As a new year dawns it is customary to reflect on the past. In 2019, Big O Tree and Lawn Service celebrated 40 years of tree and lawn care service in Central Virginia. What started as a part time job for Orvin Kiser Jr., AKA “Big O”, has grown into a thriving tree pruning and tree removal business with 17 full-time employees. We have six ISA Certified Arborists, four Tree Risk Qualified Arborist, one Certified Tree Care Safety Professional, and one Municipal Arborist. In addition, there are five Virginia Certified Pesticide Applicators who provide a wide range of environmentally sound pest and disease control for trees, shrubbery, and lawn care services. This includes fertilization and weed control.
In the Beginning
Our story began when an unusually early snow storm hit the Shenandoah Valley on October 10, 1979 causing extensive tree damage. Orvin was teaching Agriculture at Western Albemarle High School in Crozet, Virginia. He decided to use the skills he learned while earning his degree in Forestry and Wildlife Management at Virginia Tech to help an acquaintance remove the storm damage in his trees. From there, the idea of full-time tree care blossomed and grew. By 1985, Orvin would add the lawn service division to further assist the needs of Big O Tree clients.
Over the years, Orvin has fostered an environment of family, quality workmanship, safety, and dedication to our clientele. He has made it a priority to stay at the forefront of arboricultural advancements. To this end, our company encourages continuing education through classes and conferences and insists on gaining and maintaining ISA certification for all who qualify.
Orvin also makes every effort to maintain the best, most advanced, and safest equipment available in the tree care industry. Big O was the first tree care company in Central Virginia to obtain a track mounted aerial lift device. This advanced equipment provides a safe platform to perform dangerous tree work in hard to reach locations.
Our Priority is You
All these advancements and additions have been done with the purpose to serve our clients better. We provide them with the most advanced and safest tree and lawn care available anywhere in the country. We look back over the years and are amazed by where we are today and look forward to the challenges of the future. You can be assured that when you hire Big O Tree and Lawn Service to perform lawn treatments, tree health care, or difficult tree removal, you and your property are in good hands.