may know a lot about trees, but his customer service is deplorable & rude. read more

I contacted Steve to assess a giant pine tree on my front yard. It was like a crash course in tree science. he was detailed patiently answering my questions from the tree's age to why the limbs grew a certain way. He knew I I had a limited budget and provided strategies on managing this beast-- dividing things that must get done soon to non urgent items. His expertise was well worth the money spent. I can now sleep better knowing more about my tree's health. Thanks Steve. read more

I messaged a few tree/arborists here on Yelp regarding a root issue I have (pushed up and cracked my cement driveway). Steve called me and took the time on the phone to help me talk through the possible options I have. Because of this conversation, I have a solution to replace this part of the driveway with gravel and not cut some major roots and possibly destabilize or kill the tree. What so impressed me with Steve/Urban Lumberjack was he took the time to walk me through information about tree root systems, knowing that this was not leading to working with him on this project. Wow, very impressed with him and simply his desire to be helpful. read more

DESCRIPTION OF JOB: Steve and his guys pruned a large tree and cut down 2 others that were growing close to our house. (The job lasted about 1 1/2 days). DAY 1: Day 1: 5 stars. All went well with neighbors, the safety of workers, house/yard; and the tree trimmers were efficient and worked hard. DAY 2: 2 stars for over pruning... Two of the guys came to finish trimming the maple tree. They over pruned (more on this below) and needlessly cut open an old wound (to make matters worse, the angle of the cut was open to rain pouring into the hollow branch of the tree). They left everything clean though. FOLLOW UP: 3 stars: It took a few calls for Steve to come out to finish the job of poisoning the tree stumps (only chose poisoning route since the stumps were too close to the house to grind out stumps. If I had to do this over, I would grind the stumps). A FEW YEARS LATER: 2 stars: Now, there is a bee hive in that open wound that never healed again. I love the bees (and so does my garden), but now I have to hire a costly bee keeper to trap the bees while it gets pruned again. Argh! I still worry that the open wound will collect water during a rainy season, contributing to the rotting of the tree trunk even further. My old maple tree is still hanging in there despite the heat of last summer, and the over pruning - which immediately produced too many heavy off-shoots, weighing down some branches, forcing the tree to kill off branches in the heat of this last summer. PRICE: 4 Stars. He was in the ballpark of others. read more

Steve went out of his way to help with a handful of questions we had around some palms pushing against our house. He told us it wasn't a job for them, but gave us really good advice for how to evaluate others. He was super knowledgeable and taught us exactly what to look out for. read more

This review is for a consultation only. Steve arrived late. This was an issue for me because I had an appointment that morning. As a result, I felt rushed during our conversation. Clearly, the owner is very knowledgeable about trees in general. He likes using the scientific names. He is expensive! Just to come out and give a quote, it cost me $185 - it took him a week to get me the information I wanted on specific trees/roots. The most disappointing thing, was he acted like he wasn't very interested in doing our job, like he really couldn't be bothered. I guess it was too small a job. I don't like to give bad reviews, but I certainly won't give a mediocre experience a good review. read more

Steve is super helpful and honest! I have a tree that is leaning so I contacted Steve about installing a support. He came out and gave me some honest information (and basically turned down my money). I would definitely recommend him for any consultation or tree work on your property. read more

Steve came out and gave me a quote this weekend. He is very knowledgeable about trees. He gave me a lot of info on how my Chinese Elm should be cut, what sort of cuts to avoid and what sort of contractors to use. The most important thing, he was honest and didn't try to sell me on his services. As a typical homeowner I have almost zero understanding of trees, so Steve's input was invaluable. If you have any trees that need work, don't hesitate to call Steve. He's quite busy (wasn't able to come out until the weekend) but it's worth it to have someone as knowledgeable and honest as him come out. read more

Steve was able to help me diagnose the issues with my mature grapefruit tree and come up with a plan to keep my yard looking great. Super helpful and easy to work with. Thanks! read more

I spoke to Steve Marshall this morning. And I can't say enough about him. But I'll try. He listened to my tree story and asked me questions about my tree, to be able to diagnose my issue. He was very helpful and patient. In the end I couldn't use his service but he gave me tips to help out and suggested a I contact an arborist association. I sincerely appreciate the time he spent listening to me. I'm sure if you are seeking his services, he will do the same and more for a customer. Thank you Steve for helping with my sick Pine Tree. read more

