Family tree-trimming business branches out

Pacific Slope Tree Company is branching out into new territories.

The company, which has long-time roots as a family-run business, is co-owned by Josh Whitney and his son, Noah.

Their work primarily includes fire abatement, and technical, palm, and other tree trimming, as well as a tree removal service.

“I have always loved trees,” Josh Whitney, whose tree-work experience goes back 25 years, said in a recent interview.

The father and son duo strive to provide the highest quality tree service to an extensive local area. Pacific Slope Tree Company is currently expanding its customer reach.

They currently serve the Anza Valley and Temecula areas. Their coverage area also includes Idyllwild and Hemet, and other regions of southwest and central Riverside County.

“We take pride in our company in that it is dynamic because we can work on anything from great forest trees in the woods to trimming palm trees in a back yard,” Josh Whitney said.

In 1995, Josh Whitney joined his cousin in the Pacific Slope Tree Company Co-Operative that started in Northern California in 1973.

He anchored his company in the southland area of Mountain Center. The headquarters are fittingly situated in a forest area there at the end of McCall Park Road.

Josh Whitney spent 15 years working for the United States Forest Service, an agency bonded with the government’s agriculture department that has been managing public lands in national forests and grasslands since 1905.

National forests and grasslands total 193 million acres of land – which is equivalent to the size of Texas, according to the agricultural group.

With the help of Whitney’s connections, Pacific Slope Tree Company has been contracted with the U.S. Forest Service for many years.

Noah Whitney has been working with his father since he was 18 years old. He’s now age 33.

He spent three seasons working with the U.S. Forest Service. He is the sales manager and estimator, mechanic, supervisor and official “tree climber” – one who can fashion a rope, harness and a strong pair of arms when the work can’t be done using the aerial bucket lift.

When Noah Whitney meets with a client, he first analyzes the tree. If it needs to be climbed, he uses industry standard ropes and not spikes which would injure the tree. “Every tree has a different requirement,” he said in a recent interview. “We even repair trees and focus on saving old-growth historical trees.”

Tree work has been classified as one of the most hazardous jobs in California. If there is an accident, and the worker is not covered under worker’s comprehension insurance, then the homeowner or client can be liable. Pacific Slope Tree Company clients don’t have to worry about liability. The company is fully insured and licensed, which they say helps gain them big clients and keep their costs competitive.

San Jacinto Valley Cemetery, Temecula Cemetery, Valley Wide Parks & Recreation, City of San Jacinto, and Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council of Idyllwild are just a few of their larger clients.

Currently, Josh and Noah have four employees, who each go through yearly training programs. Their lead tree trimmer and crew foreman, Rudy Castro, has 24 years of experience.

“He is the true definition of an expert tree trimmer at all types of trees,” said Noah Whitney.

Being in the tree service business also leads Pacific Slope Tree Company into other supplemental ventures.

They sell firewood, mulch and custom-milled wood products like counter tops, desk tops, decking, siding, cedar log poles, and custom furniture.

They also serve the community by donating time to The Help Center, an organization that gives low-income families firewood and hauls trash. A portion of their wood yard is donated to The Woodies, a nonprofit that also gives firewood to low-income families located in the Idyllwild area.

The Whitneys have famous roots. They are related to Josiah Dwight Whitney, whose name dawns the highest summit in the country – Mount Whitney – which lies along California’s Sierra Crest.

“What makes us different than our competition,” Noah Whitney said, “We provide the highest quality of work and that’s number one to us.”

To contact the Pacific Slope Tree Company, e-mail [email protected] or (951) 659-2596.