A tree care chief executive officer chooses the kind of tree company to build: how much of the year to bet on storms, how many yards to run, and how to pay for the trucks. Owners or a board judge the CEO on profit, and on safety in a trade where crews cut wood at height.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, landscaping and tree care companies · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $91,010, middle half $122,870 to $215,290, 90th percentile $267,670. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Owner or board of directors
Department
Executive
Schedule
Weekdays, on call when storms hit · Office weeks with yard visits, owner meetings and lender talks; long days and weekend calls after wind and ice storms
Also called
President · Owner and president · President and CEO · Managing partner
Tree care chief executive officer job description template
This is our Role Blueprint, word for word. Replace the highlighted fields and adjust the example targets and pay to fit your company.
As the CEO of our home services company, you play a pivotal role in defining the overall direction of the organization. You will forge strategic partnerships to strengthen our market position and ensure the financial success of our operations. Your leadership and vision will guide our team towards achieving our business goals.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Define and implement strategic plans that align with company growth objectives.
Establish and maintain key partnerships to strengthen our market presence.
Oversee the financial performance of the company, ensuring profitability and financial stability.
Represent the company to clients, investors, and business partners.
Develop a high performing executive team and foster a positive company culture.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Reviewing and analyzing financial reports.
Leading strategic planning and business development meetings.
Engaging with potential investors and business partners.
Overseeing daily operations and making high-level decisions about policy and strategy.
Monitoring the competitive landscape and market conditions to assess company performance.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue Growth: Increase annual revenue by 15%.
Profit Margin: Maintain a gross profit margin above 35%.
Employee Retention: Achieve an employee retention rate of over 90%.
Customer Satisfaction: Maintain a customer satisfaction rating of >4.8 stars.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or related field.
Minimum of 10 years of executive leadership experience.
Proven experience in strategic planning and execution.
Exceptional communication and leadership skills.
Knowledge in finance and understanding of profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow management, and general finance and budgeting.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience as a CEO in the home services industry.
Master's degree in Business Administration.
7. Physical Requirements
Not applicable for this position.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work week is Monday through Friday, with occasional weekend and evening work as necessary.
Occasional travel may be required.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range of $150,000 - $200,000, commensurate with experience.
Potential for performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401(k) retirement plan with company match.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we believe in creating a culture of growth and opportunity. Every team member is vital to our success and is empowered to contribute their unique skills and perspectives. We are committed to providing the tools and resources needed for our team to excel and thrive in their roles. Join us as we strive to deliver exceptional home services that exceed customer expectations.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What a tree care CEO decides that other CEOs don't
Most home service CEOs worry about sales and staffing. A tree care CEO also decides how much risk the company carries: people aloft with saws, heavy wood moving over houses, and storms that can fill the schedule overnight.
The safety record sits with the CEO
BLS counted 239 work deaths in 2024 among grounds maintenance workers, the group that includes tree trimmers and pruners. That is 20.9 deaths per 100,000 full-time workers, against 3.3 for all workers. One death on a crew can bring an OSHA inspection, lawsuits and higher insurance costs, and it can end a family company. The CEO pays for training, gear and full crews, and asks about near misses at every leadership meeting. Source: BLS: Rate and number of fatal work injuries in selected occupations, 2024 (Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries).
Storm work is a strategy choice
After a hurricane, ice storm or derecho, calls from homeowners and property managers pour in at once. Some tree companies build storm crews that travel for weeks; others stay home and serve their own customers first. The CEO picks the model and sizes the fleet and the loans to match. Pruning and plant health care customers left waiting for a month may not come back, so that cost belongs in the choice too.
Climbers cap how fast you can grow
A tree company can only sell as much work as it has climbers and crew leaders to do it safely. Turning a ground worker into a climber takes seasons, not weeks. The CEO funds that path with a training budget, raises at each skill step and paid time for ISA exams. When buying a competitor, its trained climbers can be worth more than its customer list.
Accreditation is checked yard by yard
TCIA Accreditation is a voluntary credential for tree companies. Earning it means an extensive review and audit of the company's practices, with proof of insurance, business and pesticide licenses, training, safety and customer service. TCIA says a company with more than one location must get each one accredited and train the people at each site. Whether the second yard is ready is a CEO call. Source: TCIA: Accreditation FAQs.
How much tree care chief executive officers make
The closest BLS group for tree care chief executive officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $158,670 a year ($76.28 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $213,990 median for chief executives in all industries. About 200 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for landscaping and tree care companies.