Disclaimer: My review is based only on a consultation with the owner. First of all, I have to say that the are overpriced. We consulted three companies before hiring the right one to remove a tree from our backyard. The Urban Lumberjack quoted us 3 times more than the other reputable company, and said it'd take a whole week to finish the job while it really took only two days of work for the other guys. What I also didn't like about the owner (I forgot his name) is that he said his workers are all Spanish speaking while he hardly knows any Spanish. This announcement was a deal breaker. Why would I hire somebody who can't communicate well with his crew? read more

I found Steve via the ISA website and have used him on a few occasions: On the first occasion, he went to a heavily landscaped property near Mount Olympus that we were looking at buying and gave us a very helpful assessment of the health of the trees on that property. We didn't end up buying that house, and on that occasion I only dealt with him via email and phone. However, I was very impressed by how knowledgable he was and how much he genuinely cared about trees. When we ended up buying another house in Benedict Canyon later in the year, he was the first person I thought to ask regarding the health of several oaks and pines on the property, as well as of the other trees closer to our house. He gave me clear instructions on how to care for the trees going forward (we had been concerned about overwatering, and he confirmed that this was the case), gave me a brief course in understanding trees and what they want, and advised me regarding what tree trimming was needed--mostly to get rid of dead branches and remove ivy that had climbed up one of the pines. I hired him and his crew to handle the tree trimming and ivy removal. He and his crew did an excellent job--exactly what they had said they would do and for the price that he quoted me. He was also very professional at every turn, calling to let me know when his crew was running late, and answering my husband's numerous questions that day. Overall, I highly recommend his services if you care about your trees and want them to thrive. Nice guy, very knowledgable, very professional. read more

I had a HUGE, no, BIG ASS Red Gum Eucalyptus tree that was 10 feet away from my house. It destroying my front yard, concrete stairs, and leaving a giant mess on my roof and lawn. Eucs have a tendency to lose their branches and can explode when on fire. This tree was more than 100 feet tall and still had room to grow--this tree was bound to destroy something more than stairs in the long term. After talking it over with the hubby we decided that the tree was more of a hazard and it had to go. After a contractor backed out at the last moment I went back to Steve Marshall of The Urban Lumberjack (who quoted me for the job) and asked if he would take the job. He agreed and stuck to his original quote, which was comparable to the other contractor that I had originally hired. This tree was a monster-sized tree and yes the job took nearly double the time that he quoted (4 days) but I forgive any set back that Steve and his men had. They did the job in the middle of the summer, had a family emergency and did I happen to mention this was a BIG ASS TREE. During the job Steve remained in contact with any questions and concerns that he had during the job. Any questions that I had on my end, he answered promptly either through text or phone call. Owing to the size of my street and slope of the yard Steve couldn't use a crane so they did the tree chopping the ol' fashioned way. Ropes and muscle. Despite my house being only 10 feet away from the tree there was no damage to the roof, walls or windows. Quite a bit of the wood went to a guy that took it for free to offset the cost of City dumping fees. Steve made the arrangements with the guy who is (still) taking away chunks of wood and that's one less thing I had to personally worry about. My husband remarked on how clean his company is with the job. The yard was a disaster area but then again I've never removed a tree in my life. My husband has, and he was very impressed with how organized the yard looked during the job. After the tree was finally done Steve came to my house to collect payment. Although I didn't get a breakdown on how much everything cost, the total was only $150 higher than his quote. Considering the job took way longer than what he originally thought, I'm not going to argue. Steve also lend me some advise on what trees would be good as a replacement, just not 10 feet away from my house. Ah yes, Steve is very polite on the phone and in person. Very easy to talk to, good sense of humor and in the end, professional. All in all I would definitely hire him again. Assuming the Euc doesn't sprout anything out of the stump I probably will hire him next year to have the stump grind. The only minor squabble I would have (and it's so minor I won't dock any stars from the overall review) is that his guys had to move a lot of stuff out of the way in order to work but they didn't put it back. I should note that they did a pretty good job of cleaning up the mounds of sawdust that was all over the patio. In reality I should of have actually moved the stuff in the beginning but the men did it with no audible complaints. In the grand scheme of things I can use the exercise, not a big deal--but they could have tossed the gatorade bottles into the recycle bin. I should reinforce that overall Steve Marshall of the The Urban Lumberjack comes highly recommended on my end. Well done boys! read more

