Three Generations on the Central Coast

JTS Tree has been climbing, cutting, and caring for Central Coast trees for over 25+ years. We are family-owned and operated, now into our third generation, and most of our work still comes the old-fashioned way: one neighbor tells another.


Three generations means something on the job. The person who walks your property and gives you a price has likely worked the same street, the same kind of oak, and the same coastal wind you are dealing with. We have watched these trees grow up, and in plenty of cases, we have trimmed the same tree for the same family more than once. That history shows up in the work and in how the cleanup looks when we pull out of the driveway.


We cover the whole Central Coast, from the beach towns up through the North County wine country and down into the Santa Maria Valley. Big oak in the front yard, a storm split limb over the garage, a fence line full of brush, an old orchard that needs pulling out: it is all everyday work for us.

Where We Work

Home base is Arroyo Grande. From there, our crews run north to Paso Robles, south to Santa Maria, and out to the coast in between. If your town is not on this list but it is on the Central Coast, call us anyway; the odds are we are already working nearby.


South County and the Five Cities: Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Oceano, Pismo Beach, Shell Beach, Avila Beach, Nipomo


San Luis Obispo and the Coast: San Luis Obispo, Los Osos, Baywood, Morro Bay


North County and Wine Country: Atascadero, Templeton, Paso Robles, Santa Margarita, Creston


Santa Maria Valley and North Santa Barbara County: Santa Maria, Orcutt, Guadalupe, Los Alamos, and the Santa Ynez Valley, including Solvang, Buellton, and Los Olivos

Top 10 Tree Services on the Central Coast

These are the jobs we get called for most around here, in rough order of how often the phone rings.

  1. Tree Removal. Safe takedown of dead, dying, leaning, or in the way trees, including tight backyard access and crane assisted jobs when there is no room to drop a limb.
  2. Tree Trimming and Pruning. Structural pruning, deadwood cleanup, and clearance done the right way to keep a tree healthy. We do not top trees.
  3. Stump Grinding and Removal. Grinding stumps down below grade so you can replant, pour, build, or just be done looking at it.
  4. Emergency Tree Service. Storm damage, fallen limbs, and split trunks handled fast when a tree turns into a hazard over your roof, car, or driveway.
  5. Brush Removal and Vegetation Clearing. Clearing overgrowth, undergrowth, and tangled lots back to usable, walkable ground.
  6. Defensible Space and Fire Fuel Reduction. Opening up clearance around homes and structures to meet Cal Fire and county defensible space rules before fire season.
  7. Crown Thinning, Shaping, and Reduction. Lightening heavy canopies and reshaping trees so coastal wind moves through and weight comes off long limbs.
  8. Tree and Limb Chipping. On site chipping of brush and limbs so the mess leaves with us instead of sitting at the curb.
  9. Landscape Mulch. Turning what we cut into mulch you can use on beds, paths, and around the yard.
  10. Orchard and Vineyard Stump Grinding. Pulling and grinding old vines, orchard rows, and stumps for growers across the farm ground and wine country.


Top 10 Trees We Service on the Central Coast

If you live here, you probably have at least one of these in your yard or hanging over your fence. Here is what each one usually needs.

  1. Coast Live Oak. The signature tree of the Central Coast. Lives for centuries but loads up with deadwood and gets heavy and lopsided over time. Wants careful structural pruning and deadwood removal, never topping.
  2. Valley Oak. The biggest oak in California, common on the inland side around Templeton and Santa Margarita. Long limbs that fail when ignored. Needs crown cleaning and weight taken off the ends.
  3. California Sycamore. Found along the creeks and in older neighborhoods. Drops large limbs and picks up anthracnose in wet years. Needs seasonal pruning and dead limb cleanup.
  4. Monterey Pine. Planted just about everywhere and hit hard by pitch canker and bark beetle. Once it dies, it becomes a hazard fast, so it is the most common candidate for full removal.
  5. Blue Gum Eucalyptus. Tall, fast, and known for dropping limbs with no warning. A real fire concern, and often topped badly in years past, which usually makes removal the safer call.
  6. Monterey Cypress. The classic coastal windbreak tree out by Pismo, Morro Bay, and the bluffs. Gets top-heavy and one-sided. Needs thinning so the wind passes through instead of pushing it over.
  7. Coast Redwood. Beautiful, but planted in yards far too small for it. Roots lift hardscape, and the canopy crowds the house. Needs canopy thinning or removal once it has outgrown the lot.
  8. California Pepper Tree. All over the older towns from Arroyo Grande to Santa Maria. Brittle wood, messy droppings, and roots that go where they want. Needs regular thinning and sometimes removal.
  9. Canary Island Date Palm and Other Palms. A fixture in Central Coast towns. Old fronds and seed pods get heavy and dangerous up top. Needs annual trimming and skinning, done safely off the spikes.
  10. Liquidambar (Sweetgum). A go-to street and yard tree that surface roots, drops spiky seed balls, and outgrows its spot. Needs crown raising, root aware pruning, and now and then a full removal.