1. Who assessed my tree?
Ask whether the person who walked your property is a certified arborist or a salesperson. The distinction matters: the assessment determines the method and whether the tree needs removing at all. If the arborist never leaves the truck, you are getting a sales pitch, not an assessment.
2. Who will actually be on the crew?
Ask who will do the work and whether that crew belongs to the company you hired. A company that cannot answer on the spot is either disorganized or brokering the job out — both are your risk, because an injured climber on your property can become your problem.
3. What is the removal method, and why?
A professional will tell you whether the tree will be felled, rigged in sections, or crane-assisted, and why that method suits your site. If the answer is a shrug, they have not looked at the tree closely enough to plan it properly.
4. What exactly is included?
Ask specifically about stump grinding, chip and log hauling, raking, blowing off the driveway, and whether the proposal includes permit filing. A proposal that comes in well below another often leaves out the stump and the hauling, and you end up arranging the rest yourself.
5. Are permits required at my address?
A local company should know whether your village regulates removals and whether the tree is in a wetland buffer. If they tell you permits are never needed in Westchester, they are either wrong or planning to skip the process and leave you with the consequence.
6. How do they handle the roof and the lawn?
Ask what protection goes down and who repairs damage. Good crews lay mats or plywood, tie back shrubs, and photograph pre-existing conditions before starting. Ask what happens if a limb goes through a window — the answer should be unhesitating.
7. What is the payment schedule?
Most residential removals should be paid on completion, not in full up front. A large deposit request on a small job is a warning sign. Get the schedule in writing along with the scope.
8. Can they show you local work?
Not reviews on a screen — actual addresses or job photographs from your town. Local experience is what tells them how to get a crane onto a Scarsdale driveway without cracking it, or which Bronxville streets cannot take a chipper at 8 a.m.