Big Chief Tree Service

This service makes a lot noise and has poor neighbor relations. If you want your neighbors to still like you after the tree is down, try another company. The Big Chief swaggers in his plantation overseer hat while his minions work hard without masks around the chipping machine.

We love dendrology. For 18 years we have lived in our canyon home, pruned our own trees and even helped our friends and neighbors with theirs. Yet when it came time to restore our beautiful bay view we found ourselves in a difficult situation. Potentially five properties would be affected with each owner having their own perspective of the term «view». Many live oaks were involved. After admiring Peter’s work for years we knew to call Big Chief Tree Service. His crews are superbly trained, Zen, efficient artists and sculptors. We knew they would deliver beautiful canopies for all while prioritizing the health of the trees. What we didn’t know was that Peter would be fantastically adept at handling everyone’s concerns in an extremely fair manner. Peter and his crew turned a tumultuous day into a smooth day. Our view is gorgeous and the trees are beautiful. We are looking forward to a long standing relationship.

Peter and his crew helped us out with a last minute project (paving project and we have a tried tree that needed its roots to be protected), and he was very knowledgeable, responsive, flexible, and went above and beyond. I had to nag him to remember to bill us! Prior owners of our home used him, and I can see why. We have two huge trees that we would not want to entrust to amateurs; we’re quite pleased.

Peter is awesome. Not only do he and his crew do a great job, they leave everything cleaner and better than it was before. He really went above and beyond for me, as I had some neighbors complaining about their view being blocked. He told me to give them his number so he could deal with them, went into their house to look at their view, etc. He really helped keep my relationship with my neighbors and was happy to help in whatever way he could. I don’t know any other service that would do something like that! It certainly isn’t cheap, but I think it’s comparable to prices in the area and definitely of the highest quality of work and service. Peter is also just a really nice and likeable guy, and appears to be a very honest businessman. I will would recommend him to anyone.

It was a sycamore tree that led to an introduction to Peter Rudy and Big Chief Tree service. Back in the mid-​90s my then-​girlfriend-​now-​wife had taken a chainsaw to it to tidy it up and the results were, in a word, mangy. Professional assistance was required. Somehow I found Peter and the rest, as they say, was history. I’ve since said goodbye to that sycamore but their work in my current yard includes removing trees, grinding stumps, thinning the Berkeley-​protected Live Oaks, trimming pittosporums and assessing the safety of neighboring trees.
Nearly 20 years later from our first meeting Big Chief Tree Service is still the only tree service and Peter Rudy is still the only arborist I work with.
There are numerous reasons for this: firstly, Peter loves trees. It’s true. And quite endearing. He thinks about what’s best for them. He recognizes that some are considered more valuable than others. He doesn’t judge people’s favorites. He understands human nature (the desire for views, the desire for foliage, the disagreements that these stately wonders can cause between neighbors) plays a role in tree care. Additionally, his crew is amazing. They are incredible to watch work, high in the boughs. They’re efficient, their work is great, their clean-​up is terrific. And they’re friendly. The Big Chief Tree Service guys have been a team for a long time — and this reflects well on them too. I like working with people who like their job and enjoy one another. Who doesn’t?

Big Chief did a great job removing my 2 trees that had outgrow my yard. Peter was very nice, well informed and obviously knows his business. His crew was great. Efficient, showed up on time, cleaned up everything and did everything so well I was seriously impressed. I would recommend them to everyone. Pleasant and extremely reasonable. they are the best!

I totally agree with the above reviews. Peterand his crew have been taking care of my huge Monterey Pine for over 12 years. However, he came to inspect it and give me an estimate for work about 2 months ago, but I haven’t been able to contact him since. Does anyone know if he’s having a problem?

I am beyond impressed with Peter and his team at Big Chief. On a free site visit he accessed the condition of several trees, including a large Redwood and a couple of fruit trees. Peter is very knowledgeable and provided honest, well-​balanced recommendations so I could make the best decision for my yard.
My Redwood tree was absolutely covered in ivy, climbing to almost three stories high. Peter’s team turned up on time, magically climbed the tree, removed the ivy, and did a full trim. The tree looks absolutely beautiful now and is the pride of the garden. In fact, I was initially leaning toward having the tree removed but after Big Chief’s makeover, I’ve completely changed my mind. I’m confident they can keep the tree looking great for man years to come.
Best of all, there’s no debris to remove. The team makes the trimmings, leaves, branches and anything else disappear. So much so, that even the neighbors commented on their efficiency. All done for a very reasonable price.
I highly recommend Big Chief for whatever tree services you may need.

Peter Rudy (aka Pedro) and his crew are just… The best around
They cleaned up a eucalyptus tree, And I could have not been more impressed, no power saws, no screaming, just a guy on the tree with his ropes and a few hand saws, guy on the ground cleaning up and organizing the branches
No broken plants or angry neighbors
Peter’s knowledge of trees and plants is very impressive, and the way he described the proposed work to my self and neighbor was great also
Will use them and pass their name to friends