HJ Property Care & Tree Service: Services, Costs and How It Works

What is HJ Property Care & Tree Service?

HJ Property Care & Tree Service LLC is a small, owner-run outdoor services company in western Montana. Its pitch is that one local crew can look after a whole property through the year: trees in the dormant season, landscaping and irrigation in spring and summer, cleanups in fall, and snow and storm work in winter. Its services page puts it this way: "Most of our customers start with one job and stay for the rest," with "one crew that already knows your property instead of four contractors who don't."

The company says it was founded in 2024, has completed more than 200 projects, and brings "30+ years of combined experience." It describes itself as locally owned and operated, with crews covering Ravalli County and the greater Missoula area. Its customers, judging by the service pages, range from in-town homeowners to acreage owners, rentals and second homes, businesses, HOAs and property managers.

The work falls into a few broad groups:

• Trees: removal, pruning, hazard and dead tree removal, risk assessment, work near power lines, fruit tree pruning, stump grinding and emergency storm response.
• Wildfire preparation: defensible space, ladder-fuel removal and selective conifer thinning.
• Landscape and water: landscape design and installation, hardscaping, retaining walls, landscape lighting, irrigation installation and repair, and sprinkler blowouts.
• Lawn programs: recurring mowing, aeration and overseeding, and licensed fertilizer and weed control.
• Seasonal and winter work: spring and fall cleanups, leaf removal, residential, commercial, HOA and private road snow removal, and, new for 2026, holiday light installation.
• Specialty work: bird mitigation (netting, spikes, nest and droppings cleanup) and custom fencing and fence repair.

Who owns and runs HJ Property Care?

The site names two owners, and they are the people you deal with. The contact page says the form and the phone "reach the same two people."

Adam Hurlbert, Owner & Founder. According to his bio, Adam earned a B.S. in Business Management from Dickinson State University in 2012 and then built a landscape company in Dickinson, North Dakota, completing hundreds of residential and commercial projects, from irrigation installs and retaining walls to full landscapes for new construction. In 2018 he became superintendent of an 18-hole golf course, managing the grounds and crew. After moving to Montana, he spent four years as general and operations manager of a large multi-division landscape, maintenance and snow-removal company, managing up to 30 employees. The site says he moved to the Bitterroot Valley in 2021, and lists his areas of expertise as landscape design and installation, irrigation, retaining walls and hardscaping, grounds and operations management, and snow and property maintenance. He is also listed as head coach for North Bitterroot Little League.

Justin Johnson, Co-Owner and ISA Certified Arborist. His bio says he grew up in Corvallis, Montana, after moving to the Bitterroot Valley as a child, and that his background includes lawn care, fencing and property maintenance work, a handcrafted log-furniture business, residential construction, running his own construction company, and nearly a decade in HVAC. He moved into utility forestry, doing line-clearance tree work around high-voltage power lines, and through that work earned his ISA Certified Arborist credential (RM-8889A), listed on the site as valid May 2024 to June 2027, and a Line Clearance Arborist Certification. His listed expertise covers tree care and hazardous removals, structural and fruit-tree pruning, line-clearance work, fencing and outdoor construction, and storm damage response.

The team page notes that HJ is "a growing company" with a crew beyond the two owners, but it does not name other staff.

Is HJ Property Care legit?

For a company founded in 2024, the useful question is what you can check before you let a crew onto your property. Here is what the company publishes:

• Named owners with detailed bios. Both owners are named, with their work histories, on the site's team pages.
• A stated arborist credential with a number. The site gives Justin Johnson's ISA Certified Arborist number, RM-8889A, and its date range. The International Society of Arboriculture runs a public credential lookup on its website, so you can confirm a number like this yourself before you book. We did not run that check for this guide.
• A phone line and a home base. The company lists (406) 215-7319 on every page and gives Florence, MT 59833 as its location. It does not publish a street address.
• Published reviews. The reviews page says the company is "Rated 5.0 from 10 Google reviews, every one 5 stars," and reproduces customer comments from Florence, Missoula and Stevensville about storm cleanup, tree trimming, fencing and landscaping projects. These figures are the company's own display.
• Dated project write-ups. The gallery lists completed projects with towns and dates, for example an emergency tree removal in Stevensville (23 June 2026), a fire pit and a horseshoe pit in Florence (June 2026), and a custom fence, shed and parking pad in Missoula (March 2026).
• Community involvement. The about page says the company is a Grand Slam Sponsor of North Bitterroot Little League and removed seven large pines from the league's parking lot.

