Tree Service Companies in Somerset County, NJ

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THE GUIDE: TREE SERVICE COMPANIES IN SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ

A large tree that’s leaning, storm-damaged, or growing too close to the house is a judgment call before it’s a job — deciding whether it should come down, be cabled, or be left alone is work the state limits to a Licensed Tree Expert. Routine work — pruning low branches, grinding a stump, clearing storm debris, or taking down a smaller tree — can be handled by any registered tree care business, including one licensed only as a Licensed Tree Care Operator, and that’s often the more affordable choice for the job. This guide is the county-wide roster: it gathers every business already verified on Garden State Circle’s six Somerset cluster guides, plus Bound Brook’s own registrants, in one place.

How We Selected These Businesses

Every business on this page carries an active registration with the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts, showing a status of Registered and naming at least one individual the Board licenses as a Licensed Tree Expert or a Licensed Tree Care Operator. We read the register ourselves and recorded what it showed, on the date printed next to each business. This guide covers Somerset County’s six standing tree-service clusters — Somerset Hills, Bridgewater, Somerville, Watchung Hills, Montgomery and Franklin Township — plus Bound Brook, which has no cluster guide of its own.

94 businesses returned county-wide. 69 are Registered, 13 with a Licensed Tree Expert. 25 are Suspended.

Which Business Fits Your Job

A big tree over the house that’s leaning, storm-damaged, or possibly dying calls for a judgment before any saw comes out — whether it should come down, be cabled, or be left alone — and that assessment is work the state licenses only to a Licensed Tree Expert. A business employing a Licensed Tree Expert, marked LTE in the tables below, is the fit for that call.

Low branches over a driveway, a stump, storm debris already on the ground, or routine pruning and removal is work any registered business can legally do, including one licensed only as a Licensed Tree Care Operator (LTCO) — and that license often costs less. Tree removal itself, including a large tree, is LTCO scope; the license does not indicate crew size, equipment, or capacity, only which judgment calls the business is licensed to make.

About This Guide

This guide is produced by Garden State Circle. Tree service companies appear here because the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts’ public register shows their registration status as Registered and names at least one licensed individual — a Licensed Tree Expert or a Licensed Tree Care Operator — on that registration. That is a test, not a judgment, and it is the only route onto this page. No business can pay to be included in this guide, to be listed higher, or to change what the table says about it. Businesses are listed alphabetically within each town section, and every detail in the tables was verified against each business’s own website and the NJ Board of Tree Experts’ public register in September 2026.

Everything under the heading that begins this guide is governed by the rules above, on every guide we publish. Where a sponsor’s message appears above that heading, it is paid for and labelled, and it buys nothing in the guide. Garden State Circle is supported by the businesses that participate in it. Participation pays for our ongoing work: keeping a business’s entry accurate, re-checking its record, and publishing a page of its own details that the business maintains. There is no paid placement in this guide. Participation does not buy a place here, a position here, or anything the comparison tables say. Where a row carries a verification date, that is when we last checked that business’s record ourselves. A row without one has not been checked recently — that is a fact about our work, not about the business. The NJ Board of Tree Experts checks each business’s insurance when it registers and again at its two-year renewal; nothing checks it in between, and we did not verify insurance coverage ourselves on the date shown for each row.

Garden State Circle is published in New Jersey by Tiffany and Jake Slowinski and covers Somerset County, including Somerset Hills, Bridgewater, Somerville, Watchung Hills, Montgomery, Franklin Township and Bound Brook. Contact the publisher at jake@gardenstatecircle.com. How every guide is made, in one place: how every guide is made.

The Businesses, Compared — By Cluster

Each section below is one of Garden State Circle’s standing tree-service clusters, in board order. Six of the seven have their own dedicated guide with full write-ups and services detail — follow the link under each heading for that page. Bound Brook has no cluster guide of its own; its detail is printed here in full.

Somerset Hills

See the full guide: Tree Service Companies in Basking Ridge and Bernardsville, NJ. 14 businesses (13 Registered, 9 with an LTE; 1 Suspended). Covers Bernardsville, Bernards Township (Basking Ridge, Liberty Corner and Lyons), Far Hills, Bedminster and Peapack-Gladstone.

