With over 34 years in business, Yankee Tree, LLC owner and Licensed Arborist Jon Parker has built a solid reputation for reliable service, and employs a highly trained and safe crew who work together seamlessly. We give honest and professional evaluations after meeting with you, and make recommendations based on field observations as well as your long-term goals. A Licensed Arborist will always be on the job to ensure precise execution of the work and complete thoroughness.
The biggest difference between Yankee Tree and other companies is the importance we put on lawn- and turf-friendly equipment. Every piece of equipment that goes onto your property is picked to avoid damage to the lawn, irrigation system, septic system or leach field, soft turf or grass, etc. We never leave dents or marks on your lawn, and you’ll never have a bucket truck, log truck, tractor, or tracked vehicle on your lawn.
The company owner, Jon Parker, grew up on a small farm in East Lyme and developed a solid work ethic and sense of fairness and integrity from the examples set by his parents. Another positive influence was through his enduring friendship with, and employment by, Wes Jezierski and family, owners of W.J. Tree Service. By 1977 Jon had a B.S. degree in Forestry (University of Vermont) and in 1982 passed the arborist exam.
Yankee Tree Service LLC was started in Salem in 1985 by Jon Parker. In fact, two weeks before Hurricane Gloria struck, there was a small wind storm event in Old Saybrook and that was the true start of the company. With a good-faith loan from Jon’s old friend from Niantic, he bought a brand new chipper to accompany his 1962 dump truck, (that friend still works occasionally for the company to this day). To go along with the equipment, he had an old climbing saddle, two ropes, and three used chainsaws, plus some simple insurance, of course.
The next spring Jon bought a 1973 two ton truck and a 1000 gallon sprayer to save trees from Gypsy moth defoliation. Time passed, he climbed and sprayed trees and sometimes subcontracted another friend from Old Lyme and his bucket truck to speed up some removal and pruning jobs.
In 1987, Jon and his friend from Old Lyme volunteered their equipment and services to prune, and save an ancient, city-owned, American Elm in Norwich previously slated for removal. He proved the tree to be disease-free and pruned it to make it safer and even more attractive. The Penobscot Street Elm, as it was called, lived on for 20 or so more years, providing shade and beauty to the local city residents. The controversy and fight to save the tree was a local story of Residents vs. City Hall and was covered by TV channel 26 at the time and two regional newspapers. Yankee Tree, LLC grew some more with all this press exposure.
Later that same year, an old high school friend (from East Lyme) who was an estate caretaker suggested Jon pursue the New York arborist license and offer tree care and removal services on Fishers Island, NY. So he did and continues to do so currently. It’s a beautiful and mostly natural island with a fascinating history one can learn about at the Ferguson Museum, Fishers Island, NY.
With the help of skilled and hard-working employees over the years, the business continued to expand. New trucks and sprayers were added, and in 1995 the first bucket truck (aka “cherry picker”) was added–a new 60’ aerial lift device on a used IH cab and chassis. Yankee Tree was successfully continuing to grow their market share and reputation by offering high quality tree and landscape care at a fair and competitive rate.
Jon moved the company and his residence to Old Lyme in 2005 and changed the legal name of the company to Yankee Tree LLC. During the time of 2006 to 2011 the company did a lot of work with yet another friend and arborist (from Lyme) whom he subcontracted and to whom the company owes a debt of gratitude. Additionally, Jon’s sister, Jay Younger, was also an employee during these years and helped advance the business through her dedication, focus, and hard work on the job sites. She’s retired now and living in northern Vermont.
2011 was a pivotal year as Jon purchased a 70’ Nifty Lift and moved away from using the heavier truck-mounted lift-units. Yankee Tree started getting more local accounts while continuing to work for clients from surrounding towns.
In 2014 Jon added an articulated loader with wide turf tires and a rotating log grapple to replace the Kubota tractor. At this point the company became completely lawn, or turf-friendly when it comes to tree pruning, tree removal, and landscape maintenance operations on grassy, soft, or irrigated properties.
Currently Yankee Tree has three licensed arborists on staff and three tree care technicians taking the Arborculture 101 class in preparation for the Arborist exam.
We look forward to growing the business and our client base by expanding with new and innovative equipment but also by continuing to refine and improve our long-standing culture of professionalism, education, training, safety, and respect.
Jon Parker, Owner & Licensed Arborist
Everything we do happens because we are a group of talented, qualified, and conscientious people working collaboratively and safely to execute the tasks at hand. As a team, we attend at least two training and educational seminars per year. We love talking about trees, asking questions and learning new facts and skills. Working on your trees is not only our profession, it’s our passion!
Adam has worked for two other tree care companies in the past and has been a contract tree climber as well as a teacher of professional tree climbing and tree removal rigging classes. Adam’s interests include reading, organic gardening, traveling and learning more about tree care and rigging online – Adam lives on a farm in Lyme and helps care for two horses, two donkeys, and two cats.
Jay has enjoyed being a musician (drummer) and sound technician. He likes hiking and kayaking, mechanical work and reading about new products and methods in tree care and removal. Jay has an eight year old daughter.
He has worked with an other tree care company and another local landscape company. Nick is the lead drummer in a local Christian band, also he was a shop-sponsored skateboarder. Nick celebrated his marriage to Alyssa in 2018. The Yankee Tree team happily attended to witness and celebrate with them.
Will is a singer/songwriter and plays guitar and piano – he has two young boys and enjoys working on a new home in Old Saybrook with his fiancee.
When Matt is not working for Yankee Tree, he is a student, currently with an undeclared major but a strong interest in business and marine science. He teaches fencing at the University as a volunteer.
Matt is from Chester and graduated from Valley Regional High School in 2018. He is very involved in the music scene and plays guitar and piano. Previously he worked at the Cedar Island Marina Research Lab as an educational counselor and assistant to the director.
Jon and his wife Karen, a clinical herbalist and beekeeper (www.sacredwheelherbals.net) enjoy hiking, camping, and exploring northern New England and the western states, most notably Arizona. They particularly enjoy sharing in these activities with their children and grandchildren. He also likes hunting, alpine skiing, ice hockey, American history, WWII history, world travel, racing old Porsches, and most things outdoors including planting trees and feeding the birds.
