Tree and Shrub Services in Landscaping

Tree and shrub services encompass the professional care, maintenance, and management of woody plant material within residential, commercial, and municipal landscapes. This page defines the scope of these services, explains how they are delivered, identifies the scenarios in which they apply, and draws clear boundaries between service categories. Understanding these distinctions helps property owners, managers, and procurement teams specify work accurately and match the right credentials to the right tasks.

Definition and scope

Tree and shrub services refer to the professional horticultural and arboricultural work performed on woody plants — including trees, shrubs, hedges, ornamental specimens, and multi-stem plantings — within managed landscapes. The scope separates into two broad practice areas: arboriculture, which addresses trees and tall woody plants requiring climbing, rigging, or aerial equipment, and shrub and hedge management, which addresses lower-growing woody species maintained primarily from ground level.

The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) defines arboriculture as the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other woody plants. ISA credentials — including the ISA Certified Arborist designation — establish a recognized competency benchmark for practitioners working on trees.

Within the broader context of landscape maintenance services, tree and shrub work is often treated as a specialty category, subject to licensing requirements that differ from general lawn care or planting work. Forty-seven states regulate pesticide application on ornamental plants through their departments of agriculture, requiring licensed applicators for chemical treatments. Tree removal above a defined height or diameter typically requires a contractor licensed or certified in arboriculture rather than a general landscaper.

How it works

Tree and shrub services are delivered through a defined sequence of assessment, prescription, and execution:

  1. Site assessment — A qualified arborist or horticulturist inspects the plant, evaluating species, age, structural condition, pest or disease pressure, soil conditions, and proximity to structures or utilities.
  2. Work prescription — Based on the assessment, a scope of work is written specifying the service type, timing, tools, and any chemical inputs. This aligns with the guidance structure described in landscape service scope of work definitions.
  3. Execution — Crews perform the specified work using species-appropriate methods. Pruning cuts follow the ANSI A300 standard for tree care operations, published by the American National Standards Institute, which governs cut placement, wound treatment, and structural pruning rationale.
  4. Debris management — Clippings, limbs, and removed material are chipped, hauled, or composted. Some contracts specify on-site grinding for wood waste.
  5. Follow-up documentation — Records of treatments, dates, and observations support ongoing management plans, particularly for large tree inventories in commercial landscaping services or municipal contracts.

Timing is species-dependent. Deciduous trees are commonly pruned during dormancy (late fall through early spring) to reduce disease transmission and allow wound closure before the next growing season. Flowering shrubs pruned outside their bloom cycle risk removing the following season's flower buds — a frequent source of client-contractor disputes.

Common scenarios

Tree and shrub services appear across four distinct landscape contexts:

Residential properties typically require annual or biannual pruning of ornamental trees, hedging of formal shrub borders, stump removal after tree loss, and occasional emergency response after storm damage. Root zone treatment for compacted urban soils is an emerging service in this sector.

Commercial and HOA properties involve higher-volume shrub shearing on maintenance schedules — often monthly during the growing season — combined with periodic structural pruning of canopy trees and hazard assessments. Landscaping services for HOAs frequently include tree inventories as part of the contracted scope.

Municipal and institutional properties require documented tree management plans, hazard ratings aligned with ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) standards, and compliance with local ordinances governing heritage or protected trees.

Post-construction landscapes often need formative pruning during the establishment phase to correct nursery-induced structural defects before they become hazardous. This intersects with landscape installation services when a general contractor hands off newly planted material to a maintenance provider.

Decision boundaries

Distinguishing between service types prevents scope gaps and credential mismatches.

Pruning vs. removal: Pruning retains the plant and addresses structure, health, or aesthetics. Removal eliminates the plant and is irreversible. Removal of trees over 15 feet in height typically requires a licensed tree service contractor, not a general landscaping crew, due to liability and equipment requirements.

Arborist work vs. general shrub maintenance: Work performed above 10 feet, involving climbing or bucket trucks, rigging of large limbs, or hazard tree assessment, falls within arborist practice. Ground-level shearing, deadheading, and light thinning of shrubs under 6 feet is within the scope of a general landscape maintenance technician.

Chemical treatment vs. mechanical control: Insect and disease management on trees and shrubs can be approached mechanically (pruning out infected tissue, physical barriers) or chemically (systemic insecticides, fungicides). Chemical approaches require a licensed pesticide applicator credential in the applicable state. Mechanical approaches do not, but they must still follow ANSI A300 Part 4 (Lightning Protection Systems) and Part 5 (Management of Trees and Shrubs During Site Planning, Site Development, and Construction) where relevant. Related considerations appear in pest and weed management in landscaping services.

Routine maintenance vs. renovation: Overgrown shrubs that have not been maintained for 3 or more growing seasons often require renovation pruning — a staged, multi-season process — rather than standard shearing. Renovation work changes the plant's form and schedule and is priced differently from routine contracts. This aligns with the scope distinctions outlined in landscape renovation and redesign services.

Credential verification before hiring is addressed in landscaping service provider credentials and licensing, which covers state-by-state arborist licensing, pesticide applicator requirements, and insurance minimums.

References

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