Dear Mowbray’s Tree Service,

Thank you for calling me back just now and giving me the opportunity to sing the praises of three of your excellent employees: Oscar Ortega, Ermilo Mora, and Hector Hernandez.

I was fortunate enough to be selected by PG&E for removal of a dying tree on the edge of my property – close to PG&E pole. The tree could have become a danger during a high wind, red flag high fire situation.

PG&E’s excellent vegetation management inspectors assured me that I would be in good hands and the Monterey Pine would be removed by a skilled tree service.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023, the Mowbray tree crew arrived with their impressive bucket truck. They worked Wednesday and Thursday, long cold and windy days, hard work, steady on, they worked. They left the job site CLEAN, and they were impressive, professional, respectful, and above all clearly very skilled and careful. My brother had a tree company in Berkeley, CA for 30 years so I have been around the business all my life and am aware of its challenges… I have seen quite a few trees removed.

This tree was on the fence line between my neighbor and myself. They used my neighbor’s yard to stage the bucket truck.  It was a bit of a gnarly situation. The tree was very tall, very wide, very thick, almost dead, and substantial. My adjoining driveway is steep.

No worries. They managed and moved in concert with each other. Monday, they came back lightning of a storm: wind, threat of lightening, cold, and pelting rain. They worked all morning and quit (a bit embarrassed) saying that they had been told to stop because of the danger of lightning! Being up at the top of a naked trunk with pelting rain and threat of lightening is just plain dangerous. I was so relieved that they quit for that day. Tuesday was worse and they did not return. Wednesday they came and finished up.

Before I knew it, they had loaded things up and headed down the road. I SHOULD HAVE TIPPED THEM AND THANKED THEM PROFUSELY FOR THEIR HEROIC PERFORMANCE.

I have been informed that tips are not allowed. I called this morning to try and figure out how to send tips to these 3 great workers. PG&E got their names for me:

OSCAR ORTEGA

ERMILO MORA

HECTOR HERNANDEZ

True blue employees. They did an amazing job. They left the “big wood” conveniently stacked so I could have it carted away. Whoever the climber was, was particularly above and beyond the call of duty. He was up there in gale force winds and punishing rain as he calmly released wood from the trunk of the tree and then skillfully chunked down the trunk. It was magnificent.

Please, if possible, give them all a big thank you from me. I am grateful to PG&E and to Mowbrays for this positive experience.

Sincerely,