Arbortec Tree Service

10/30/2026

Dropping into a tree for a crane removal. Hope you're not scared of heights!

10/30/2026

Denver trees can suffer from drought in January just as much as in July.

Our winters are often dry, sunny, and windy, and evergreens keep losing moisture through their needles all season. Newly planted trees have the smallest reserves of all. Damage from a dry winter usually shows up the following spring as dieback and thin canopies. Shallow-rooted species such as birch, maple, and linden are especially vulnerable.

The fix is simple: water once or twice a month from late fall through early spring on days above 40 degrees, while the ground is not frozen. Water midday so it soaks in before evening, and focus near the drip line where feeder roots grow. A layer of mulch over the root zone helps hold that moisture in the soil longer.

It is the kind of practical, behind-the-scenes care our family has recommended across North Metro Denver for more than 35 years.

10/23/2026

An early wet snow is one of the hardest things a Denver-area tree can face, especially before the leaves have dropped.

Every leaf still on a branch catches heavy, wet snow. Silver maples, Siberian elms, and cottonwoods across Thornton, Northglenn, and Lakewood can carry many times their normal load overnight, and limbs with weak unions are usually the first to split. Trees that were pruned for good structure ahead of time shed snow far better than crowded, unmanaged canopies.

A few simple steps help. Gently brush snow off lower branches with an upward motion instead of shaking the tree, and stay clear of limbs that are bent low or cracking. Never try to clear branches near power lines.

When a storm does leave damage behind, our crews respond around the clock with grapple trucks and cranes to clear broken limbs safely and make clean cuts that help the tree recover. We also check for hidden cracks that could fail in the next storm.

10/16/2026

10/16/2026

Fall is one of the best times of year to plant a new shade tree along the Front Range.

Once the summer heat breaks, soil across Broomfield, Westminster, and Arvada stays warm long after the air cools. That gives new roots several weeks to settle in before the ground freezes, without a hot, dry July afternoon pulling water from fresh leaves. Cooler days also mean less watering and less transplant shock for the young tree.

Species choice matters as much as timing. Our ISA Certified Arborists help homeowners pick trees suited to Denver's clay soils and dry climate, then place them where they have room to grow for decades without crowding a roofline or sidewalk. Proper planting depth, with the root flare visible at the soil line, is one detail we never skip.

As a second-generation family business, we plant with the next generation in mind. A tree set in the ground correctly this fall can shade your home for many years to come.

10/09/2026

Watch our crews remove a trouble tree piece by piece.

10/09/2026

Thirty-five years and two generations of ownership go into every estimate Arbortec writes.

That kind of tenure means real familiarity with how North Metro Denver's trees behave: which species struggle with drought, which handle heavy snow poorly, and which soil conditions cause problems years down the road. It's knowledge that doesn't come from a single season of work, including which species tend to struggle after a dry summer and which soil types hold onto moisture longest through a Front Range winter.

ISA Certified Arborists on staff and TCIA membership back that experience with current standards, not just years in the field. The combination of long-term local knowledge and up-to-date certification shapes every recommendation made on a property, and it means every crew member operates under the same set of standards, not a patchwork of experience levels from job to job.

Free estimates reflect the same care: an honest assessment from a team that's been doing this in the same market for over three decades.

10/02/2026

Crane removal on a hazardous tree. Using a crane helps us ensure that the removal can be done safely and efficiently.

10/02/2026

A tree can look completely healthy above ground while its roots are slowly strangling it below.

Girdling roots form when a root grows in a circle around the trunk instead of outward, gradually squeezing the tree's own vascular system as both keep growing. It's common in trees that were planted too deep or had their root flare buried by mulch or fill dirt over the years. It's also common on trees planted with the burlap or wire basket left in place, which can constrict the root flare in much the same way over time.

Signs include a trunk that goes straight into the ground without flaring out, or thinning canopy and dieback in an otherwise mature, established tree. By the time symptoms show up above ground, the roots have often been compressed for years.

Caught early, exposing and cutting the offending root can add years to a tree's life. Left alone, it's one of the more common reasons a healthy-looking mature tree declines and dies, and it's one of the more preventable causes of decline, but only if it's caught before the damage is too extensive to correct.

09/25/2026

The first hard freeze can hit cottonwoods and elms harder than most homeowners expect, especially after a dry summer.

Trees that went into fall already stressed from water restrictions have less reserve to handle a sudden temperature drop. Bark can split, and weaker limbs that survived the summer are more likely to fail once the wood stiffens in the cold. Elms in particular can hold onto stress from a dry summer well into fall, showing little visible sign of it until temperatures swing hard.

A pre-freeze check looks for deadwood, cracks, and limbs already under stress so they can come down on our schedule, not the tree's. That's especially true for trees near driveways, power lines, or roof lines, where a failed limb does more than just yard damage. It's a much better outcome than dealing with a failure during the first real storm of the season.

North Metro Denver's freeze-thaw pattern makes this a yearly issue, not a one-time concern. Getting ahead of it now is worth the call.