The company also says it is licensed and insured. As with any contractor, ask for current certificates of insurance (general liability and workers' compensation) sent from the insurer. The company's own tree-removal cost guide gives the same advice to anyone hiring a tree service.

What services does HJ Property Care offer?

The site groups its work into nine core services, with more than 30 specialist service pages underneath. Here are the nine, as the company describes them:

The site also says what it does not do in some places. The fall cleanup page says clearing gutters and anything on the roof is not part of its cleanup, and the tree pages say the crew does not top trees. The contact page adds: "If what you are asking about is not something we do, we will say so rather than take the job."

Tree services in detail

Tree work is the part of the business the company leads with, and the pages go into more detail on method than most contractor sites.

Pruning to a standard. The tree services page says the crew prunes to the ANSI A300 standard and the International Society of Arboriculture's best management practices: cuts just outside the branch collar, and only a limited share of the live crown removed in a season. It states plainly that topping "is not pruning and we do not do it," and that real size reduction is done with selective reduction cuts.

Assessment before recommendation. The tree health and risk assessment page lists what an inspection covers: species and age, crown condition, trunk and root-collar decay, structural defects such as included bark and co-dominant stems, lean (and whether it is old or recent), root-zone damage from construction or compaction, pest and disease signs including bark beetle, and the "target" (what the tree would hit). The result, the company says, is a recommendation with a reason: monitor, prune, treat or remove. It says that where a tree can be kept safely, it will say so.

Hazard and dead tree removal. This covers dead and dying trees near buildings or roads, beetle-killed pines and firs, trees with decay, cavities or cracks, new or worsening lean, storm-broken tops and trees undermined by construction or erosion. Trees close to a house are taken down in sections, "with each piece tied off and lowered." The company notes that a dead tree that cannot reach anything you care about can often stay.

Work near power lines. Because the crew holds line-clearance certification, the company takes on pruning away from lines on private property, clearing the service drop from pole to house, removing trees that have outgrown the space under a line, and coordinating a temporary shutoff with the utility when needed. It is firm that a line that is already down or touching a tree is the utility's job first: treat it as live, keep back, and call 911 and the utility.

Timing and duration. The site says late winter or early spring is usually the best pruning window for most Montana species, and that most single large-tree removals take four to eight hours, longer near houses, fences or lines.

Stump grinding. Grinding depth is matched to what comes next: shallower to turf over, deeper and wider with soil backfill to replant. Chips can be hauled away or used to backfill. The company checks for utilities and irrigation lines before grinding starts.

Other tree pages cover fruit tree pruning (apples, pears, plums and cherries) and tree care contracts for businesses, HOAs and managed properties.

Fire mitigation and defensible space

The company treats fire mitigation as tree work, done by an arborist-led crew. Its listed scope:

• Ladder-fuel removal and crown separation
• Selective conifer thinning, "not clear-cutting"
• Low-limb pruning to ANSI A300 standards
• Needle litter, duff and dead-material clearing
• Roof, gutter and near-structure zone cleanup
• Slash chipped on site or hauled away

The work is planned from the building outward, with the first few feet around the structure treated as "the first job rather than the last one." Chips that stay on the property are placed away from the building.

The page is candid about rules: it says there is no statewide defensible space mandate in Montana, that obligations are local (fire districts, county zoning, wildland-urban interface building rules for new construction), and that "any contractor telling you the state requires it is selling you something." It also points readers to free help first: the Missoula Fire Department's free defensible space consultations in the Missoula interface and the Montana DNRC's free wildfire risk assessment. HJ says it does the work those assessments point to.

Autumn through early spring is the working window, with autumn usually best. The company advises against cutting in hot, dry, windy summer conditions because the equipment itself can be an ignition risk.

Landscaping, hardscaping, irrigation and lawns

Landscape design and installation. The process on the landscaping page starts with a property overview and measurements, then a detailed cost breakdown, then design approval with adjustments, then installation. The company says it builds in a set order (drainage and grading, then hardscape, then irrigation, then planting, then finish work) and handles all stages in-house. Its design approach centers on grouping plants by water need ("hydrozoning"), drip in beds, and Montana natives and water-wise species. Xeriscaping is offered for clients who want very low water use.

