Two events still shape the tree work around here: the September 2018 tornado and the May 2022 derecho, which left compromised crowns and hanging deadwood in mature maple and pine that look perfectly fine from the driveway. Add a decade of emerald ash borer and most estate lots in Manotick have at least one tree that needs a decision. This page covers what removal costs by size, why waiting on dead ash gets expensive, and when the City of Ottawa tree by-law actually applies out here.
When to book: Winter is the smart season — dormant trees, frozen ground that protects lawns, and quieter schedules often mean better pricing.
Valley Tree ServicesIndependent
5687 Old Richmond Rd, Ottawa · Based in Nepean, not Manotick. ISA Certified Arborists working to CSA Z133, WSIB covered, 15+ years locally.
Why we'd call them what Valley Tree Services says about itself
An Ottawa tree service founded in 2005 with ISA-certified arborists, CSA Z133 safety standards, liability and WSIB coverage, and 24/7 emergency response.
Since 2005 · Founded by Lee Purcell, 'a forestry professional and lifelong nature enthusiast' · Mon-Fri 7AM-6PM; Sat-Sun 9AM-5PM; 'Available 24/7' for emergency tree services
Does Tree removal · Tree pruning and hedge trimming · Stump grinding · Tree cabling and bracing · Emerald Ash Borer treatment
Publishes Our tree arborists are certified and licensed by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) · Valley Tree Services follows CSA Z133 safety standards and all relevant Ottawa bylaws · We maintain liability insurance and WSIB coverage for peace of mind
- Started in 2005 as 'a one-person operation'
- Assists with City of Ottawa tree permit paperwork
- Lists Orleans, Nepean, Kanata and Barrhaven as service areas
Read from the business's own site on 2026-09-07. Its site does not name Manotick specifically — confirm coverage when you call. Credentials are as stated by the business; check licence and insurance directly before you hire.
Who we'd call first for this work in K4M — how we choose, and it's never for money.
If they're booked
The next two calls — same standard, next in line for the top spot. No business has paid to be here, or anywhere on this site. Location and credential facts come from each business's own public sources; how we check them. Know a business that belongs here? Tell us.
Why we'd call them what Croft Tree Experts says about itself
A locally owned Ottawa tree service founded in 2015 with ISA Certified Arborists and WSIB coverage, offering removal, pruning, stump grinding and 24/7 emergency service across communities including Manotick.
Since 2015 · Founded February 2015 by David Koshurba and Kyle Hewitt; 'locally owned and operated' · Monday-Friday 8am-6pm; Saturday 9am-3pm; Sunday closed; '24/7 Standby Emergency Services'
Does Tree removal · Tree pruning and trimming · Stump grinding · Tree risk assessment and arborist services · Storm damage cleanup
Publishes ISA Certified Arborists · 2 Certified Arborists and a Forest Technician on staff · Kyle Hewitt ON-2442A; David Koshurba ON-1936A · WSIB Insured · Ontario registered business #250112976
- States a 'combined 65 years of experience in the industry'
- Manotick is named in its service area list with a dedicated page link on the homepage
- Service area list includes Nepean, Kanata, Barrhaven, Manotick, Greely, North Gower, Richmond, Kemptville and other Ottawa Valley communities
Read from the business's own site on 2026-09-07. Credentials are as stated by the business; check licence and insurance directly before you hire.
Why we'd call them what Manotick Tree Movers says about itself
A North Gower tree nursery and arborist company, founded in 1991, specialising in large-tree relocation with tree spades and a 100-foot crane, plus pruning, removal and stump grinding.
