If you run a tree care, arborist, or tree removal company in Missouri, Arkansas, or Kansas and you’ve been shopping for workers’ compensation, you already know the problem: fewer and fewer carriers want this class of business. Tree work sits near the top of every underwriter’s risk list — chainsaws, aerial lifts, climbing, rigging, and working around power lines add up to a claims history that scares off standard insurance companies. Some carriers have pulled out of the tree care class entirely. Others will only write it alongside stricter guidelines or higher premiums.
If you’ve been declined, non-renewed, or told there’s simply nowhere left to place your policy, don’t assume you’re out of options. We work with tree care operators across Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas, and we can write workers’ comp in all three states — including through markets that specialize in tougher classes like yours.
The 3 Factors That Move the Needle on Tree Care Workers’ Comp
Before you call, though, it helps to know what actually moves the needle with underwriters. If you can honestly answer “yes” to the three questions below, you’re in a much stronger position than most tree companies asking for a quote.
- Does all of your equipment have its factory safety features intact?
Chain brakes, chip guards, kill switches, roll bars, PTO shields — these features exist because they measurably reduce injuries, and underwriters know it. A saw with a disabled chain brake or a chipper with a bypassed safety interlock isn’t just a liability if something goes wrong; it tells an underwriter your crew’s daily habits around risk. Keeping equipment in factory-safe condition, and being able to say so with confidence, is one of the fastest ways to change how a carrier views your account.
- Do all employees have hard hats and proper fall protection?
Struck-by and fall injuries are consistently among the most severe and most expensive claims in tree care. A crew that’s outfitted with hard hats, and climbers and aerial workers using proper fall protection every time they’re off the ground, signals a real safety culture rather than a policy that exists on paper. This is one of the first things a comp underwriter looks for when deciding whether your risk is insurable at a reasonable rate.
- Do you have a licensed or certified arborist on staff, or documented safety training?
Formal training changes outcomes. A credentialed arborist, or a crew that’s gone through recognized safety training, brings real judgment to hazard assessment, rigging, and job planning — the things that keep routine jobs from turning into claims. If your team has this kind of training, make sure it’s part of the conversation when you’re shopping coverage. If it doesn’t yet, it’s worth investing in, both for your people and for your insurability.
Where to find tree care safety training
If you want to strengthen your team’s credentials before your next renewal, here are some well-established places to start:
- Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) — offers a free Introduction to Arboriculture Safety certificate, the Certified Treecare Safety Professional (CTSP) credential, the Electrical Hazards Awareness Program (EHAP), and Tree Care Academy training. Free intro course: https://freecourses.tcia.org/ Safety programs overview: https://www.tcia.org/TCIA/TCIA/SAFETY.aspx
- International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) — the industry standard for the Certified Arborist credential, along with Certified Tree Worker and Board Certified Master Arborist designations. https://www.isa-arbor.com/Credentials/Types-of-Credentials
- ArborMaster Training — hands-on, in-person training in chainsaw safety, climbing, rigging, and aerial lift operations, including sessions sized for smaller crews. https://www.arbormaster.com/
- OSHA Tree Care Industry Safety and Health Program — a free resource outlining the training topics and hazard categories OSHA expects tree care employers to address. https://www.osha.gov/tree-care/safety-health-programs
Any one of these is a credible answer when an underwriter asks how your company handles safety training. Several of them together make an even stronger case.
Don’t stop shopping after one “no”
A single decline or non-renewal doesn’t mean your business isn’t insurable — it usually means the carrier that said no wasn’t the right fit, or didn’t have the full picture of how your operation runs. As an independent agency, we’re not limited to one company’s appetite. We work with multiple carriers and specialty markets that understand tree care risk, and we place workers’ comp for tree companies throughout Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas.
If you’ve hit a wall on comp coverage, especially if your equipment is properly maintained, your crew is protected with hard hats and fall protection, and you’ve got training or certification behind your safety program, reach out. That combination is exactly what gets a tree care account placed, even in a hard market.
Learn more about our tree care and tree service insurance program, or contact us directly to talk through your workers’ comp options.
About the Author
Brandon Thompson is CEO and co-founder of Millennium Brokers Group (MBG Insurance), an independent insurance agency serving Missouri and Arkansas, with additional reach into Kansas and Texas. Brandon is a Certified Work Comp Advisor (CWCA) with particular expertise in workers’ compensation, tree care and arborist risk, high-value homes, and lessor’s risk. Before insurance, he taught and coached in Missouri schools, and he now lives in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, where he leads MBG’s Bentonville office.