Also on the state register, shown as Suspended on September 6, 2026: Land Pride Services, Inc. — NJTC Registration #939255, Basking Ridge.

Bridgewater (Martinsville), Branchburg and Raritan

See the full guide: Tree Service Companies in Bridgewater, NJ. 17 businesses (15 Registered, 2 with an LTE; 2 Suspended).

Also on the state register, shown as Suspended on September 6, 2026: Liedl Tree Service — NJTC #768568, Neshanic Station. The Stump Company LLC — NJTC #922019, Bridgewater.

Somerville and Hillsborough

See the full guide: Tree Service Companies in Somerville, NJ. 19 businesses (12 Registered, 1 with an LTE; 7 Suspended).

Also on the state register, shown as Suspended on September 6, 2026: C&D Tree Experts (#939561), Falcon Landscaping Inc. (#842577), M&A Tree Service Inc (#768585), Maverick Services N.J., LLC (#939381), Michael McCabe Tree & Landscape (#768598), Tony’s Tree Service and Landscaping, LLC (#831716), Uprooted LLC (#939462).

Watchung Hills — Warren, Watchung and Green Brook

See the full guide: Tree Service Companies in Warren and Watchung, NJ. 3 businesses, all Registered; none holds an LTE.

Montgomery Township (Belle Mead, Skillman and Blawenburg), Rocky Hill and Millstone

See the full guide: Tree Service Companies in Belle Mead and Skillman, NJ. 3 businesses (2 Registered; neither holds an LTE; 1 Suspended).

Also on the state register, shown as Suspended on September 6, 2026: Mist & Meadow Landscaping — NJTC #833650, Belle Mead.

Franklin Township (Somerset), Manville, North Plainfield and South Bound Brook

See the full guide: Tree Service Companies in Franklin Township, NJ. 28 businesses (16 Registered; none holds an LTE — this pool’s two LTE holders are both Suspended; 12 Suspended).

Also on the state register, shown as Suspended on September 6, 2026: Abraham Landscaping and Tree Service (#832510), Connections Arbor Care LLC (#939331), Crown Tree Service & Stump Grinding, Inc (#928399), EDI Landscaping LLC (#939216), Green Planet Hardscaping & Maintenance (#939513), JCR Tree Service LLC (#768453), Miklos Tree Service LLC (#782385), Nates Landscaping and Construction LLC (#939485), Natures Hands Tree Experts Co (#770112), Quality Lawn Landscaping and Tree Service (#916275), Solis Landscaping LLC (#841192), Yager Lawn Maintenance LLC (#904589).

Bound Brook

Bound Brook has no tree-service cluster guide of its own — it is not a standing town of any other cluster, and appears only on this county page. Ten registrants were found on the NJ Board of Tree Experts business directory (city filter “Bound Brook”), searched live September 7, 2026, with one own-site read per Registered business found. South Bound Brook is a separate town on the register and is not included here; its one registrant, Jose’s Tree Services LLC (#801613), is carried under the Franklin Township section above. 8 businesses are Registered, 1 with an LTE; 2 are Suspended.

Checked against the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts.

Also on the state register, shown as Suspended on September 6, 2026: Fast Tree Services LLC — NJTC #939103. Plant Solutions Tree & Lawn Care, LLC — NJTC #768719 (Frank Swift III, LTE; Michael Haskell, LTCO).

Note on similarly named registrants: Joseph Tree N Landscaping LLC (#939447, Bound Brook) and Jose’s Tree Services LLC (#801613, South Bound Brook) are two separate NJTC registrants kept distinct on the register — not the same business.

Common Questions

What does “Registered” mean in the table?
It is the status the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts’ public register showed for that business on the date in the Record checked column. A registered business names at least one licensed individual on its registration; the register lists businesses, and licenses are held by people.

