Guide
Best Tree Services in Ottawa (2026): 10 Ranked by Review Volume
Ranked on Google review counts, each shown with the date it was measured. Last reviewed August 2026.
Most "best tree services" lists do not say how they were ordered, which makes them impossible to check. This one is ranked by a single number you can verify yourself: how many Google reviews each company's profile carries. The rating sits next to it, the method is stated below, and nobody paid to be here.
Short answer
Ranked by Google review volume as measured on 19 August 2026, the 10 Ottawa tree services carrying the most reviews are Croft Tree Experts (803 reviews), Wright Tree Service (703 reviews) and Davey Tree Expert Co. of Canada, Limited (379 reviews), followed by Cedarsmith, Hedge King, Abattage Bio-Mec, Bisson Services, Abattage d’arbre Gatineau-Abattre un arbre Gatineau-Émondage-Dessouchage-JFS Abattage, L'Ambassadeur de l'arbre - Élagage et soins des arbres Aylmer, Manotick Tree. Only claimed Google Business Profiles whose primary Google category is tree service or arborist, within 30 km of downtown Ottawa, carrying at least 20 reviews were considered, and no business paid to appear.
How this list was built
- The candidate set: claimed Google Business Profiles whose primary category is tree service or arborist, within 30 km of downtown Ottawa, carrying at least 20 reviews. 72 profiles came back and 60 met that bar. Not our own listings — 7 of the 10 below are not listed in this directory, and they are named anyway.
- The order: number of Google reviews, highest first, on the figure shown beside each name. Not the star rating. A 5.0 from one review is not evidence, and sorting on rating would put it above a company with 803 reviews.
- The radius crosses the river, and here it matters. 30 km from downtown Ottawa reaches Cantley and well across Gatineau, and four of the ten below are Quebec-side. Tree crews genuinely work both sides. But Ottawa's tree permit by-law does not apply in Quebec, so a Gatineau company is not necessarily familiar with the Ontario permit your job may need. Each company is named with its municipality.
- Measured: the candidate pool was pulled 19 August 2026. Where a company is also listed in this directory, the figure here is the one on its listing, carrying the date that listing was last checked — so the number you read here and the number one click away cannot disagree. Review counts move, so the date is part of the figure.
- What this is not: we have not hired, tested or inspected any company here, and nothing on this page is an endorsement. It ranks how much public feedback exists, which is a different thing from quality.
- Nobody paid: no placement on this page is or has been sold. No business pays for a listing or a position anywhere on this site. How listings are chosen is on the methodology page.
Ottawa tree services by review volume
- 01
Croft Tree Experts
4.9 from 803 Google reviews, measured 19 August 2026. Based in Ottawa.
Carries arborist service as a second category, which is the profile-level signal that the company presents itself as doing tree care and not only removal.
- 02
Wright Tree Service
4.8 from 703 Google reviews, measured 19 August 2026. Based in Ottawa.
Also carries arborist service as a second category.
- 03
Davey Tree Expert Co. of Canada, Limited
4.9 from 379 Google reviews, measured 19 August 2026. Based in Carp.
The Ottawa-area profile of a national company, based out of Carp, and it also lists arborist service.
Not listed in this directory.
- 04
Cedarsmith
5.0 from 343 Google reviews, measured 19 August 2026. Based in Kanata.
Based in Kanata, and lists landscaping alongside tree work.
Not listed in this directory.
- 05
Hedge King
4.9 from 300 Google reviews, measured 19 August 2026. Based in the Ottawa area.
Its Google profile states no municipality, so the base shown above is this page's own search radius rather than an address the company publishes.
Not listed in this directory.
- 06
Abattage Bio-Mec
5.0 from 277 Google reviews, measured 19 August 2026. Based in Cantley.
Based in Cantley, Quebec, inside this page's search radius. It also lists a lumber operation, so felled wood is part of the business.
Not listed in this directory.
- 07
Bisson Services
5.0 from 256 Google reviews, measured 19 August 2026. Based in the Ottawa area.
Lists woodworking alongside tree service, and its profile states no municipality.
Not listed in this directory.
- 08
Abattage d’arbre Gatineau-Abattre un arbre Gatineau-Émondage-Dessouchage-JFS Abattage
5.0 from 254 Google reviews, measured 19 August 2026. Based in Gatineau.
A Gatineau company whose profile name is a string of French service terms rather than a trading name. It covers felling, pruning and stump removal.
Not listed in this directory.
- 09
L'Ambassadeur de l'arbre - Élagage et soins des arbres Aylmer
5.0 from 237 Google reviews, measured 19 August 2026. Based in Gatineau.
