Arborists first, tree people always
We started Evergreen to do tree work the slow, careful way, and to keep doing it in the same neighborhoods for decades.
Our story
Evergreen Arbor Co. began with a disagreement. Maren Lindqvist and Jonas Okafor were climbing for a large regional tree company in 2010, and they kept being sent to top trees that should have been pruned, and to remove trees that could have been saved. They quit the same week.
With one pickup, a borrowed chipper and a lot of rope, they started pruning boulevard trees in Longfellow for neighbors who wanted the job done properly. Word spread through garden clubs and block parties. Fifteen years later, we are a crew of 28 with a wood recycling yard, a plant health care lab bench and a storm line that never sleeps.
We have grown, but the rule from that first week still holds: recommend what is best for the tree and the family who lives with it, even when that means less work for us.
"A tree that took 80 years to grow deserves more than 20 minutes of thought."
What we value
Six principles that shape how we quote, climb and clean up.
Tree first
We recommend removal only when a tree is truly unsafe or failing. Most of our work keeps trees standing.
Honest advice
Sometimes the best recommendation is to wait a year. We will tell you, even when it means no job for us.
Safety without shortcuts
Zero lost-time injuries since 2019, daily tailgate briefings and ANSI Z133 practices on every site.
Closed loop
Wood is milled, split, mulched or composted. We plant or fund a tree for every one we remove.
Local and year-round
Our 28 staff live in the metro and work all year, so the crew you meet in June is back in January.
Always learning
Every arborist completes 30+ hours of continuing education a year through ISA and the University of Minnesota.
The arborists behind every cut
Meet the people who will walk your yard, climb your trees and answer your questions.
Licenses and certifications
Credentials are listed as demo placeholders. Your business details go here.
- ISA Certified Arborists9 on staff, including a Board Certified Master Arborist
- TRAQ qualifiedTree Risk Assessment Qualification for written risk reports
- Fully insured$5M general liability and workers compensation (demo)
- MN Tree Care RegistryRegistered with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (demo #)
- Licensed applicatorsCommercial pesticide applicator licenses for PHC treatments
- TCIA memberTree Care Industry Association safety and ethics standards
Fifteen years in numbers
- trees pruned since 2011
- 28,400+
- households on care plans
- 1,100+
- of removed wood reused
- 94%
- average rating from 1,284 reviews
- 4.9
How we grew
- 2011
Two arborists and a pickup
Maren and Jonas start pruning boulevard trees in Longfellow after a decade climbing for larger firms.
- 2014
Ash borer arrives in force
We launch our plant health care program and treat our first 300 ash trees in south Minneapolis.
- 2016
The wood yard opens
A leased lot off Hiawatha Avenue becomes our milling and recycling yard. Nothing goes to landfill by default.
- 2020
Storm line goes 24/7
After the derecho summer we staff a round-the-clock storm coordinator during storm season.
- 2024
Care plans for 1,100 homes
Our subscription care plans pass 1,100 households across the metro.
Meet us in your yard.
Free, itemized estimates from an ISA-certified arborist, usually within 5 business days.
4.9 from 1,284 reviews. Licensed and insured.