After 19 years of wondering if it would fall and doing everything in our power to keep it from falling, our huge, majestic, 80+ year old California Pepper tree finally fell directly on our neighbors house just as the sun went down. With the fire department and all our neighbors in the street, I scrambled to find someone who could help us. I am so grateful for Yelp reviews and that Steve answered my hysterical phone call!!! He was a calm, rational voice of reason who asked good questions and made good sense. He was here at dawn, quickly assessed the damage, pulled his crew off another job and was working to get my neighbor back in her home by 8 am. Thankfully there was minimal damage to her roof. A miracle give the size and location of the tree. Steve and his crew are experienced, professional and work hard with a great deal of joy and laughter. We were devastated to lose the tree but meeting Steve and watching his team work was a bright spot on a dark day. Steve made everything about the transaction easy on us. We felt so taken care of when we were so overwhelmed and in shock. We can't thank you enough for that Steve! - Julie & Bob read more

The professionalism and experience that the Urban Lumberjack shows is incredible. We were especially impressed with his vast knowledge of the flora and fauna, and suggestions for better placement, maintenance, care and his ease with including cost saving self-imposed limits to work, even encouraging us not to remove some trees, partly due to cost. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Steve and his team for any tree-based projects you are planning. Have you just moved into a new place? Or, don't have a clue what's in your yard? The Urban Lumberjack also provide a great service where they will come out and give you an inventory of what you do have, and what best you should do to care for them, if pruning is needed, if some things should be moved. Not as an upsell to hiring him for work, but truly for your benefit and better understanding of your yard. I think this is a must for any new home owner - he just came and surveyed our new property and it was so helpful and informative. read more

Once the date was set - things went smoothly. The crew was quick and did a great job getting rid of the trees and the debris. I appreciated the skilled workers My one small complaint is that I asked for a formal receipt and was told I would get one. It didn't arrive. I called and asked that one be sent. No receipt in the mail yet. I have my canceled check which clearly says on the notes section "full payment for tree clearing service". Everything is probably fine, however, I keep formal receipts for household repairs. Other than this glitch, the price was right. The workers were experts. This is an addition to my original review. Steve has shown great integrity in a dispute we have had over the trees that were cut down. This is the kind of businessman you want to support. He is honest and does everything he can to make sure you get the best, fairest deal. We can only hope that more businessmen follow Steve's example - practicing honest and expert service. read more

We had Steve Marshall come out to the Hollywood Dell area a few months ago to assess the job and give an estimate, before we were ready to pull the trigger. His rate was more reasonable than anyone else we'd met with, and he impressed us with his affability and extensive knowledge of the plant life surrounding the house. It seemed like second nature to him, and he obviously loves what he does. Fast forward to about a week ago: we reached out to Steve again to finally schedule a time, and he picked up right where he left off and set yesterday for the work. The actual process was quick, easy and pleasant. Along the way, Steve advised us on what we should have done to the plants we weren't sure about. The plant/tree removals and trimming left beautiful results, which we're assured will last for awhile. Thank you, Steve, for being so fun, informed and direct in your dealings with us. It couldn't have been a better experience. P.S. Steve took a bit of pencil tree poison to the eye and kept going like a champ. Unreal. Very sorry, Sir Marshall! P.P.S. Highly recommend, everyone. read more

We had a tricky situation with a tree that had grown to touch our house. While it was on our property, it is a favorite of our neighbor who really enjoys the flowers. I needed someone who would trim the tree in the best way possible for everyone. Steve is not your average hack-job tree trimmer - this man really knows trees and takes the time to explain risks, options, and cost. It's true, you do pay a little more, but you get true expert service. Use Steve for trimming trees if you care about trees. I was very impressed by how well his team cleaned-up. Not a scrap of wood chips, branches, or leaves was left anywhere. They even cleaned the gutters while they were on the roof! Nobody does that when they're watching the clock -- Steve does it because he's committed to service and happy customers. read more

Steve of Urban Lumberjack is great!! He is so knowledgable. He came out to consult our avocado tree. He gave us in depth advice on how to care for our tree. He then told us that he won't recommend any work to be done, which speaks to his honesty. I highly recommend calling Urban Lumberjack to anyone needing tree service. read more

Steve and his team at The Urban Lumberjack removed a large acacia tree for our HOA at the back of the building and they did a great job! They arrived on time and completed the removal in one day. Steve provided clear specifics on the removal process and a reasonable estimate price. Steve was very patient with our HOA's follow up questions, and our specific contract/insurance requests. I recommend The Urban Lumberjack and our HOA will hire them again if needed. read more

