Our Background

Cutting Edge Tree Services & Arbor Master, Inc. are proud to be Northern Iowa’s leader in tree care and plant health services. Founded in October of 2002 by ISA Certified Arborist Kevin Hardy, we're committed to helping home and business owners preserve, protect, and beautify their trees. We use state-of-the-art equipment and techniques to offer the highest standard of quality in tree care.

Our tree care experts are trained to spot and treat problems such as disease or insect infested trees. We follow stringent guidelines and adhere to standards set by the Tree Care Industry Association and the International Society of Arboriculture.

Our Service Area

Based in Mason City, we serve residential, commercial, and municipal customers throughout Northern Iowa including Cerro Gordo, Franklin, Floyd, Hancock, Winnebago, and Worth counties, as well as adjacent areas.

What to Expect

Company Timeline

•  

  2005

  We began offering non-invasive tree climbing services. The International Society of Arboriculture banned the use of spikes or spurs when climbing trees to be pruned because of the damaging effects to the tree's cambium tissue. The cambium tissue sends water, nutrients, and sugars throughout the tree.

•  

  2006

  We began using Alturnamats and TrakMats, or ground protection mats, to improve traction when traveling across turf, to eliminate leaving ruts in our clients' yards, and to help avoid compacting the soil around trees with the use of heavy equipment.
•  

  2007

  We began using an arborist block and tackle tree rigging system designed to eliminate cambium scalding friction abrasion on trunk & branch crotch regions caused when lowering limbs using natural crotch rigging.

•  

  2008

  Kevin Hardy became a certified chemical applicator. We began offering an array of tree treatment services to improve the health of our client's trees.

•  

  2009

  Owner Kevin Hardy became an ISA Certified Arborist. The purpose of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certification Program is to improve the level of knowledge and standard of practice within the tree care profession. The program is designed to assist the public in identifying those professional in arboriculture who have demonstrated a thorough knowledge of tree care practices.

•  

  2010

  We acquired a 4X4 aerial bucket truck with a 60-foot working height for removing taller trees. The addition of a second aerial bucket allows us to conduct jobs safer, more efficiently, and complete separate jobs simultaneously.

•  

  2011

  We built a new 6000 sqft shop to keep its equipment protected from Iowa's harsh environmental conditions. We also began building a new office at 400 North Monroe Avenue in Mason City.

•  

  2012

  We moved into our new office and acquired a new Aerial bucket truck.

•  

  2013

  We built a custom chip truck with a higher capacity chip box to reduce our miles on the road per job, an environmental and economical improvement.

•  

  2014

  The Arbor Master team adopted the Arborjet methodology of trunk injection to improve our practices with pesticide applications. We began using the Tree IV system to put 100% of the most effective product for Emerald Ash Borer prevention directly into trees because Tree-Age has been proven to be more economical and environmentally responsible than removing Ash trees. Not only does saving trees save the homeowner money, but Arborjet has provided us with the tools to do it with minimal impact on pollinators we love like bees and butterflies!

•  

  2014-2015

  We teamed up with All Energy Solar to install solar panels that provide the Cutting Edge headquarters with renewable electricity year round. The energy savings combined with a REAP grant from the USDA have given us the confidence to tell other businesses and property owners that it is worth it for anyone considering solar as a step toward "going green."

•  

  2015

  Our crew became certified as Line Clearance Arborists, the OSHA/ANSI requirement to come within 10 feet of power lines while trimming trees.

•  

  2015-2016

  In November of 2015, we attended the TCIA Expo in Pittsburgh, PA to purchase and pick up our EasyLift 70-36AJ. The EasyLift is like a bucket truck on tracks, providing our aerial arborists with 70 feet working height while only needing a 36" gate opening to access most properties. Whether lakeside or in a tight backyard situation, the EasyLift is also lightweight enough to do tree work without leaving massive ruts associated with the larger bucket trucks. We were so pleased with the 70-36AJ that we sold it and immediately upgraded to the EasyLift 87-48AJ in 2017 to get up to an 87 foot working height.

•  

  2017

  Arbor Master and Cutting Edge leaders, Jesse Fox and Jeremy Glenney, combined their talents to move one of the largest trees ever transplanted in our area as part of a conservancy project in Clear Lake, IA. Jesse and his team dug the 30 ft tall cottonwood out of the swamp at Sister's Prairie using our Air Spade's supersonic air knife technology to excavate the roots without damaging them. Then, Jeremy and the Cutting Edge crew used their advanced rigging technique to lift the tree out of its hole and onto a pontoon to be ferried out to Lone Tree Point, where both companies worked together to plant the majestic poplar.