FAQ

Regenerative tree and landscape services for the greater Milwaukee area

Frequently Asked Questions

What are your rates?

Pricing is often determined by how much time we will need to spend on your property. Half day jobs range from $600-$700, full day jobs land around $1200-$1500. Removing a medium-large tree that requires climbing and technical work, as well as removal of large diameter wood, will typically require two - three days, and will be priced as such. Some cost-saving options are utilizing our winter discount, and opting to leave larger wood on site for firewood or landscaping.

Why do you charge so much? My neighbors had a tree cut down for half that price!

Tree care and landscaping have earned an unfortunate reputation as a low skilled, unregulated trade. Owning equipment and being able to start a chainsaw does not make someone a skilled arborist. The ability to mow a lawn, shear a hedge, and plant a tree does not make someone a skilled landscaper. There are certainly other companies with lower rates that may be able to plant a tree, cut a tree down, or prune a branch away from your house. The product you end up with from these companies may cost less money in the short term, but it also could lead to future issues with your landscape, property damage, or a job site accident.

We are thoughtful and intentional about the work we do. We are able to assess everything from the soil in your yard to the condition of your mature tree. Continued discussions about planting practices, tree health, and mitigating climate change are an integral part of the company culture. We attend continuing education seminars as often as our schedule allows, and network with other people in the industry to help answer tough questions.

In addition to being physically demanding and carrying inherent risk, our work requires knowledge of soil science, tree biology, physics in rigging, and mechanical skills. The fact that we are performing physical labor should not diminish the value of the services we provide.

We aim to keep our prices comparable to companies who can offer similar skills, knowledge, and professionalism on a job site. We are a fully insured company with an ISA Certified Arborist on staff and over two decades worth of horticultural knowledge between Johanna and her crew. We will perform work on your property wearing appropriate protective gear and adhering to safe working conditions. Not every company in the Milwaukee will take the same approach. Our goal is not to be the lowest cost options in the area. Our pricing is based off the fact that we can handle technical tree work in a safe and thorough manner, plant intentional landscapes, and sustainably use the debris generated on job sites.

Why are you booked out so far?

There are several reasons for this:

We're in high demand! Ursa Minor does not advertise. All of our business is word of mouth, and we appreciate the support of our clients. If you are thinking of having tree work or planting done during the summer (our busiest time) we highly recommend reaching out in March/April to get on the calendar. In 2022, our entire summer calendar was booked by mid-May.
We are a small company. We do not believe in adapting the traditional model of hiring a large number of low-skilled workers to go out and do the work we sell. Johanna does the majority of the technical climbing herself, and Jake is on site for every planting job. As demand for our services increases, we intend to grow our team slowly by hiring people with a similar passion to create better landscapes, providing a livable wage for them, and furthering their education.
We prioritize the physical and mental health of our employees. Our line of work can be mentally and physically exhausting, and burnout is a very common issue for people working in horticulture. Both Johanna and Jake are single parents, and value the time spent with their kids when they're not working. Because of this, we do our best to avoid work schedules that are not sustainable (successive long days, working holidays/weekends, working in dangerous weather conditions, etc).

What do you do in winter?

Most of the same things we do in summer! Winter is a great time for pruning and removals. In fact, some trees should only be pruned during the dormant season, such as oaks and elms. Additionally, we offer a 5% discount to all work booked December - March.

When work slows down during the quiet season, we are working on better utilizing the waste generated from our job sites, which likely means we're making biochar or growing edible mushrooms!

Do you treat trees?

We do not offer most traditional plant healthcare services (trunk injections, sprays, and soil injections). We recommend you contact Jacob MCcutcheon at Essential Tree and Plant Healthcare.

We do offer activated biochar applications. Biochar is a soil amendment that we produce using woodchips generated on Ursa Minor jobsites. The chips are charred in a low-oxygen environment, creating a stable and porous surface for nutrients to bond to in the soil around the roots of your tree. Most biochar applications are pared with Blue Ribbon organic compost or a compost tea solution.

What training have you had?

Johanna's family grew and sold vegetables and cut flowers at farmer's markets in the Fond du Lac area of Wisconsin. She also climbed her fair share of trees as a child and developed a love for outdoor work early in life. After becoming a mother in 2015, she decided to change careers and began attending Milwaukee Area Technical College's Horticulture program, where she received instruction in many aspects of the green industry with a focus on tree care. She worked for a large tree care company for nearly four years after graduating, gaining experience with structural tree pruning, technical removals, tree health assessments, and planting practices. In May of 2021, she decided to begin operating Ursa Minor Tree Care.

Jake has more than 15 years of experience in landscape management and design with nearly a decade researching alternative landscape techniques. While living in Oregon, Jake studied under several permaculture teachers and has incorporated these planet friendly practices into his work and into his lifestyle. He began periodically assisting Ursa Minor with ground work in winter of 2021/2022, and joined the crew full time in May of 2022.