Is this tree healthy?
Canopy density, leaf size and colour, annual growth, bark condition and root flare all read together. Decline has causes, and the cause is what decides whether it's fixable.
Arborist Services
Before anyone starts cutting, somebody should diagnose it.
Most tree companies quote the job you asked for. Our arborist side does something different — works out what's actually wrong with the tree, whether it can be saved, and what it will do next. Sometimes the answer is a removal. Often it isn't.
- Licensed & insured
- Diagnosis before quotes
- Written findings available
- Second opinions welcome
What we do
The advice is the service. The saw is optional.
Integrity Tree Specialist was founded by Alexander Shield on the idea that a tree company should be worth calling even when nothing needs cutting. That's what arborist services are — the assessment, the diagnosis and the honest recommendation, separate from selling you the work.
A tree is a living structure, and almost everything that goes wrong with one shows up somewhere before it becomes a failure. Thinning canopies, fungal conks, cracked unions, girdling roots, soil that's been compacted by a builder — these all mean something specific, and they point to very different outcomes.
We come out, look properly, and tell you which one you're dealing with. If the tree can be saved, we'll say how. If it's a genuine hazard, we'll say that plainly. And if another company has told you it needs to come out and you're not sure, we'll give you a second opinion without a stake in the answer.
Same dayHazard call priority
FreeOn-site consultation
9 citiesCovered across Hampton Roads
WrittenFindings on request
Arborist work we handle
Six questions people call an arborist to answer.
Different problems, one starting point — somebody who knows what they're looking at standing under the tree.
Is it dangerous?
Hazard assessment weighs three things: how likely the tree is to fail, which part would go, and what's underneath it. A dead tree in an empty field and the same tree over a bedroom are not the same problem.
What's eating it?
Borers, scale, bagworms, cankers, root rots and leaf diseases all leave different signatures. Identifying it correctly decides whether it's treatable, whether it spreads, and whether it even matters.
Can it survive the build?
Trenching, grade changes and compacted soil kill more trees than chainsaws do — just slowly, two or three years after the work. We advise on protection zones before the machines arrive.
What should I plant instead?
Right tree, right place. Mature size, root habit, salt tolerance and how it handles heavy Hampton Roads clay — chosen so you're not removing it again in fifteen years.
Can I get that in writing?
Written findings for an HOA that wants justification, an insurer asking whether damage was preventable, or a neighbour dispute over a boundary tree. Facts on paper, not opinions over the fence.
Know the signs
Six reasons to get an arborist out, not a cutting crew.
If any of these sound like your situation, the diagnosis needs to happen before anyone quotes you for work.
-
01
Get it looked at
Fungal conks or mushrooms on the trunk or root flare
The visible sign of internal decay. What it is, and how far it's gone, changes everything.
-
02
Get it looked at
A crack, cavity or hollow you can see into
Some hollows are survivable and some aren't. That judgement shouldn't be a guess.
-
03
Get it looked at
You've been told it has to come out and you're unsure
A second opinion costs nothing and occasionally saves a tree that didn't need to go.
-
04
Worth an opinion
The canopy is thinning year on year
Gradual decline nearly always starts underground, where nobody thinks to look.
-
05
Worth an opinion
Building work is planned near a tree you want to keep
Protection has to be arranged before the machines turn up, not after the damage shows.
-
06
Worth an opinion
An HOA, insurer or neighbour is asking questions
These situations usually need documented findings rather than a verbal opinion.
Not sure it's worth a visit? Text a photo to (757) 778-3884 — a shot of the whole tree plus a close-up of whatever's worrying you. We'll tell you straight whether it needs someone standing under it or whether you can leave it alone another season.
How a consultation goes
Look first. Diagnose second. Quote last, if at all.
Here's exactly how an arborist visit runs, and why the order matters more than anything else on this page.
-
01
You tell us what you've noticed
What changed, when you first saw it, and whether anything's been done to the tree or the ground around it recently. Building work, a new driveway or a regrade three years back explains a surprising number of dying trees.
-
02
The tree gets inspected from the ground up
Root flare first, then trunk, unions, and crown. We look for decay, cavities, cracks, girdling roots, pest signs and old wounds, and we check the soil and drainage the tree is actually living in — not just the part you can see.
-
03
You get a verdict and the options behind it
Treat, prune, monitor, or remove — with the reasoning, not just the conclusion. Where there's a genuine judgement call, we'll tell you what's uncertain and what would make it clearer, rather than pretending it's cut and dried.
-
04
Written findings, work, or nothing at all
If you need it documented for an HOA or an insurer, we'll write it up. If work is needed, you get a quote you're free to compare. And if the answer is that the tree is fine, that's the end of it — no follow-up calls.
Why homeowners trust the answer
The company that tells you to do nothing is the one worth calling back.
There's an obvious conflict in asking a tree company whether your tree needs cutting. We handle it the only way that works: the assessment is free and stands on its own, and we're happy for you to take our findings and get the work quoted elsewhere.
Our crew is trained in tree biology, structural assessment, rigging and aerial rescue, and we work to accepted arborist practice — proper collar cuts, no topping, no spikes on trees that are staying. We carry full liability and workers' compensation coverage and will send the certificate before any work begins. Where a situation genuinely needs a formal legal or insurance report, we'll tell you that too.
Fully insuredLiability & workers' comp
Diagnosis firstBefore any quote
Written findingsFor HOAs & insurers
No upsellingIncluding "leave it alone"
Where we work
Arborist services across Hampton Roads.
Based on English Ave in Chesapeake, with crews running daily through the surrounding cities and neighbourhoods. Pick your area below, or call and we'll confirm in ten seconds.
Common questions
Before you book a consultation
What does an arborist actually do?
An arborist looks after the health and structure of individual trees, rather than just cutting them. In practice that means diagnosing what's wrong, judging how likely a tree is to fail and what it would hit, recommending treatment or pruning where it helps, and saying plainly when a tree is beyond saving. The cutting is one possible outcome, not the starting point.
Do you charge for coming out to look?
No — the on-site consultation and estimate are free, and there's no obligation to book anything afterwards. If you need formal written findings for an HOA, an insurance claim or a dispute, that's a bigger piece of work and we'll agree any fee with you upfront before we start writing.
Will you tell me if my tree doesn't need removing?
Yes, and it happens regularly. Plenty of trees that look alarming are structurally fine, and plenty of problems are fixable with pruning or root-zone work instead. We'd rather have a customer who calls us for twenty years than one removal we talked somebody into.
Can you give me a second opinion on another company's quote?
Happily. Bring us in, tell us what you were told, and we'll look at the tree ourselves and give you our own read. If we agree the tree has to come out, we'll say so — being a second opinion only means anything if it's an honest one.
Can you provide a report for my HOA or insurance company?
We can document what we find on site — species, condition, defects, our assessment and our recommendation — which is enough for most HOA approvals and insurance questions. Some legal disputes and court matters call for a formally credentialed consulting arborist's report, and if yours is one of those we'll tell you rather than sell you something that won't be accepted.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. Integrity Tree Specialist carries general liability and workers' compensation coverage, and we'll provide a certificate of insurance on request before work begins. Ask any tree company for theirs — if it doesn't arrive, that's your answer.
Free consultation
Get an answer before you get a quote.
Send us a photo, or have us come and stand under it. No pressure and no charge — and if your tree is fine, that's exactly what you'll hear.
(757) 778-3884
integritytrico@gmail.com
1929 English Ave, Chesapeake, VA 23320
Mon–Fri · Storm calls answered after hours