About Patriot Tree Company
Patriot Tree Company is a fully licensed and insured tree service company that has been providing high quality tree services to the north Denver metro and Boulder area communities since 2010. Founded by retired Army Special Forces Green Beret Keith Boarman, the company’s focus was to provide a high level of service at an affordable and fair price to the community. Since then Keith has passed the torch and sold Patriot Tree Company to Erik Gustafson, Richard Koss, Dan Stone, Michael Smith, and Justin Nair, who as a team, both own and operate the company.
We are based in lovely Louisville Colorado, at Patriot Tree Company headquarters (aka “The Wood Lot”) in the Colorado Technology Center. We have a large 2-acre property that houses all of our trucks, chippers, and gear; as well as serving as a base of operations for firewood processing and sales. Our offices are located on the property as well, enabling good communication between the office and the crews in the mornings prior to crew departures. Owning this property with many mature trees allows us to have “in house” training for crews on proper work techniques as well as being able to practice the latest safety procedures. The Wood Lot is not open to the public, but we can take visitors by appointment. Please call the office if you would like to stop by.
At Patriot Tree Company, we believe that all trees growing near people or property have both benefits and risks, but with proper care and management, the risks are small and the benefits are many. Healthy trees and forests provide services that support healthier human populations, and we are proud to be working every day with our community to improve the trees and the forests that benefit us all. We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to have served our community in this way, and look forward to many more years of quality tree work, urban forest stewardship, and client partnerships.
– The Team at Patriot Tree Company
The Patriot Tree Company Team
Erik Gustafson
ISA Board Certified Master Arborist RM-7467B, Owner/General Manager
I grew up rambling around the forests, creeks, and lakes of Chautauqua County, NY. Shortly after completing a bachelor’s degree in Forest Health at the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), I moved to Colorado in pursuit of skiing and climbing mountains. I met Keith in 2010, just as he was starting Patriot Tree Company. Knowing that I was not happy at the company I was with, he asked if I wanted to work with him building Patriot.
Since then, I have received the highest credential recognized in our industry, becoming an International Society of Arboriculture Board Certified Master Arborist in 2018. I am also licensed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture as a Qualified Supervisor for pesticide applications, and have a Tree Risk Assessment Qualification from the ISA.
My role at Patriot is General Manager, which means I generally do a little bit of everything. Any given day might include being one or more of the following: sales rep, crew trainer, crew foreman, ground worker, tree climber, tree health specialist, fire mitigation specialist, urban forester, customer service rep, therapist, ect.
In the little bit of free time that I have I enjoy spending time with my wife and daughter, backcountry skiing, fly fishing, and pretty much any other reason to get out in the mountains and soak up the natural beauty Colorado has to offer.
Richard Koss
ISA Certified Arborist RM-7900A, Owner/CEO
My name is Richard Koss and I am a co-owner and CEO of Patriot Tree Company. I have an A.S degree from Monroe Community College and a B.S. in Business Administration from Oswego State University. I am from Western New York just outside of the city of Rochester and moved to Colorado in March of 2012. I’ve loved Colorado since I first came out here in the summer of 2009 on a 60 day, 12,000 mile motorcycle road trip. My hobbies include Motorcycling, Hiking, Kayaking, and computers.
I’m happy to be with Patriot Tree Company because I like being a part of a company whose goal it is to make this world more beautiful than when we started. Whether it’s planting new trees or removing old unwanted trees we can help shape the landscape that people will see for generations. That’s why I like getting out of bed for work every morning.
Michael Smith
ISA Certified Arborist RM-7923A, Owner/Lead Sales Arborist
I grew up on the Jersey shore and moved to Colorado in 2007 after serving four years in the Coast Guard. I graduated from Colorado State University in 2012 with a B.S. in Forestry and a B.S. in Natural Resource Management. Prior to joining Patriot Tree Company I worked on a timber crew for the US Forest Service in the Black Hills and then as a research technician for the Rocky Mountain Research Station out of Fort Collins. Since joining Patriot Tree in 2014 I earned my ISA Arborist certification and am now the primary sales arborist at the company. I look forward to meeting with you to help develop the best plan for taking care of the trees on your property.
Daniel Stone
Certified Crane Operator, Owner/Crane Specialist
Justin Nair
ISA Certified Arborist RM-8133A, Owner/Lead Crew Foreman
The Tools
Manitex 38-ton Mobile Crane
Our 38-ton mobile crane is one tool in our fleet that really sets us apart from our competition. Many tree service companies use cranes for large and difficult removals, but are almost always subcontracting with the crane service. Not having to subcontract this out enables us to be very competitive with our pricing and flexible with our scheduling. The crane operator is Dan Stone, who is one of the owners of Patriot Tree Company, and is a Certified Crane Operator. He is not only an operator, but has also spent his fair share of time on the end of the ball performing the removal work, which gives him a perspective on this work that not many operators have. If you need a half dead cottonwood in your backyard removed, this is the tool for that job.
Ford F-800 Series and GMC C-Series 4 Bucket Trucks
Both of our bucket trucks have a vertical reach of approximately 60 feet, allowing us to perform tree pruning and removal operations from the comfort of an aerial lift. Being able to use these trucks can greatly increase productivity and decrease the amount of time it takes to do a job, thereby saving you money. When a bucket truck cannot reach a tree, the work needs to be performed by a qualified tree climber. If you have a large silver maple in your front yard that you would like to make as safe and healthy as possible through proper pruning, this is the tool for that job.
International 4000S Dump Truck with Morbark 2400 Tree Chipper
We actually have a few different dump truck/chipper combos, but chose to highlight this set up. This is the rig we use for all large removals and crane operations. The reason for this is that this dump truck can hold up to 16 yards of mulch before needing to be dumped, and the Morbark 2400 chipper can chip up to 18” logs! We can essentially feed entire trees into this chipper and routinely do using our Vermeer mini skid. If you have a large removal project, this is the tool for that job.
GMC C5500 Flatbed Skid Truck with Large Dump Trailer
The “skid truck” is used to transport a mini skid to job sites and to tow our large dump trailer. This rig is primarily used for two jobs, large removal projects and tree planting projects. On large removal projects, our Ditchwitch mini skids can do the job of at least 3 workers and also help save the backs of the workers doing the job by enabling us to pick up and move large logs with a mobile machine. The mini skid can load large logs into the dump trailer to be moved to our property for firewood processing or milling. On tree planting projects, the mini skids allow us to get large, heavy trees into position to be planted and the trailer allows us to move the trees to your property with minimal damage to the trees.
And many more trucks, tools, and toys to get your job done right!
