ISA Certified Arborist FL-286760A · Miami-Dade County
Professional tree care in Miami, by the arborist who climbs.
Subtropical Arborists is an ISA Certified Arborist serving all of Miami-Dade County. Structural pruning, removals, palm work, tree assessments, and 24/7 storm response.
00The Difference
Tree care requires more than a chainsaw.
Professional arboriculture is about understanding a tree’s structure, health, and risk — not just cutting it. It means reading how a canopy carries weight, where it will fail, and how to prune it so it grows sound.
At Subtropical Arborists, the certified arborist who assesses your tree is the same person who climbs it. Every cut is deliberate, made to ANSI A300 standards, with no topping, no lion-tailing, and no flush cuts.
01Services
Certified arborist care, from a single cut to a full removal.
Every service is performed personally by an ISA Certified Arborist to ANSI A300 standards.
02Why Subtropical Arborists
What sets the work apart.
- 01
The certified arborist is the one in the tree
Not a salesman who quotes and hands the job to a crew. The person who assesses the tree is the person who cuts it.
- 02
Climbing access, so no tree is out of reach
Work is performed by a climber rather than from a bucket truck. Tight backyards, narrow side yards, and properties a truck cannot enter are all workable, with no heavy equipment driven across the lawn.
- 03
Crane experience for the hard removals
Crane-assisted removals when a job calls for it, including trees over structures and difficult, hazardous situations.
- 04
Proper standards, plainly stated
All pruning to ANSI A300 and ISA Best Management Practices. No topping, no lion-tailing, no flush cuts — the opposite of what much of the local market does.
- 05
Rooted in the community
Board member and volunteer with TREEmendous Miami, a local tree-planting nonprofit, and active in tree protection advocacy across Miami-Dade.
Climbing Access
We don’t just work around trees. We climb them.
Work is performed by a climber on rope and harness rather than from a bucket truck, so no tree is out of reach. Tight backyards, narrow side yards, and properties a truck cannot enter are all workable — with no heavy equipment driven across the lawn.
04Our Work
Real trees. Real projects. Real results.
03Before & After
The difference proper tree care makes.
This live oak in South Miami came in crowded and unbalanced, with crossing limbs and heavy end weight over the house. Structural pruning restored a sound, open canopy without topping or stripping the tree.
Drag the slider to see the same tree before and after. The canopy keeps its natural form — that is the point.
BeforeAfter05South Florida Trees
The trees we know, because we work in them.
South Florida’s canopy is specific. Care that suits a live oak is wrong for a palm. Knowing the difference is the job.
Quercus virginiana
Southern Live Oak
The signature shade tree of South Florida, with broad horizontal limbs that benefit from structural pruning to manage end weight.
Delonix regia
Royal Poinciana
A fast-growing flowering tree with brittle wood and wide, low branching that needs careful structural pruning near homes.
Bursera simaruba
Gumbo Limbo
A native South Florida tree with distinctive coppery peeling bark and good wind resistance when properly structured.
Cocos nucifera
Coconut Palm
A South Florida icon that needs only its dead fronds, seed stalks, and coconuts removed — never a hurricane cut.
06Service Area
All of Miami-Dade County.
Based in South Miami-Dade and working countywide, from Coral Gables and Coconut Grove to Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, and Kendall.
07Resources
Straight answers about South Florida trees.
Updated for the 2026 season
Hurricane Preparation for South Florida Trees
How structural pruning before hurricane season reduces the risk of tree failure around your home in Miami-Dade.
Arborist guidance
Why Topping Kills Trees
Topping is the most damaging thing you can do to a mature tree. Here is what it does and what to do instead.
General guidance — confirm current rules with the county
Miami-Dade Tree Permit Requirements
When you need a permit to trim or remove a tree in Miami-Dade County, and what an arborist report is for.
08Questions
The questions Miami homeowners actually ask.
Straight, quotable answers about permits, pruning, palms, and storms.
Do I need a permit to trim my tree in Miami?
Tree pruning in Miami-Dade generally does not require a permit unless more than 25 percent of the live canopy is removed. Routine, standards-based pruning usually stays below that threshold. Tree removal, however, requires a permit for most species.
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Miami-Dade?
Yes. Miami-Dade County requires a permit to remove most trees, with limited exemptions for certain species and prohibited invasives. An on-site assessment confirms whether a permit is required, and Subtropical Arborists can prepare the application.
How much of a tree can be legally pruned?
As a horticultural standard, no more than about 25 percent of a tree’s live canopy should be removed in a year, and usually much less. Removing more than 25 percent in Miami-Dade can also trigger permit requirements.
Who is responsible for a tree in the swale?
Swale trees sit in the public right-of-way, and responsibility and permitting for them differ from trees on private property. An arborist can help you determine jurisdiction and what is allowed before any work is done.
What does an ISA Certified Arborist do?
An ISA Certified Arborist is trained and credentialed in the care of trees, including assessment, pruning to ANSI A300 standards, risk evaluation, and diagnosis. Subtropical Arborists is owned and operated by Benyah Andressohn, ISA Certified Arborist FL-286760A, who performs the work personally.
Free Estimate
Let’s take a look at your trees.
Every quote follows an on-site visit with the certified arborist. Estimates are free, and there is never a price given from photos alone.