Carolina Arborists · Charlotte, NC
Authoritative answers about your most important trees.
Before construction starts, after a storm, or when something just doesn't look right — Carolina Arborists delivers the judgment that protects your property.
Charlotte's Independent Consulting Arborist.
Care for living assets
Almost everything on a property can be replaced. A century-old tree can only be lost.
Care for living assets.
Why people call us
Four moments when the answer actually matters.
A consulting arborist is the right call when the stakes around your trees rise above what a tree service can responsibly assess. These are the moments most of our calls begin.
A mature tree near your house.
You're concerned about a significant tree close to a structure, vehicle, or area of regular occupancy. You want a credentialed assessment before deciding what to do.
A new property, unknown trees.
You've recently bought a property with significant trees and need an inventory of what you have, what's at risk, and what should be on a long-term care plan.
A tree in visible decline.
Something doesn't look right — thinning canopy, early leaf drop, bark abnormalities — and no one has explained why or what should be done about it.
Construction near established trees.
You're planning a build or renovation and want to protect the trees that make the property what it is. The intervention window closes once grading begins.
Services
A consulting practice, supported by a vetted team.
Every project is led by a Board Certified Master Arborist, Registered Consulting Arborist, and ISA Certified Arborist with TRAQ qualification, supported by our team of vetted ISA-certified arborists. When tree work is required, we specify it, select the crew, and stand behind the result.
Primary practice
Consulting & Tree Inventories
Expert judgment, documented and defensible. The credentialed evaluation behind every meaningful decision about a tree. Includes risk assessment (TRAQ), pre-purchase evaluation, tree preservation planning, HOA/municipal advisory, litigation support, field-verified inventories.
Learn more →Diagnosis-led care
Plant Healthcare
A tree that looks fine today may be years into a decline that hasn't surfaced. We diagnose the cause before recommending a treatment. Techniques include soil and root-zone assessment, air spade, vertical mulching, and targeted treatment planning.
Learn more →Specified & supervised
Expert Pruning
Pruning written to ISA standards by a Master Arborist, executed by a vetted crew under on-site oversight. You're paying for the spec and the supervision.
Learn more →Available when needed
Additional Services
Stump grinding and tree removal for existing clients and active projects. Not our focus — but when required, specified by our principal arborist and executed by an insured, vetted crew.
Learn more →
About
A team led by a credentialed principal.
Carolina Arborists is led by Kevin Hartke — Board Certified Master Arborist, Registered Consulting Arborist, ISA Certified Arborist, and TRAQ qualified. With thirty years of experience across residential, commercial, and municipal arboriculture, he offers a level of expertise most tree companies in the Charlotte region simply cannot.
"We don't sell removals. We don't sell treatment programs. We solve problems."
Every project begins with a credentialed evaluation. When tree work is required, we specify it, select the crew from our team of vetted ISA-certified arborists, and stand behind the result.
Credentials that matter
The highest individual credential conferred by the International Society of Arboriculture. Demonstrated through examination and a professional record.
Awarded by the American Society of Consulting Arborists. Identifies arborists qualified to provide independent, expert consultation — written reports, property valuation, litigation support, testimony. The standard of credibility when professional opinion carries legal or financial consequence.
The professional standard for structured, scientific evaluation of tree risk.
Credentials are earned in examination rooms. Expertise is built over decades in the field.
- Residential
- Commercial
- HOAs
- Developers
- Attorneys
- Municipalities
Our approach
How an engagement works.
We don't offer estimates over the phone or opinions from the curb. Every engagement begins with a credentialed evaluation, and the recommendation follows the evidence.
A conversation.
You describe the situation. We listen, ask the right questions, and confirm whether a consultation is the right next step. If it isn't, we'll tell you.
A site visit.
Our consulting arborist comes to the property and evaluates the trees in question. ISA-standard methodology, field-verified observations, no shortcuts.
A written recommendation.
You receive a clear, defensible written recommendation you can act on — whether that's a treatment plan, an inventory, a report, or no work at all.
FAQ
Common questions.
Why hire a consulting arborist instead of a tree service?+
A tree service is paid to perform work — pruning, removal, treatment. A consulting arborist is paid for judgment. When you call us, there is no crew waiting to be sold. You get an independent evaluation, a written recommendation, and an honest answer about what your trees actually need. If that's a treatment plan or expert pruning, we specify the work and oversee a vetted crew. If it's no work at all, we'll tell you that too.
What do BCMA, RCA, and TRAQ mean — and why do they matter?+
The Board Certified Master Arborist (BCMA) is the highest individual credential conferred by the International Society of Arboriculture. The Registered Consulting Arborist (RCA) is the credential awarded by the American Society of Consulting Arborists to professionals qualified to provide independent expert opinion, including written reports and testimony. TRAQ (Tree Risk Assessment Qualification) is the professional standard for structured, defensible evaluation of tree risk. They matter because they are how a credentialed arborist's opinion is distinguished from an untrained one — in court, with an insurer, in front of an HOA board, or in your own decision about a tree that matters to you.
We're planning construction near established trees. When should we call?+
Before plans are finalized — ideally before grading begins. Tree damage from construction often takes years to surface, and by the time decline is visible, the window to intervene has typically closed. A tree preservation assessment performed early in planning is the single most effective way to protect significant trees through a build.
How is your team structured?+
Carolina Arborists is led by a principal consulting arborist and supported by a network of vetted, ISA-certified arborist firms that perform field work — pruning, plant healthcare, and other crew services — under our specification and on-site oversight. You get a credentialed consulting practice with deep execution capacity, working as one team.
Do you provide emergency or storm response?+
No. Carolina Arborists is a consulting practice and is not available for 24/7 emergency response. If you have an immediate hazard, call your local emergency tree service. Once the immediate situation is addressed, we are available for storm-damage assessment, documentation, and recovery planning during normal business hours.
Get started
Begin with a consultation.
We come to your property, evaluate your trees properly, and give you a recommendation you can trust — whether that leads to a single visit or a long-term care plan.