Finally moving into our wonderful new home, we couldn't help but focus on the spruce up we needed outside. So many trees had just been left to grow around our property. Some mysterious ones, some that seemed to blend in with many others.... So I went to Yelp. The first review I checked was for The Urban Lumberjack after seeing so many five stars. After speaking with Steve, I was very excited to get started. He came over and gave me a very detailed breakdown about what was going on with my various trees, suggested things to remove, talked me into actually leaving a couple of things.... And I couldn't be happier with the results. Steve was very professional, on time, nice, and on and on. He went out of his way to help us with our lovely home and I have no doubt that he will be the only man we have in our trees. Not only, but I was VERY happy when the final invoice arrived. Great great great service! read more

We just bought a house and the neighbor has a tree that has done a number on the original driveway. It is an old tree that our neighbor would not want to see destroyed by careless root cutting so I called Steve to come out and give an opinion. Steve returned my initial call quickly and we made a late afternoon appointment. He ended up being 30 minutes late for our appointment but he called to let me know and was very concerned about his tardiness impacting my day. I have worked in customer service for most of my life and all I expect is that someone communicates when things don't go according to plan. At our appointment I really appreciated that Steve took the time to explain the normally accepted practices, and then gave me a specific action plan for the roots that were lifting the driveway. After looking at our problem tree Steve took the time to go around the yard and give me advice on pruning our other trees, and the best way to plant the trees we have yet to acquire. Superb advice and I would not hesitate to call them the next time I need help with a tree! read more

We had a big ash tree that was beginning to raise and crack the concrete wall on the side of my house. When I saw the Urban Lumberjack truck stopped at a light I jotted down the number. The proprietor Steve Marshall is amazing and professional plus his knowledge and experience really shows as he confirmed our problem and explained the removal process. Most importantly was that he returned my calls, showed up on time, did a terrific job and cleaned up all at a fair price. Plus he is bonded, insured, licensed and a really good guy! It was a great experience. I have since used Steve for a number of other projects and I would highly recommend him. read more

The Urban Lumberjack was wonderful! The crew did a splendid job pruning my fruit trees, and the owner, Steve, did a great job placing two braces beneath a fruit tree that was leaning to one side. The price was more than fair, and the expertise of someone truly knowing how to prune trees and how to brace a tree was invaluable. (My trees were in trouble in the first place by allowing a gardener to prune it when he didn't know what he was doing.) It is well worth hiring an expert, and the price was about the same as hiring my (incompetent) gardener to do the job. It was a pleasure dealing with the Urban Lumberjack! Highly recommend! read more

Steve is not only incredibly knowledgable about everything tree-related, he is generous with his time and expertise. I cannot fathom a set of circumstances where one might be in need of a tree expert, where he could not be of service! read more

Just off the phone from Steve at The Urban Lumberjack and feel compelled to write about how fantastic and helpful he was. Thank you Steve for the time you spent on the phone with us just now and I'll see you Saturday. read more

Steve did an excellent job assessing our trees, taking our architect's plans and mapping the trees onto them, and writing up a report for the City of Pasadena (needed to get our construction permits for a home addition). Steve was a true professional, a wealth of information, and a pleasure to talk with. His price was reasonable, he did a great job, and we learned so much from him! 5 stars for sure. read more

Up front the reader should know that I did not use their service. BUT - I feel somewhat guilty about this and here is why: Steve - the arborist - came out and gave a professional and quite comprehensive assessment of my tree situation. He was nice and professional and did not ask for a consultation fee. His quote for the job was also fair (actually the lowest between 2 arborists and one tree service guy). My trees were just so beyond rescue that I decided to do the job by myself and save the $$$. I recommended Steve to my neighbor and would use him when it makes more sense - to work on a good tree. read more

The Urban Lumberjack is the best. Steve will come to give a "free" estimate, unlike another on the Yelp list who charges $150 just go to your property. Steve assessed all problems with trees/foliage/shrubs. He advised keeping some because of their beauty and gives a knowledgeable response to multiple species. He tells you if you can get something done for less money elsewhere and is a true professional. He advised on the danger of Trees of Heaven and the beauty of a Pecan tree which I was planning to fell. He advises how often to maintain and what to do. YES!!! read more

Pete gave me some really helpful, really knowledgeable consultation on a job that wasn't right for his company, but his advice on finding the right company for it was invaluable. Much appreciated, Pete! read more