Since 1991 · Began as a partnership of Ralph Sikkema and Fred Stevens in 1991 (incorporated 1996); Ken Stevens, Fred's son, bought Ralph's shares in 2011 and now runs the business
Does Large-tree relocation and transplanting · Tree pruning and removal · Stump grinding · Tree cabling and arborist reports · Nursery tree sales
Publishes Certified Arborists on staff (Ken Stevens B.Sc., Fred Stevens, Ralph Sikkema, Nick Krumins) · proper contractor's liability insurance protection, and WSIB coverage · Members of Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades, International Society of Arboriculture, Society of Commercial Arboriculture, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, Tree Care Industry Association
- Operates from a 55-acre farm at Carsonby, North Gower, growing 'locally grown trees already proven hardy for our severe Ottawa winters'
- Tree spades from 38 to 90 inches relocate trees up to 9-inch caliper, including evergreens up to 20 feet tall
- Offers a 100-foot crane service
Read from the business's own site on 2026-09-07. Credentials are as stated by the business; check licence and insurance directly before you hire.
Independent means locally owned rather than a chain or franchise.
manotick.co is a directory, not a party to any work. Every button above goes straight to the business; any quote, contract, warranty or dispute is between you and them. Confirm licence and insurance and get it in writing before work starts — terms.
Greely too. Greely (K4P) is eight kilometres east along Mitch Owens Road and on the same wells and septic; most of the businesses on this page serve it as well as Manotick — say "Greely" when you call and confirm any travel charge. For the trades with a yard or office in Greely itself, see contractors based in Greely.
Who is the best tree service in Manotick?
Short answer: On anything near a house or a hydro line the thing to ask for is an ISA Certified Arborist and WSIB coverage, and all three below have both. Valley works to CSA Z133 and has been local 15+ years. Croft keeps a dedicated Manotick page. Manotick Tree Movers is the outlier worth knowing about: with a 100-ft crane it relocates mature trees rather than removing them, and it writes the arborist reports the City asks for.
| Business | Based | Ownership | What sets them apart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Tree Services | Ottawa | Independent | ISA Certified Arborists working to CSA Z133 with WSIB coverage, 15+ years locally — the safety standard to ask for near a house or a line. |
| Croft Tree Experts | Ottawa | Independent | ISA Certified Arborists, licensed, insured and WSIB covered, with a dedicated Manotick page. Removal, pruning and stump grinding. |
| Manotick Tree Movers | North Gower | Independent | ISA Certified Arborists and Landscape Ontario members with a 100-ft crane — the only one here that relocates a mature tree rather than removing it, and the one that writes arborist reports. |
A comparison of the three businesses this site would call first, on facts each publishes about itself — not a ranking of every tree service serving K4M, and not a rating. "What sets them apart" is our opinion, formed from the criteria we publish. No business has paid for a place in this table, and payment would not change it. Confirm licence and insurance directly before you hire.
What tree service costs in Manotick — 2026 rates
| Service or scope | Planning range |
|---|---|
| Small tree removal (under 30 ft) | $400 – $700 |
| Medium tree removal (30–60 ft) | $700 – $1,500 |
| Large tree removal (60–80 ft) | $1,500 – $2,500 |
| Very large or crane-assisted (80 ft+) | $2,500 – $10,000+ |
| Stump grinding | $150 – $800 |
| Pruning or crown trimming, per tree | $150 – $1,200 |
| Emergency storm removal | $1,000 – $3,000+ |
Dead ash: the clock is the cost
Emerald ash borer arrived in Ottawa in 2008 and the peak infestation has passed — but the legacy is standing dead ash on private land, and removing and disposing of it is entirely the owner's responsibility — the City handles only City-owned ash. Infested wood goes to the Trail Road Waste Facility; branches under four inches can go in yard waste. The economics are unforgiving in one direction. A dead ash that has been standing two or three years goes brittle: a climber can no longer safely work it, which means a bucket truck or a crane, which is exactly what turns a $1,500 removal into a $4,000 one. If you have dead ash, the cheapest day to remove it was last year and the second cheapest is today.
Acreage cuts both ways
The good news is that space is cheap in tree work. A lot with room to drop a tree whole and chip on site avoids the rigging and piece-by-piece lowering that makes suburban backyard removals expensive, and Manotick quotes frequently land at the bottom of each size band for that reason. The catch is what the equipment drives over. Know where your septic tank, leaching bed and well head are before a chipper truck and a crane crosses the lawn — a collapsed bed is a $15,000 to $40,000 problem, which dwarfs the tree.
