Tree service business plan template

A plan built for a tree service: safety and power lines, credentials and permits, the chipper and saws, and the jobs a week your goal takes.

12 sectionsIncluding safety and power lines and credentials and permits

.docx and PDFOpens in Word and Google Docs

PrivateNothing you type is sent

Business basics

Trade

Sets the trade sections and the startup cost lines.

Business name

No name yet? Try the free business name generator.

Owner

Legal structure

Service area

Start date

Why you are starting it (optional)

Services, customers and pricing

Services, one per line

Who you will serve

Competition and how you stand out

How you set prices

Hourly rate

Not sure? The labor rate calculator works it out.

Average job

How customers will find you

How the work gets done

Safety and power linesSafety gear, training, and the rule for trees near lines.

Credentials and permitsArborist credentials and city tree permits.

Startup costs

Price each line with a local supplier and type what you found. Nothing here is filled in for you.

ItemCost

Goals

Revenue goal, first year

Weeks you will work

weeks

Owner pay goal, first year

Other goals (optional)

Milestones, one per line

Startup costs

0 of 8 lines priced

Add goalJobs a week to reach the goal

Add goalRevenue a month

Add rateBillable hours a week

Kept in this browser only. Nothing you type here is sent to Koira. In the print window, pick Save as PDF to get a file.

Your business name

Business plan · October 9, 2026

1. Executive summary

Your business name is a tree service business.

2. Company description

Detail	Plan
Business name	Your business name
Owner	Add the owner's name
Legal structure	Not decided yet
Service area	Add the towns or area you serve
Start date	Add the date you plan to open

3. Services

List the services you will offer, one per line.

4. Customers and competition

Who we serve

Describe the customers you will serve.

Competition and how we stand out

Describe who else does this work near you, and why customers will pick you.

5. Pricing

Describe how you set prices.

6. Marketing plan

Describe how customers will find you.

7. Operations

Describe how the work gets done day to day.

8. Safety and power lines

Safety gear, training, and the rule for trees near lines.

9. Credentials and permits

Arborist credentials and city tree permits.

10. Startup costs

Price each item with a local supplier and add the amounts to see the total.

Chainsaws and protective gear
Climbing and rigging gear
Chipper
Truck or dump trailer
Business registration and licenses
Insurance (first payment)
Phone, website and software
Marketing to start (cards, signs, truck lettering)

11. Financial goals

Add a first-year revenue goal, your average job and the weeks you will work to see how many jobs a week it takes.

12. Milestones

List the milestones for the first year, one per line.

Made with the free business plan generator at koira.ai/tools/business-plan-generator. The numbers in this plan are the owner's own.

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Key takeaways

The template adds safety and power lines and credentials and permits to the standard plan sections.
Example text fills empty boxes in one tap. Prices, costs and goals stay yours to type.
Download a real Word file or print to PDF. Your draft stays in this browser.

Why write a tree service business plan

Tree work has the highest stakes of the outdoor trades: safety, insurance and expensive equipment. The plan puts the safety rules and the insurance quote on paper first, then the equipment and the jobs a week it takes to pay for them.

What goes in a tree service business plan

Section	What goes in it
Executive summary	Written for you from your name, area, services, goal and startup total
Company description	Name, owner, legal structure, service area, start date
Services	One line per service
Customers and competition	Who you serve, who else does the work, why customers pick you
Pricing	How you set prices, your hourly rate and average job
Marketing plan	How customers find you
Operations	How the work gets done day to day
Safety and power lines	Safety gear, training, and the rule for trees near lines.
Credentials and permits	Arborist credentials and city tree permits.
Startup costs	Each item you priced, and the total
Financial goals	Revenue goal, and the jobs and hours a week it takes
Milestones	The steps for the first year

Example text for a tree service business plan

Press "Fill empty boxes with example text" in the generator and it fills these in, ready to edit. They are a starting point in plain words, with no numbers: your prices, costs and goals are yours to type.

Services

Pruning and trimming
Tree removal
Stump grinding
Storm cleanup

Customers. Homeowners, HOAs and property managers, and storm calls after bad weather.

Competition. Local tree services and part-time cutters. We will compete on insurance, safety, and a clean yard at the end of every job.

Pricing. Each tree priced from height, spread, access, risk and cleanup. Stump grinding and haul-away priced as separate lines.

Safety and power lines. Every cutter wears chainsaw protective gear. Trees near power lines are referred to the utility unless we are qualified for line clearance work.

Credentials and permits. We check city rules for tree removal permits before quoting. The owner is working toward the ISA Certified Arborist credential.

Startup costs to price

The generator starts the startup cost table with these lines, unpriced. Price each one with a local supplier or dealer and type what you found; the total and the summary update as you go.

Chainsaws and protective gear
Climbing and rigging gear
Chipper
Truck or dump trailer
Business registration and licenses
Insurance (first payment)
Phone, website and software
Marketing to start (cards, signs, truck lettering)

Startup costs swing with what you already own and whether you buy new or used, which is why no amounts are filled in. Our guide to starting a tree service business explains what moves each line.

From a yearly goal to a weekly number

The goals section turns one big number into a weekly one, using only what you type:

Revenue a month is the first-year goal divided by 12.
Jobs a year is the goal divided by your average job, rounded up.
Jobs a week is jobs a year divided by the weeks you will work.
Billable hours are the goal divided by your hourly rate, a year and a week.

If the jobs a week look impossible for one person, that is the plan doing its job. Raise the average ticket, add a recurring service, or plan a hire. To set the rate itself, use the labor rate calculator; to see how many jobs a month cover your fixed costs, the break-even calculator.

Word, Google Docs and PDF

Download for Word saves a real .docx file built in your browser. It opens in Microsoft Word, Google Docs (upload it to Drive and open it), Apple Pages and LibreOffice, with headings and tables you can edit. Print or save as PDF prints the plan alone, without the page around it; pick Save as PDF in the print window for a file. Your draft is kept in this browser so you can come back to it, and nothing you type is sent to Koira.

Last checked October 9, 2026. More for your trade: how trades run on Koira.

FAQ

What should a tree service business plan include?

The standard sections plus safety and power lines, and arborist credentials and city tree permits.

How do I plan tree service startup costs?

Price saws, protective gear, climbing and rigging gear, a chipper and a truck, then add insurance quotes, which are high in tree work.

How many jobs a week does a tree service need?

Enter your goal, average job and working weeks and the plan works it out.

Can I open the plan in Google Docs?

Yes. Download the .docx, upload it to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs. Headings and tables carry over.

Is my plan saved anywhere?

Only in this browser, so you can come back to it. Nothing you type is sent to Koira.

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