Hardscaping and retaining walls. Patios, walkways, steps, seat walls and retaining walls, with the company stressing that freeze-thaw damage is prevented by the base and drainage. It says that where a wall's height or load calls for engineered design, it will say so. Landscape lighting (permanent low-voltage) is a separate service.

Irrigation. The company installs and repairs residential and commercial sprinkler and drip systems, starting with a property and water-pressure assessment and a custom zone layout. Its seasonal cycle includes a spring startup, mid-season checks and a fall blowout. On the blowout page, it recommends booking for late September to mid-October and says a typical six-to-ten zone home system takes roughly 30 to 60 minutes. The service includes a zone-by-zone compressed-air purge at the right pressure for the pipe, draining and isolating the backflow preventer, and shutting down the controller. Commercial, HOA and multi-controller systems are handled the same way.

Lawn care, fertilizer and weed control. Recurring mowing with edging and trimming, aeration and overseeding, and a season-long fertilizer and weed program. The company says it is certified and licensed for fertilizer, weed control and pesticide application in Montana, applies products by the label, holds applications in wind or ahead of rain, and will decline treatments that are not needed. It treats broadleaf weeds, crabgrass and noxious weeds such as spotted knapweed, Canada thistle and leafy spurge.

Fall cleanups, holiday lighting and snow removal

For fall and winter 2026 to 2027, the company is focusing on three services, according to its fall and winter page.

Fall yard cleanup. A typical cleanup, per the company, includes leaves cleared from lawns, beds, fence lines and corners; perennials cut back where they would mat down; beds cleaned around shrubs and the foundation; branches, cones and debris picked up; walks, patios and drive edges blown clean; a check of drainage paths; and everything hauled away. Scope is agreed on a walk-around first. Properties with a lot of canopy may need two passes. Tree pruning, sprinkler blowouts, aeration and the last fertilizer round are quoted separately, and gutter and roof clearing is not included. The company works from address lists for landlords and property managers.

Christmas and holiday lighting (new for 2026). This is an interest list, not yet a priced service. The company says packages and pricing "are being finalized" and that joining the list carries no obligation. What it plans to offer: rooflines, gutters and peaks; trees and shrubs; walkways and entrances; a design walkthrough; installation before the freeze; and takedown after the holidays. Storage between seasons is something it is "looking at offering" and has not committed to. Whether it can hang lights you already own depends on their condition and rating, and will be settled in the packages. A commercial version covers storefronts, office entries and HOA or subdivision entrance signs.

Snow removal and ice management. Snow work is sold on a seasonal route basis, set up before winter:

• Residential: driveway clearing at an agreed "trigger depth," walks, steps and decks, rural parking and turnarounds, the berm the county plow leaves, planned snow storage, ice management and storm response. You don't call each time; the crew comes when the agreed depth is reached. Second homes and rentals are accepted.
• Commercial: a written seasonal contract with trigger depth and response window, entrances and accessible routes cleared first, lot and drive lanes, sidewalks, ice management and planned storage with off-site hauling when piles run out of room.
• HOA and property management: one contract for roads, lots, sidewalks and mailbox clusters, with priority sequencing, fall marking of hydrants and curbs, and an agreed approach to parked cars. Managers with several sites can put them on one arrangement.
• Private roads and long driveways: plowing for shared lanes, road associations, informal groups of neighbors and single long drives. No association is needed, just one point of contact who agrees the scope and receives the invoice. Gravel is plowed with the blade set slightly high.

The company says it is building 2026 to 2027 routes now and that routes fill before the season, so it advises arranging snow work in early fall, while road edges and sprinkler heads can still be seen and marked.

24-hour storm response

The company advertises 24-hour emergency response for trees on roofs, vehicles and outbuildings; blocked driveways and gates; hanging limbs over walks and play areas; trees at risk of imminent failure; wind-thrown trees; and snow and ice-load damage. It says it prioritizes by risk, with trees on occupied structures and blocked emergency access first, and that existing clients get priority, though it also responds to emergency calls from the community. After a widespread wind or ice event, it says it will give a "realistic time rather than an optimistic one."