What is the difference between a Licensed Tree Expert and a Licensed Tree Care Operator?
Both are individual licenses issued by the Board. New Jersey law lists the services each may perform; the Licensed Tree Expert’s list is longer and includes work such as diagnosis, cabling and fertilization. The table shows which license the register names for each business.

Does the table show whether a company is insured?
No. The Board checks insurance when a business registers and again at renewal; nothing on this page confirms coverage on any given day. Ask the business for a current certificate of insurance before work begins.

Do I need a permit to remove a tree?
It depends on the municipality. The local-rules section below gives each town’s published requirement and the office that handles it, as it read on the date shown.

When was this list last checked?
The Record checked column shows the month and year each business’s register entry was last read. If something here is wrong or has changed, the correction note at the end of the guide says how to tell us.

Tree Removal Rules, Town by Town

Bernardsville. Bernardsville handles tree-removal permits through its Tree Conservation Officer, appointed by the Borough. A permit is required to remove a tree of 4 inches in diameter or greater beyond a yearly allowance of a few smaller trees, the application fee is $25, and property owners who can’t replant on-site can contribute to the Borough’s Tree Trust Fund instead.

Bernards Township (Basking Ridge, Liberty Corner and Lyons). Bernards Township’s tree-removal rules are enforced by its Zoning Enforcement Officer, with the Engineering Department and Shade Tree Commission also involved. Removing a street tree of 2.5 inches in diameter or a non-street tree of 6 inches or more, in connection with a subdivision or site-plan application, triggers the ordinance, and $300 per tree can be paid into the Township Tree Fund in place of replanting.

Far Hills. Far Hills routes tree-removal permits through its Zoning Officer. A permit is required to remove a tree of 6 inches in diameter or greater in most cases — 2.5 inches for a few specific species — and for any tree removal on Borough property or rights-of-way. The application fee is $100.

Bedminster Township. Bedminster Township’s tree-removal ordinance names the Township Engineer as the administering officer. A permit is required to remove a tree of 5 inches in diameter or greater in most cases, the application fee is $100, and there is no option to pay a fee in place of replanting — removed trees must be replaced on-site.

Peapack-Gladstone. Peapack-Gladstone’s tree-removal ordinance, rewritten in May 2025, is administered by the Zoning Officer and the Superintendent of Public Works. A permit is required to remove a tree of 4 inches in diameter or greater, the application fee is $25, and property owners who can’t replant on-site can pay $300 per tree in place of replanting.

Bridgewater (Martinsville). Bridgewater Township routes tree-removal permits through its Zoning Officer, with the Township Engineer reviewing applications. A permit is required to remove a tree of 8 inches in diameter or greater in most cases — 4 inches for certain specimen species — and fees include a $10 tracking fee, a $25 review fee, and a $75 inspection fee. Replacement, or a payment into the Township’s Tree Fund, is required, and homeowners in single-family zones may remove a small number of trees per year without a permit.

Branchburg. Branchburg Township’s tree-removal ordinance is administered by the Zoning Officer, with appeals heard by the Planning Board. A permit is required to remove a tree of 19 inches in circumference or greater (about 6 inches in diameter), no permit fee is published, and removed trees must be replaced in kind.

Raritan. No tree-removal ordinance was found for Raritan Borough after checking the Borough’s own code and its ordinances page. This is a checked absence, not an unresearched gap.

Somerville. No ordinance in Somerville Borough regulates a homeowner removing a tree from their own property. The Borough’s code addresses only trees on Borough-owned land and street trees required by a land-use approval. This is a checked absence, not an unresearched gap.

Hillsborough. Hillsborough Township routes tree-removal permits through its Engineering Department, with Planning & Zoning named jointly in the ordinance. A permit is required to remove a tree of 6 inches in diameter or greater — 2.5 inches for a street tree — the application fee is $25, and a $500-per-tree payment into a Township fund is available when a removed tree can’t be replanted on-site.

Warren. Warren Township routes tree-removal permits through its Zoning Officer, with the Planning Board or Board of Adjustment also involved depending on the application. A permit is required to remove a tree of more than 5 inches in diameter in most cases, and the application fee is $25 plus a $25-per-acre inspection fee.

