Owner-operator · Bend, Oregon
An arborist's eye for forest landscapes, and a bonsai grower's hands.
My name is Scott Cereghino. I've worked in forestry and as an arborist for over ten years, and I started Falling Leaf to bring the creative side of bonsai into the yards and acreage of Central Oregon. Removals, pruning, stump grinding, chipping — small backyard projects most days, harvest plans when the job calls for one.
Small, family-owned. Most jobs still get done on a handshake.
01
Tree removal
Falling a tree in an open field and piecing one down next to your house are two different jobs, and I quote them differently. Tree felling is inherently dangerous and it makes a big mess — there is a lot of material in a tree, and when it comes down it comes down hard.
Then the cleanup begins, and cleanup is tedious and takes time. Before anything starts we walk it: what comes out, what stays, what needs protecting, and what you want left in the yard. Chipping and haul-off either way.
Free quote on a removal — call (541) 241-6239.
02
Pruning, and specialized pruning
Pruning is most of arborist work. Done right it builds a strong, balanced structure that carries snow load and wind without breaking, and it looks better for it. Long heavy limbs reach out to find light — often over a roof, yours or a neighbour's — and those usually don't need removing, just cutting back to a point where they can regrow with strength.
Fruit trees get pruned on their own schedule, for light and airflow rather than shape.
Specialized pruning — the part nobody else here does
This is pruning a tree the way I'd prune bonsai: shaping, and bending branches with wire for a specific effect, scaled up to a landscape tree or shrub. It is focused on shape, and deliberately not on the look of a hedge prune. If you have a juniper or a pine you'd rather have styled than squared off, this is the service to ask about.
Ask for it by name when you call — it's a different quote to standard pruning.
03
Stump grinding — and what it costs
A stump left in place is real habitat — worms, beetles, bats, birds, salamanders. Sometimes that's the right answer. Sometimes you just don't want a stump in your yard. Grinding takes the surface down 2–3 inches below soil level, where the rest decomposes on its own.
Published prices, no estimate needed to know the number
| Standard grind | $4 | per inch, measured across the widest part of the stump where it meets the soil |
|---|---|---|
| Extra depth | $8 | per inch, for a further 2–3 inches below the standard depth, where it can be done |
| Surface roots | ~$5 | per foot, for roots running out along the surface from the trunk |
| Stumps in rock | $75 | per hour — hand work with hammer, axe and splitting wedges. Every one is an unknown, so it's billed by time. |
Trees grow out of cracks in cliffsides. If yours is in rock, say so on the phone and I'll tell you honestly what we're looking at.
Measure the widest point and call (541) 241-6239 — I can usually price a stump over the phone.
04
Fire-defensible space
Here in Central Oregon there is a second reason to prune, and it isn't cosmetic. Limbing up low-lying branches removes the ladder fuels that carry heat and flame from the ground into a tree's canopy — which is how a grass fire becomes a crown fire.
On larger properties this becomes a plan rather than a job: what gets thinned, what gets limbed, and how a natural, fire-defensible space runs across the whole landscape. I'll write a harvest plan for acreage that needs one.
05
For tree companies and landscapers
A good part of my work is grinding stumps and handling specialty pruning for smaller tree outfits and local landscapers who don't own the machine or don't want the job. If that's you, the rates above are the rates, and I'm easy to get hold of.
Trade work — call (541) 241-6239 or email me.
Get a quote
Tell me the tree, the access, and roughly where you are. Photos help. I'll give you a straight number.