On insurance claims, the company advises contacting your insurer early and photographing damage before anything is moved, if it is safe to do so. This guide is not insurance advice; ask your insurer what your policy requires.

Bird mitigation and custom fencing

Bird mitigation is an unusual service for a tree and landscape company. HJ offers it for homes, businesses, barns and outbuildings: an on-site species and access-point assessment, physical exclusion (netting, mesh, spikes and barriers), humane deterrents, nest and debris removal, and cleanup. The company describes its approach as exclusion and deterrence, "not harm." It notes that many native birds and their active nests are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so an active nest generally cannot simply be removed, and that late winter and early spring are the useful window for exclusion work. For heavy droppings, it says cleanup should suppress dust rather than dry-sweep it.

Custom fencing covers cedar, vinyl, privacy and chain-link installation and repair. The company requires an on-site visit for a fencing quote, because slope, soil, obstructions and true footage don't show on satellite images. It says most residential fences take two to five days, and that rocky Bitterroot soil can add time. Before installation, it recommends confirming the property line (a survey where in doubt), calling for utility locates, and checking local and HOA rules on height and setbacks. It also notes that ordinary yard fencing does not keep out deer and elk.

Where does HJ Property Care work?

The company lists ten service areas and says every service is available in every one:

• Bitterroot Valley / Ravalli County: Florence, Stevensville, Victor, Corvallis, Hamilton and Darby, plus the wider Bitterroot Valley.
• Missoula area: Missoula, Lolo and Clinton.

Its areas page explains that it would "rather cover ten towns properly than take work in a county we visit twice a year," and says the same crew, license and insurance cover every town: "Nothing is subcontracted out of the valley." The commercial landscaping page also says tree work is done by its own crew, not subcontracted.

The business is based in Florence, MT 59833. It is a service-area business: crews come to you, and there is no published showroom or street address. Office hours are not shown on the pages; the phone line is the main contact, with 24-hour storm response for emergencies.

How much does HJ Property Care cost?

HJ Property Care does not publish prices for any service. Every service page and FAQ points to a free estimate instead, and the site's terms say information on the website "does not constitute a binding quote" and that pricing is confirmed in writing in a formal estimate or agreement after the property is assessed.

What the company says drives the price, service by service:

The company's tree-removal cost guide gives only a wide range in words: "a few hundred dollars for a small ornamental tree to several thousand for a large ponderosa pine near a house." It explains that an exact price needs someone to see the lean, the soil, the overhead lines and the access.

How to get a number. Call (406) 215-7319 or use the request form. The company says it replies to every request within 48 hours, that estimates are free with no obligation, and that most work needs a site visit, though simple jobs can sometimes be quoted from photos. It also lists "Free re-estimates if project scope changes" among its guarantees. Financing and accepted payment methods are not published, so ask when you get your estimate.

What happens when you ask for an estimate

1. Get in touch. Use the form (pick a service from the list) or call. The company says the phone is better for anything urgent, such as a limb down or a line under load.
2. Share the details. The contact page lists what helps it quote accurately: the town, roughly what and how much, what is near the work (power lines, outbuildings, septic, a well, irrigation lines), whether anything is urgent, and photos from two angles for a tree.
3. Hear back within 48 hours. That is the company's stated response time for every request.
4. Site visit. For most work, someone walks the property before quoting. For landscaping, that includes measurements; for snow, it settles trigger depth, storage areas and hazards to mark.
5. Written estimate. The company describes "transparent, fixed quotes shown before we start" and, for landscaping, a detailed cost breakdown with design approval before installation.
6. The work. Scope is agreed before starting. On a fall cleanup, for example, the crew points out anything outside the job (a limb likely to fail under snow, a low spot holding water) and leaves the decision to you.
7. Ongoing service, if you want it. Many services can be arranged as recurring: mowing, lawn programs, seasonal cleanups and seasonal snow routes or contracts.

