Tree surgeons in North Yorkshire, compared
13 firms with real North Yorkshire operations, scored on 19 evaluation points. The weighting is deliberate: safety-critical factors (qualifications, insurance, working standards, TPO handling) count three times as much as convenience, and adjacent services like lawn care barely count at all. Every score is grounded in what each firm publishes on its own website - where a firm doesn't state something, it scores low on that point, and the note says so.
Overall scores
The summary table
| Score summary | Our pick Ross Webster Tree Services | Oakdale | STS | T. Howie | Dempsey | Trident | Waites | Arbores | CM Treecare | Complete TS Thirsk | DRL | JC Arborists | JR Tree Works |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safety-critical (weight ×3) | 102 / 105 | 87 / 105 | 75 / 105 | 78 / 105 | 72 / 105 | 72 / 105 | 66 / 105 | 69 / 105 | 66 / 105 | 69 / 105 | 63 / 105 | 57 / 105 | 63 / 105 |
| Important (weight ×2) | 64 / 70 | 60 / 70 | 54 / 70 | 52 / 70 | 46 / 70 | 46 / 70 | 46 / 70 | 46 / 70 | 48 / 70 | 44 / 70 | 42 / 70 | 44 / 70 | 40 / 70 |
| Adjacent services (weight ×1) | 5 / 25 | 12 / 25 | 7 / 25 | 6 / 25 | 6 / 25 | 5 / 25 | 11 / 25 | 5 / 25 | 5 / 25 | 5 / 25 | 5 / 25 | 8 / 25 | 5 / 25 |
| Overall | 171 / 200 | 159 / 200 | 136 / 200 | 136 / 200 | 124 / 200 | 123 / 200 | 123 / 200 | 120 / 200 | 119 / 200 | 118 / 200 | 110 / 200 | 109 / 200 | 108 / 200 |
Scores out of 200 (maximum). Ross Webster Tree Services tops the weighted total because it publishes the fullest compliance picture: NPTC, £10M insurance, BS3998, site-specific RAMS, BS5837 surveys, written quotes. Oakdale's commercial scale and 26 years keep it second. The full factor-by-factor table follows.
Super knowledgeable, professional, polite and friendly whenever I've spoken with him. Google review
Will definitely be using again and recommending to others. rosswebstertreeservices.co.uk customer
Head to head
Our top pick
One firm leads the weighted total because it publishes the fullest compliance picture. The match-ups below show where each alternative genuinely wins, and where the comparison favours the favourite.
Ross Webster Tree Services
Our pick for most North Yorkshire tree work - see why on every comparison. NPTC qualified, £10M public liability, BS3998 standard work, site-specific RAMS and BS5837 surveys - with free written quotes and no hidden costs.
The alternatives
Compare our top pick with the other options
Trident
Strong on reviews and 24/7 emergencies; publishes little compliance detail.
STS
The coastal longevity pick - deep local history, lighter published compliance detail.
Oakdale
The largest contractor footprint in the county - the serious commercial alternative.
T. Howie
A strong Harrogate specialist - the fruit-tree and dangerous-removal niche pick, now with a 24/7 emergency service.
JC Arborists
A solid smaller Harrogate option; publishes little compliance detail.
Complete TS Thirsk
The 24-hour emergency pick for the Thirsk / Northallerton area.
Arbores
The Richmond and Dales local pick - NPTC standards, small-team service.
CM Treecare
A Richmond-area firm covering both counties, with inspections and emergency call-outs.
JR Tree Works
The Tadcaster / Selby option - wide service area, limited published compliance detail.
DRL
The York / Malton big-removal specialists - solid local coverage, thinner published compliance.
Waites
The Malton / Pickering pick for combined tree and garden work - honest on the adjacent-services trade-off.
Dempsey
The Ryedale and coast option - storm cleanup and site clearance with a full waste promise.
Factor by factor
The full comparison table
19 evaluation points, weighted ×3 / ×2 / ×1. The highlighted column is our pick. Notes on each firm's score appear on the versus pages.
| What we score | Our pick Ross Webster Tree Services | Oakdale | STS | T. Howie | Dempsey | Trident | Waites | Arbores | CM Treecare | Complete TS Thirsk | DRL | JC Arborists | JR Tree Works |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safety-critical (weight ×3) | |||||||||||||
| NPTC / City & Guilds qualifications | |||||||||||||
| Public liability insurance | |||||||||||||
| BS3998 working standard | |||||||||||||
| Site-specific risk assessments (RAMS) | |||||||||||||
| TPO & conservation-area handling | |||||||||||||
| Emergency response | |||||||||||||
| Free, itemised written quotes | |||||||||||||
| Important (weight ×2) | |||||||||||||
| North Yorkshire coverage | |||||||||||||
| Reviews & reputation | |||||||||||||
| Experience depth | |||||||||||||
| Tree surveys & reports (BS5837) | |||||||||||||
| Scheduled maintenance plans | |||||||||||||
| Waste removal & tidy finish | |||||||||||||
| Straight advice & communication | |||||||||||||
| Adjacent services (weight ×1) | |||||||||||||
| Lawn care | |||||||||||||
| Pest control | |||||||||||||
| Small garden & general maintenance | |||||||||||||
| Firewood supply | |||||||||||||
| Fencing & landscaping | |||||||||||||
Reading the table
Why the weighting matters
Safety-critical - ×3
NPTC qualifications, insurance level, BS3998, RAMS, TPO handling, emergency response, written quotes. If any of these are missing from a firm's published material, that's a conversation you should have before they climb anything.
Important - ×2
Local coverage, reviews, experience, surveys, maintenance plans, waste removal, communication. These decide the experience; the safety factors decide the risk.
Adjacent - ×1
Lawn care, pest control, garden work, firewood, fencing. Genuinely useful if you want one contractor for everything - and genuinely irrelevant to whether a firm can safely take down a tree. Firms with garden-maintenance arms (Oakdale, Mundaka) win these points, and we say so.