Twenty Years on Oahu: A Quick Look Back as Honolulu Tree Service Hits the 20-Year Mark

Honolulu Tree Service opened its doors in 2005. Twenty years and more than 5,000 jobs later, we wanted to take a quick beat to thank the Oahu property owners, HOA managers, estate caretakers, and city departments who kept us busy enough to make it to the mark.

This is a short note, not a press release. A bit on what has changed since 2005, a bit on what has not, and where the company is going from here. If you want the operational version of who we are, the arborist consultation page covers credentials and process.

What Has Changed on Oahu Since 2005

The island looks different from the truck cab than it did when we started. A few things stand out.

• More mature canopy under stress. Trees planted in the post-statehood housing boom are now hitting structural maturity at the same time. We are taking down more 50-year-old monkeypods and shower trees than ever.
• More named storms in the Central Pacific basin. Climate patterns have shifted enough that storm-prep pruning is now a year-round category, not a June phone call.
• Tighter rules around Exceptional Trees. Honolulu’s Exceptional Tree Program currently protects over 1,400 trees across the islands. Permitting for any work on a designated specimen has gotten more involved, in a good way.
• More awareness of coconut liability. Twenty years ago property owners argued about whether palms needed maintenance. Now they call us before the first nut hits the lawn.

What Has Not Changed

The way we run a job in 2026 is recognizably the same as 2005, just with better gear.

• ISA certification on every crew lead. We have never sent a crew to a property without an ISA-certified arborist on site.
• ANSI Z133 safety and ANSI A300 pruning standards. Both standards have been revised since we started. We retrain to the current version every cycle.
• Free on-site quotes. No deposit, no upsell, no surprise line items at the end. The estimate you sign is the price you pay.
• 24/7 emergency dispatch. The phone has been staffed around the clock since the first hurricane season we worked through.

Our Certifications Stack Today

The credentials a tree care company holds tell you a lot about how it runs jobs. Here is where we sit in 2026.

• ISA Certified Arborists on every job lead. International Society of Arboriculture credentialing, maintained through continuing education.
• ANSI Z133-compliant operations. The current US safety standard for arboricultural operations covers everything from PPE to aerial rescue.
• ANSI A300-compliant pruning. The current US standard for how cuts are placed on the tree, how much foliage is removed in one visit, and how decisions are documented.
• Licensed and insured for residential, commercial, and municipal contracts across Oahu.

If you want a deeper breakdown of what those credentials mean and why they matter on a residential job, the arborist consultation page lays it out.

What Is Next

We are not announcing a new service line or a new location. The plan for the next stretch is the same as the last twenty years: keep crews trained to the current standard, keep gear maintained, keep the phone staffed, and keep telling clients the straight answer about their trees even when it costs us the job.

Thanks to every Oahu property owner who hired us in the last two decades. The 5,000-plus jobs on our books are also 5,000-plus properties we got to know across Honolulu, Hawaii Kai, Kailua, Kaneohe, Aiea, Pearl City, Mililani, and Waipahu. Here is to the next twenty.

If you have a tree you have been meaning to ask about, the easiest first step is still a free on-site quote. Call the office or use the contact form and a certified arborist will come walk the property.