Licenses, insurance and policies

• ISA Certified Arborist: Justin Johnson, RM-8889A, listed as valid May 2024 to June 2027. The site explains that ISA certification is a professional credential earned by exam and kept up with continuing education, "a certification rather than a state license."
• Line Clearance Arborist Certification: listed for Justin Johnson, and the reason the company takes on work near energized lines.
• Fertilizer, weed control and pesticide application: the company says it is certified and licensed in Montana, and its terms say these services are performed under its Montana certifications and licenses, following product labels.
• Licensed and insured: stated across the site. Ask for current certificates of general liability and workers' compensation coverage before work starts.
• Warranties: the site does not publish a workmanship warranty. Its guarantees list covers fixed quotes before work starts and free re-estimates if the scope changes. Ask what happens if something goes wrong after the job.
• Privacy: the privacy policy (last updated 5 August 2026) says the company does not sell personal information.

Nothing in this guide is legal, safety or insurance advice. For tree work near power lines, follow your utility's instructions; for permits and property-line questions, check with your city, county or HOA.

How it compares with other options

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Questions to ask before you hire

• Can you send current certificates of general liability and workers' compensation insurance from your insurer?
• Who will be on site, and will the ISA Certified Arborist assess my trees in person?
• Does the estimate include stump grinding, chipping and haul-away, or are those separate?
• For snow: what trigger depth, what time will my drive or lot be open, and where will the snow go?
• What happens if the scope changes once work starts?
• Is there any guarantee on plantings, fences or hardscape, and for how long?
• What payment methods do you accept, and is a deposit required?
• Does my tree sit on public or private land, and is a permit needed?

How to get started

1. Decide what you need first. The company advises booking whatever has a hard deadline: fall cleanups before the snow stays, holiday lights in early to mid November, snow routes before the first storm.
2. Gather the details: town, what and how much, anything near the work, and photos.
3. Call (406) 215-7319 or send the request form on the website.
4. Expect a reply within 48 hours and, for most jobs, a free site visit.
5. Review the written estimate, ask the questions above, and confirm the scope before work starts.

Visit HJ Property Care & Tree Service

Terms you'll see on the site

• ISA Certified Arborist: a professional credential from the International Society of Arboriculture, earned by exam and maintained with continuing education.
• ANSI A300: the American industry standard for tree care practices such as pruning.
• Line clearance: tree work near energized power lines, which requires specific qualification and approach distances.
• Service drop: the line from the utility pole to your house.
• Topping: cutting main stems back to stubs to reduce height. HJ says it does not do it.
• Dormant pruning: pruning in late fall through late winter while trees are not actively growing.
• Defensible space: the area around a building where fuel is reduced to slow a wildfire.
• Ladder fuels: low branches and brush that let a ground fire climb into tree crowns.
• Wildland-urban interface (WUI): where homes meet forest or wildland.
• Trigger depth: the snow accumulation at which a seasonal snow customer gets a visit without calling.
• Blowout: clearing irrigation lines with compressed air before freezing weather.
• Backflow preventer: the irrigation device that stops yard water from flowing back into the drinking supply.
• Hydrozoning: grouping plants by water need so each irrigation zone can be set correctly.
• Exclusion (bird control): physically blocking birds from a space with netting, mesh or barriers.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

All pages checked on 19 October 2026.

1. Home page
2. About
3. Team
4. Adam Hurlbert bio
5. Justin Johnson bio
6. Services
7. Fall & Winter Services
8. Reviews & Testimonials
9. Gallery
10. Areas We Serve
11. FAQ
12. Contact
13. Terms of Service
14. Privacy Policy
15. Tree Services
16. Tree Health & Risk Assessment
17. Hazard & Dead Tree Removal
18. Tree Work Near Power Lines
19. Emergency Tree & Storm Response
20. Stump Grinding & Removal
21. Tree removal cost guide
22. Fire Mitigation
23. Landscaping & Design
24. Commercial Landscaping & Grounds Maintenance
25. Irrigation Systems
26. Sprinkler Blowout & Winterization
27. Fertilizer & Weed Control
28. Lawn Care & Mowing
29. Seasonal Clean Ups
30. Fall Yard Cleanup
31. Christmas & Holiday Light Installation
32. Commercial Holiday Lighting
33. Snow & 24-Hour Storm Services
34. Residential Snow Removal
35. Commercial Snow & Ice Management
36. HOA & Property Management Snow Removal
37. Private Road & Long Driveway Snow Plowing
38. Bird Mitigation
39. Custom Fencing