Best of Flagstaff 2025
Written by Gail G. Collins
Our mountain town is surrounded by national forest. With such abundance, it’s easy to take trees for granted. They seem to grow without much help from us, yet how much do we know about maintaining a healthy tree? As a public service, we understand fire management, avoiding pest and disease spread, thinning woods for better balance of resources, curbing safety and interference with infrastructure. Similarly, the trees in yards, apartment complexes and urban spaces are a microcosm of those same needs, while adding beauty and value.
In 2005, Ryan Gardner bought out his buddy and created Cut Rite Forestry, winner of Best Tree Services. He handles commercial and private clients alike. Specializing in golf courses in Munds Park and Flagstaff, Cut Rite also aids in emergencies, such as flash storms that may cause a tree to fall on a home. Gardner was born and raised in Flagstaff, so has a vested and knowledgeable interest in the community.
“I’ve spent my whole life in Flagstaff and have been around these trees all my life. I’ve learned through work and study and built a great company,” Gardner shared. His wife Rebecca added, “Ryan is well-known for his history, integrity and fair pricing, working to client’s standards to make them happy. He makes me very proud.”
Locally owned and operated, Gardner has grown his staff in the “tree world,” as he calls it, through mentoring and apprenticeship. The work is hard and best learned through doing. Those services include tree cutting, removal, trimming and pruning plus stump removal.
Read more: Standing tall: Cut Rite Forestry tops the list for Best Tree ServicesIt all seems straightforward until we stand under ta Ponderosa Pine in our front yard and wonder how to clear the deadwood or whether the apple tree needs limbing to let in more light or if another needs feeding to keep it robust.
Trees need to be felled to provide products commercially, but privately, removal can protect a roofline or prevent disease spread. It must be done properly and thoughtfully for a safe outcome that avoids trunk collapse and destruction. Professional help is necessary. Likewise, stump removal is more than pulling roots from the earth with hazardous possibilities. Instead, grinding it in place can add fresh mulch to the garden.
Lot clearing requires foresight, and Gardner can walk a property, offering expertise on protection and tree standoffs.
“Lot clears are important. I see plots ahead of building and advise on which trees to remove. It’s expensive to do later and dangerous, too” he said.
Trimming and can improve the safety, beauty and health of a tree. Eliminating dead or diseased branches encourages growth of strong, new foliage. Pruning improperly can do more harm than not pruning at all. Done right, pruning can provide shape and balance, lower the risk of pest and disease threats and produce an attractive landscape.
Like any living thing, better nutrition leads to better health and resistance to decay. Gardner fertilizes trees to guard against disease, improper pruning or limb loss, burned or wilting leaves, drought conditions and so on.
Fire is an enormous threat. Our forests have undergone clearing to avoid excess fuel. The same should be done in commercial or private landscapes to be firewise. Too many small trees, placement or limbs to close to the home affect safety and insurability. Assessment for snowloads is also vital to avoid horizontal limbs that gather snow and snap, causing injuries and damage. Trimming promotes branches reaching upward, not outward.
Cut Rite Forestry is a full-service tree company original to Flagstaff with 20 years of experience. An assessment or diagnosis is free. Their advertising is word of mouth with a thunder of positive shout-outs on social media. They are known and loved for their veracity, reliability, efficiency, speed in emergency, diligence and fair appraisals.
The business also contributes to community by selling firewood and partnering with Mike Steinecipher who transforms fallen trees into yard art with his chain saw skills.
Making customers happy drives Cut Rite. As Gardner said, “You’re only as good as your last job. We take great pride in getting it right. We want the next call to be for the next job.” BestofFLG