Permits: Manotick is in the rural area, and that settles most of it
Ottawa's Tree Protection By-law (No. 2020-340) regulates trees on private property in the urban area only — 30 cm diameter and up on lots of one hectare or less, 10 cm and up on larger urban lots. There is no part of it governing private trees in the rural area, and the City's own decision-tree guidance says so plainly: in the rural area, a permit to remove a private tree is not required.
Manotick is in the rural area. We checked the village against the City's own mapping of the by-law's urban boundary and its Schedule A hatched lands, at several points across the village core, Main Street, Mahogany and east of the river — none of them fall inside either. So for a Manotick property you do not need a City permit to remove your own tree. Two caveats worth keeping: municipal trees are protected everywhere in the city, including the ones on the road allowance in front of your house, and lots close to the urban boundary out toward Barrhaven or Riverside South are captured — if you are near that edge, check your address on geoOttawa before cutting. Fines in the urban area run from $500 to $100,000, so it is worth the two minutes.
If you own an urban Ottawa property, read this bit
The useful thing to know is that dead, hazardous and ash trees are handled differently from everything else. The City's own guidance on By-law 2020-340 states that removal of a dead, hazardous or ash tree does not require a permit application — it follows the exemption process instead, which means confirmation from a certified arborist rather than a permit and its fee. Every other private tree in the urban area over the applicable diameter does need a permit, and distinctive trees (30 cm DBH and up) are held to a higher standard. Pruning to good arboricultural practice, managed orchards, tree farms and nurseries, and normal farm practice are also outside the by-law. None of this binds a Manotick rural lot — the private-tree rules do not reach out here at all — but plenty of people reading this own a second property in town.
Common questions
Who is the best tree service in Manotick?
On anything near a house or a hydro line the thing to ask for is an ISA Certified Arborist and WSIB coverage, and all three below have both. Valley works to CSA Z133 and has been local 15+ years. Croft keeps a dedicated Manotick page. Manotick Tree Movers is the outlier worth knowing about: with a 100-ft crane it relocates mature trees rather than removing them, and it writes the arborist reports the City asks for.
How much does tree removal cost in the Ottawa area?
In 2026, a small tree under 30 feet typically runs $400 to $700, a medium tree of 30 to 60 feet runs $700 to $1,500, and a large tree of 60 to 80 feet runs $1,500 to $2,500. Very large, hazardous or crane-assisted removals start around $2,500 and can exceed $10,000.
Do I need a permit to cut down a tree in Manotick?
No. Ottawa's Tree Protection By-law regulates private trees in the urban area only, and Manotick sits in the City's rural area — we checked the village against the City's own mapping of the by-law boundary, including its Schedule A hatched lands, and it falls outside both. Municipal trees on the road allowance are still protected, and lots right on the urban boundary toward Barrhaven or Riverside South are captured, so check geoOttawa if you are near that edge.
Are ash trees exempt from the Ottawa tree permit?
Effectively yes. The City of Ottawa's guidance on Tree Protection By-law 2020-340 says that removal of a dead, hazardous or ash tree does not require a permit application and instead follows the exemption process, which turns on confirmation from a certified arborist rather than a permit and its fee. Other private trees in the urban area do need a permit above the applicable diameter. In rural Manotick the question does not arise either way, because the private-tree rules do not apply out here at all.
How much does stump grinding cost?
Typically $150 to $800, usually priced around $10 per inch of stump diameter with a minimum of roughly $150. Grinding is far cheaper booked at the same time as the removal than as a separate return visit.
Should I remove a dead ash tree right away?
Yes, and the reason is cost rather than tidiness. Ash that has been dead two or three years becomes too brittle to climb safely, forcing a bucket truck or crane. That equipment requirement is what turns a $1,500 job into a $4,000 one. Removal and disposal of ash on private property is the owner's responsibility.
Why are tree removal quotes cheaper on large lots?
Because the crew can drop the tree whole and chip on site instead of rigging it down in pieces over a fence and a shed. Space is the single biggest variable in tree pricing, and it's the one advantage estate lots have.