Watchung. The Borough of Watchung routes tree-removal permits through its Borough Engineer. A permit is required to remove a tree of 4 inches in diameter or greater in most cases, with the permit fee waived for individual lot owners, and a $350-per-tree payment into the Borough’s Tree Bank Fund available when on-site replanting isn’t feasible.

Green Brook. Green Brook Township routes tree-removal permits through its Zoning Officer and Township Engineer jointly. A permit is required to remove a tree of 4 inches in diameter or greater in most cases, the application fee is $25, and a $300-per-tree payment into the Tree Bank Fund is available when on-site replanting isn’t feasible.

Montgomery Township (Belle Mead, Skillman and Blawenburg). Montgomery Township routes tree-removal permits through its Engineering Department. A Tree Removal Application is required for any tree removal regardless of size, though trees under 6 inches in diameter are exempt from the replacement requirement.

Rocky Hill. The Borough of Rocky Hill routes tree-removal permits through its Zoning Officer, on an application basis for any non-street tree of 6 inches in diameter or greater. There’s no fee for the smallest category of tree, rising to $50 for the largest.

Millstone. The Borough of Millstone routes tree-removal permits through its Zoning Officer and/or Borough Marshal, under an ordinance adopted in April 2024. A permit is required for a street tree of 2.5 inches in diameter or a non-street tree of 6 inches or greater per acre, the flat application fee is $10.

Franklin Township (Somerset). Franklin Township routes tree-removal permits through its Township Engineer (or designee). A permit is required to remove a tree of 4 inches in diameter or greater — 2 inches for flowering dogwood — with no additional fee when filed alongside a building permit, $25 for a standalone application, or $500 per acre for land clearing.

Manville. Manville’s tree-removal ordinance could not be confirmed — the Borough’s own website refused every automated retrieval attempt (a Shade Tree Commission is named on the site, suggesting an ordinance exists, but its text is not accessible this way). This is a checked stop condition, not a researched null.

North Plainfield. No ordinance in North Plainfield Borough regulates a homeowner removing a healthy tree from their own property. The Borough’s code addresses only hazardous vegetation. This is a checked absence, not an unresearched gap.

South Bound Brook. South Bound Brook Borough routes tree-removal permits under Ordinance 2024-014. A permit is required to remove a street tree of 2.5 inches or a non-street tree of 6 inches in diameter or greater, fees run $100–$200 by size.

Bound Brook. A tree-removal permit rule for Bound Brook Borough has not yet been confirmed against the Borough’s own published code — this is a checked gap, not a researched null, and it is flagged for a follow-up read. The Borough’s Office of Construction and Code Enforcement can be reached directly at 732-356-0833 ext. 630, 230 Hamilton St., Bound Brook, NJ 08805.

Across the seven sections above: 94 businesses, 69 Registered (13 with a Licensed Tree Expert), 25 Suspended, drawn from the six standing Somerset tree-service clusters plus Bound Brook.

Additional Resources

Other tree-service guides from Garden State Circle: Tree Service Companies in Basking Ridge and Bernardsville, NJ · Tree Service Companies in Belle Mead and Skillman, NJ · Tree Service Companies in Bridgewater, NJ · Tree Service Companies in Clinton and Flemington, NJ · Tree Service Companies in Franklin Township, NJ · Tree Service Companies in Long Branch and Red Bank, NJ · Tree Service Companies in Somerville, NJ · Tree Service Companies in Warren and Watchung, NJ. Every guide we publish is listed at Garden State Circle Guides.

NJ Board of Tree Experts register

Something out of date?

This guide is maintained. If anything here is wrong or has changed — a name, an address, a registration number, or whether a business has closed — tell us and we will check it. Businesses listed here are welcome to write in directly, and a business that publishes a registration number we have recorded as absent is exactly the kind of correction we want.

And if you run a tree service company that should be on this list and is not: the test is the same one every business here cleared — that the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts’ public register shows your business as Registered, with at least one licensed individual named on the registration, based in Somerset County. Show us that and you go on the page.

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This is not a ranking.