Arbor Vitals LLC

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Arbor Vitals LLC ISA Certified Arborist® providing honest tree care, pruning, removals, and tree health assessments.

Arbor Vitals focuses on practical recommendations, quality workmanship, and helping property owners make informed decisions about their trees. I am a University of Wisconsin - Madison graduate, ISA Certified Arborist® (MN-4906A), and have worked in the arboricultural industry since 2018. I have worked as a climbing arborist for Davey Tree Expert Care Company in Lake Bluff, IL, the city of Duluth, MN, the City of Lake Mills, WI, and I currently work full time for the City of Madison, WI as a municipal arborist.

Project Highlight: Mature Maple RemovalThis project involved a large, multi-stem maple with several significant structur...
10/17/2026

Project Highlight: Mature Maple Removal

This project involved a large, multi-stem maple with several significant structural and health concerns.

The tree had sustained previous storm damage and a lightning strike that resulted in substantial basal injury and decay. An included-bark union was also present among the remaining major stems. Nearly half of the canopy on the side of the basal injury had experienced significant decline.

Considering the combination of structural defects, basal decay, and canopy decline, removal was warranted.

The homeowners elected to retain the logs for their own use as firewood. Keeping usable wood on site gave the material a purpose beyond the removal itself.

Large removals like this aren't the primary focus of Arbor Vitals, but some projects make sense when the tree's condition, property circumstances, and work requirements align.

My work centers on thoughtful tree care, structural pruning, preservation where practical, and selective removals when necessary.

Before and after from a Lake Mills backyard this week.The mulberry had grown into the roof, gutters, and siding. It was ...
10/10/2026

Before and after from a Lake Mills backyard this week.

The mulberry had grown into the roof, gutters, and siding. It was cleared back to give the house room. There was also a triple stem, black walnut on the corner of the home. One 12” lead was leaning over the house from a weak, included union. That stem was removed, and the other two were retained.

The client wanted to keep the trees, and this work made that a reasonable goal.

This multistem linden lost roughly half of its canopy in an early summer storm. After assessing the remaining stems, the...
10/10/2026

This multistem linden lost roughly half of its canopy in an early summer storm. After assessing the remaining stems, the tree was determined not to be a sustainable candidate for retention long-term. The homeowner wanted to keep the tree over the summer for the shade, which I thought was reasonable. The other half was removed this week.

Oak removal with a useful second life.I removed this mature white oak earlier this week. The homeowner chose to retain t...
10/03/2026

Oak removal with a useful second life.

I removed this mature white oak earlier this week. The homeowner chose to retain the logs and larger wood for firewood rather than have everything hauled away for disposal or turned into chips

She already had someone in mind who might be interested in the wood, and they ended up taking it. There was a substantial amount of high-quality oak left on site, ready to be loaded and hauled away.

When practical, I always like seeing larger wood put to another use rather than treating it as waste. In this case, the tree may be gone, but the wood will get a second life as firewood.

Freeman Maples: Beautiful Fall Color, Challenging StructureFreeman maples are popular for good reason. They grow quickly...
10/03/2026

Freeman Maples: Beautiful Fall Color, Challenging Structure

Freeman maples are popular for good reason. They grow quickly, have attractive form, and their fall color can be spectacular. The tips of some branches on this tree were already starting to turn brilliant red.

The downside is that Freeman maples commonly develop structural problems as they mature, including competing leaders, codominant stems, and included unions. As those stems become larger, these defects can increase the likelihood of branch or stem failure during significant wind or snow events.

This particular tree was already well beyond the ideal stage for structural training, but there was still value in addressing some of the developing problems. I reduced competing leaders, favored a central lead, and reduced some of the weight carried by the more problematic stems.
Earlier would have been better.

For Freeman maples, I generally recommend beginning structural pruning when the tree is around 3 inches in diameter and continuing every 2–3 years while the structure is developing. At that stage, the goal isn't to remove a large amount of canopy. It's to make a few small, strategic cuts while the branches are still small and the tree's structure can be guided.

By the time a tree reaches 16 inches in diameter, those same structural problems have had years to develop. Correcting them becomes more difficult, and the cuts required can be substantially larger.

A little structural pruning early in a tree's life can go a long way toward reducing the need for major corrective work later.

Mature silver maple prune from this week in Fort Atkinson.This pruning work balanced the client's objectives of improvin...
09/18/2026

Mature silver maple prune from this week in Fort Atkinson.

This pruning work balanced the client's objectives of improving clearance while maintaining the tree's natural form and retaining some of the drooping branches.

I also did some important structural work to address a large wound from previous storm damage that left one of the main leads over the driveway with an increased risk of future failure. Rather than removing the 18"-diameter lead and creating a massive wound on the main stem of this tree, I recommended some end-weight reduction pruning to reduce the likelihood of future failure.

When it comes to sustainable tree care, often less is more.

This dead, storm-damaged oak was hung up in a neighboring black walnut tree with part of it suspended over the homeowner...
09/08/2026

This dead, storm-damaged oak was hung up in a neighboring black walnut tree with part of it suspended over the homeowner's shed. There was even a small rope tied to one of the stems from an earlier homeownwer attempt to figure out how to get it down.

To the homeowner's credit, he decided this one was better left to someone else.

And honestly... after spending the afternoon:
- finding a ground wasp nest,
- fighting through a jungle of black raspberries,
- picking burrs out of my ropes, chainsaw pants, and shirt,
- donating blood to every mosquito in the area...
..I'd say he made the right decision!

In all seriousness, storm-damaged trees are often unpredictable. Trees under tension or wedged in other trees can shift unexpectedly when cut, and what looks like a simple job from the ground can become much more complicated once you're in the canopy.

Thankfully, this one came down safely without any damage to the shed.

If you have a storm-damaged tree and you're not sure whether it's something you can safely handle yourself, I'm always happy to take a look and give an honest opinion.

Every tree removal is a little different, and I try to give homeowners options.This cottonwood was completely dead, and ...
08/29/2026

Every tree removal is a little different, and I try to give homeowners options.

This cottonwood was completely dead, and had a large amount decay and rotten wood, making careful removal necessary. The homeowner decided to save money by handling the cleanup after the tree was safely removed.

Often, the technical tree work is only part of the project. Brush hauling, log removal, and site cleanup can account for a significant portion of the total cost. If you'd rather keep the firewood, list the logs online, or simply take care of the cleanup yourself, I'm happy to build a quote around that.

I believe the safest approach is to leave the climbing, rigging, and cutting to an experienced and insured ISA Certified Arborist, then let you decide how much of the cleanup you'd like to take on. That flexibility can make professional tree work much more affordable.

If you have a tree you're unsure about, I'd be happy to stop by and provide an honest recommendation and a free estimate.

Honest Tree Care. Informed Decisions.

08/22/2026

Thank you! :)

These maples had grown too close to the homes and were beginning to encroach over the driveway and roofline. We selectiv...
08/22/2026

These maples had grown too close to the homes and were beginning to encroach over the driveway and roofline. We selectively pruned the canopy to provide proper clearance while preserving the trees' natural shape and overall canopy.

The goal wasn't to remove as much as possible—it was to create the space the homeowner needed without sacrificing the beauty or health of the tree.

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Beaver Dam, WI
53916

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