The template offers a salary and possible performance bonuses. Consider paying part of the CEO's bonus on results over two or three years, so the CEO is paid for the company they build, not for one season.
Landscaping and tree care companies
$158,670$158,670 median Middle half $122,870–$215,290 10th–90th $91,010–$267,670
All industries
$213,990$213,990 median Middle half $129,540–$356,200 10th–90th $75,700–$507,730
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Landscaping and tree care companies
$91,010
$122,870
$158,670
$215,290
$267,670
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for tree care companies on their own. These figures cover landscaping services, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Has led a company whose crews work at height or run heavy equipment, and owned its safety results
Has signed the loans behind a fleet of bucket trucks, loaders or cranes
Can plan a storm response without dropping regular customers
Builds lasting accounts with property managers, HOAs and commercial owners
Hires and coaches a COO, a CFO and the managers who run each yard
Teach these on the job
Tree biology basics and ISA credential paths
The ANSI Z133 safety standard and how your crews apply it
Your tree care software and estimating process
Tree permit and licensing rules in each market you serve
What TCIA Accreditation asks of each yard
A tree care CEO works from monthly reports out of the job and estimating software and the accounting system, plus the CFO's fleet and loan schedules. In the ad, list the fleet, including any crane, and the yards the CEO will lead.
Tree care chief executive officer interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Storm response
A major storm hits. Calls flood in, and some companies are raising prices sharply. How do you lead the response?
A strong answer: Triages by danger (trees on homes, blocked access, lines down), keeps pricing fair and within state price-gouging rules, limits crew hours to fight fatigue, briefs on storm hazards and documents work for insurance.
Behavioral · New service lines
Tell me about a time you added a service line, such as plant health care or utility line clearance, and what it took to make it pay off.
A strong answer: Explains the business case, licenses and certifications needed, hiring and equipment, the ramp-up time and the results.
Review these with the owners or board each quarter, right next to the safety record, and set each target from your own last few years.
Revenue Growth
Revenue by service line against the prior year: pruning, removals, stump grinding and plant health care. Also count new property manager, HOA and commercial accounts, since they bring repeat work every year.
Profit Margin
Gross profit by service line after crew labor, equipment costs and dump fees, from the monthly statements. Watch idle bucket trucks and rented cranes, which eat margin quietly.
Employee Retention
Climbers and crew leaders still on payroll a year after hire, company-wide and by yard, reported each quarter. Set it beside the training budget, since each climber who leaves takes seasons of training along.
Customer Satisfaction
The company's average star rating each quarter, set beside how many property manager and plant health care accounts renewed. A rating that holds while renewals fall points to a problem reviews miss.
Career path
Sales arboristLearns to price tree work and win property manager accounts.
General managerAnswers for one market's sales, crews and profit.
No. The template asks for no tree credential. It asks for a business degree and ten years leading companies. A CEO from outside the trade needs a COO who is a Certified Arborist, which that role's template requires, and the patience to learn from the crews. Spend the first months in the yard, ride along on removals and sit in on job briefings before changing how the work is done.
How much does a tree care chief executive officer make?
Chief executives who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $158,670 a year ($76.28 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $122,870 and $215,290 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What should a tree care CEO have ready before a serious accident?
A written plan with names in it. Federal OSHA wants a worker's death reported within eight hours, and a hospital admission, amputation or lost eye within 24. Decide now who makes that report, who reaches the family, who calls the insurer and the lawyer, and who keeps the site and gear as they were. Afterward the CEO leads the review: what failed, what changes in every yard, and how crews hear it from the CEO first.
Should a residential tree company bid utility line-clearance work?
Treat it as a separate business with its own crews. Line-clearance trimmers need the specific training OSHA's power line rule sets for them. Before bidding, ask the utility for its contractor safety rules and payment terms, and price the training time. Many residential companies leave line work to the utility's contractors and stick to customers' trees.
Should a tree care founder hire a CEO or stay in the role?
Often when the founder is still pricing jobs, fixing chippers and taking storm calls, and nobody is planning the next few years. If the company runs two yards, carries heavy loans on its fleet, or has outside investors, the owners need someone whose whole job is direction, money and leaders. Some founders become the CEO and hire a COO; others move to the board.
What should we ask a tree care CEO candidate?
Ask how they would run the company through two weeks of storm calls, and what they did after a serious incident at a past company. Ask how they decide whether a big machine is worth buying, and how they grew leaders from inside. Strong candidates talk about crews and safety before revenue, and back their answers with numbers from their own past results.
