Our Story
It was years of labor and love that led to the fruition of Tony’s Tree Service. Tony Constantine was only 15 years old when he started dragging and loading brush with a tree-trimming crew on the weekends and during summer vacations in Southern New Jersey. Eventually, he realized the “glory job” was in the trees, and began teaching himself how to climb and trim. Tony graduated from high school in 1971 and worked for various tree services as a Climber and Foreman before moving to Baker City in 1977. Once in Baker, he continued tree work with some construction on the side.
1980 is when Tony’s Tree Service became an official business. Tony became a certified Pesticide Applicator in Ornamentals, Shade Trees, and Turf and continued creating a name for himself as the Tree Service grew. Then, in 1993, he became a Licensed Landscape Contractor and opened OregonTrail Landscape & Nursery in 1995.
In 1992 his son, and the now-owner of Tony’s Tree Service, Anthony, was born. as a kid Anthony worked summers alongside his dad and the crew. Initially, his job was, “Don’t die,” but he slowly progressed into a more important role as his skills and knowledge grew while shadowing his father. After high school, Anthony went off exploring various avenues. Between travel and seasonal jobs, he would return home to restock the bank account by doing the work that was most familiar: tree and landscaping work.
Eventually, Anthony moved to Portland, OR, and after an assortment of miscellaneous jobs, decided to drag brush for a tree crew. Not long after, he joined the Urban Forestry Pro team and told them he wanted to learn how to climb. Tony was hesitant to teach Anthony himself, being that climbing is one of the top most dangerous jobs in the world and he didn’t want to be responsible for his son getting hurt. Anthony’s time with Urban Forestry Pro was monumental in growing both his skillset to climb, and his passion to continue in the industry.
Tony soon offered Anthony a position to run the tree crew back home, and ready for a break from the chaos of Portland, Anthony agreed. With a basis of climbing checked off of his list, Anthony went back to shadowing his dad and started to discover the ins and outs of running a business. In time, he was given more responsibilities and found like like his dad, bookkeeping is his least favorite part of the job. Anthony thrives most when getting to learn more about the rich history of trees and sharing it with others. He enjoys coming up with a plan of action best for the tree and customer and going to work.
2022 was the year Tony’s Tree Service officially swapped hands from Tony to Anthony. Together, they have been able to find their new normal without things changing too drastically for loyal community members. Anthony has taken old tricks shown by his dad and put his own twist on them. However, he’s not ashamed to say he will never be too old to ignore the guidance and wisdom of his father and the OC (original Climber), Mr. Tony Constantine.