Based in the Aylmer sector of Gatineau, operating in French, and listing arborist consulting alongside pruning and tree care.
Not listed in this directory.
- 10
Manotick Tree
5.0 from 217 Google reviews, measured 14 August 2026. Based in North Gower.
Based in North Gower, and also runs a tree farm, so it sells stock as well as removing it.
The permit, which is the expensive thing to get wrong
Choosing the company is the easy half. In Ottawa, the question that costs real money is whether the tree is allowed to come down at all.
- 30 cm is the threshold on most urban properties. The City states a permit is needed for all trees 30 cm or more in diameter at breast height on private urban properties of 1 hectare or less. On urban properties over 1 hectare, or under a Planning Act application, the threshold drops to 10 cm.
- The suburban exception is gone. That threshold changed for the suburbs in 2024, and the City now publishes 30 cm across the urban area with no suburban exception. A lot of advice still online predates that change.
- Pruning does not need a permit. If the goal is clearance rather than removal, this whole section may not apply to you.
- Agree in writing who applies. Some companies handle it, some charge for handling it, and some leave it entirely with you. The fine for removing without a permit is not a rounding error against the permit fee.
The current fee schedule and the fine, with the sources, are in our Ottawa tree removal cost guide.
What actually decides the bill in Ottawa
- Access, not height, is usually the price driver. A tall tree in an open back yard a truck can reach is cheaper than a medium one behind a fence, over a shed, beside hydro lines.
- Stump grinding is normally separate. Confirm whether it is included, how deep, and whether the grindings and the hole are being dealt with.
- Ask for proof of insurance and WSIB coverage. Get the documents rather than the assurance. This is the trade where an uninsured crew in your yard is a genuine liability exposure, not a technicality.
- Emergency and storm work is a different price. After a big Ottawa wind event, everyone is booked and the rate reflects it. Hazardous limbs cannot wait, but a planned removal usually can.
How to use a list like this without getting burned
Review volume tells you a company has been around and that a lot of people have had an opinion. It does not tell you they will be careful near your roof. Shortlist two or three from above, then get a written quote naming the trees by location, whether the stump is included and to what depth, who applies for the permit, what happens to the debris, and confirmation of insurance and WSIB. Compare on that basis.
And read the one and two star reviews specifically, sorted by most recent — in this trade they tend to be about property damage and cleanup, which is exactly what you want to know.
Common questions
- Who is the best tree service in Ottawa?
- There is no single answer, and anyone who gives you one without seeing the tree is guessing. On the measure used here, the number of Google reviews behind a rating, Croft Tree Experts leads with 803 Google reviews at 4.9 as of 19 August 2026. The right company depends on whether this is a removal near a house, routine pruning, or an emergency after a storm.
- Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Ottawa?
- Often, yes. The City states that a permit is needed for all trees 30 cm or more in diameter at breast height on private urban properties of 1 hectare or less, and for all trees 10 cm or more on urban properties over 1 hectare or under a Planning Act application for Site Plan, Plan of Subdivision or Plan of Condominium. Pruning does not need a permit. The 30 cm threshold changed for the suburbs in 2024 and the City now publishes 30 cm across the urban area with no suburban exception, so older advice you find online may be wrong.
- How is this list ranked?
- By the number of Google reviews each company's profile carries, highest first, among claimed profiles whose primary Google category is tree service or arborist, within 30 km of downtown Ottawa, with at least 20 reviews. 72 profiles came back and 60 met that bar. The candidate pool was measured on 19 August 2026, and each company's figure is shown with the date that figure was measured. It ranks how much public evidence exists about a company, not the quality of its work.
- Why are Gatineau and Cantley companies on a list about Ottawa?
- Because the search radius is 30 km from downtown Ottawa and the Quebec border is roughly 2 km from it. Four of the ten here are Quebec-side, and tree crews genuinely work across the river. One thing to know: Ottawa's tree permit by-law does not apply on the Quebec side, so a Gatineau company is not necessarily familiar with the Ontario permit you may need. Ask.
- Why rank by review count instead of by star rating?
- Because a 5.0 from one review is not evidence. Sorting by rating would put a brand new profile above a company with 803 reviews at 4.9. Several companies on this page do sit at a clean 5.0, and they sit where they do because of how much feedback stands behind it, not in spite of the rating.
- Have you used these companies?
- No. We have not hired, tested or inspected any company on this page, and nothing here is an endorsement. This page ranks public review data with the method stated so you can check it yourself.
- Can a company pay to appear on this list?
- No. The order is the stated method applied to public data, and no placement on this page is or has been sold. Nothing anywhere on this site is sold either — no business pays for its listing or its position.
See every Ottawa tree service listed here, with service areas and sourced ratings.
Browse tree services