Seasonal Tree Care
The Homeowner’s Guide to Fall Tree Health Care in Northern Virginia
Fall has a way of making us notice our trees again. Maples flash red and orange, leaves scatter across the lawn, and that oak outside
Keeping your trees healthy and safe takes more than the occasional pruning. It requires a well-rounded approach that addresses every aspect of their biology, structure, and long-term health. That’s exactly what you get working with the professionals at RTEC Treecare.
Some tree companies in the Reston area stick to the basics. RTEC Treecare takes a holistic approach, making sure your trees get the support they need from roots to trunk to twigs, staying safe, healthy, and beautiful for years to come.
Picking up a chainsaw and hanging out a tree care shingle isn’t much of an accomplishment. But genuine, science-backed tree care? That’s a whole different thing. It takes solid education, hands-on experience, the right equipment, and a depth of expertise that most companies just can’t offer.
If you’re a homeowner or property manager in Reston, VA, you’ve never had to settle for less. RTEC Treecare has been delivering award-winning tree care services throughout the Reston, VA area for over 30 years. We know trees inside and out, and we understand the specific environmental conditions of the Mid-Atlantic region that directly shape tree health.
Reach out today and get the tree care service your property actually deserves.
RTEC Treecare works from 2828 Mary St in Falls Church. Reston is about 14 miles from us, and the Dulles Toll Road puts our crews at your door in roughly 20 to 25 minutes.
What that buys you is unglamorous and useful. An arborist looks at the tree before anyone quotes it. A storm call gets a crew that's genuinely nearby. And the paperwork side of Reston tree work, which is heavier here than almost anywhere else we serve, gets handled by people who can come back out and document something properly when your association asks for it.
Robert E. Simon founded Reston on April 10, 1964, using the proceeds from selling Carnegie Hall to buy 6,750 acres of farmland and woods. The name is his initials. Among the seven goals he wrote for the place was that beauty, structural and natural, is a necessity of the good life and should be fostered. Rather than clearing and gridding the land, he clustered housing and left the woods standing between the villages.
Here's the part most Reston residents have never been told. Reston Association's own account of its forest is that it's predominantly second growth oak, hickory and tulip poplar, and that the oldest trees are around 100 years old.
Do the arithmetic. Reston's oldest trees were already forty years old when Simon bought the land. They aren't founding era plantings. They're a farm-era woodland that regrew after the original clearing, and the town was built around it.
Today Reston Association manages somewhere in the range of 700 to 800 acres of woodland, four lakes covering 125 acres, about 20 miles of streams and 55 miles of paved pathway, all threaded through 22,000 residential units. Most Reston homes touch that system somewhere. Reston has been a Tree City USA every year since 1994.
One quirk shapes where the water goes. Reston Parkway is effectively the watershed divide: everything east of it drains to Difficult Run, everything west to Sugarland Run, and a small southwestern corner to Horsepen Creek. All of it ends up in the Potomac.
Oak decline is the pressure that matters most on a stand like this. Fairfax County documents it in red, white, chestnut and black oak, and describes it as a cumulative problem: age, drought stress, pests and poor care stacking up until the tree can't recover. Symptoms show as thinning canopy, sprouting on the trunk and limbs, and yellowing leaves. There is no cure for it. What helps is water during drought, correct mulching, and not wounding the trunk.
Deer are the other half of the problem, and they're the reason the forest isn't replacing itself. A healthy ecosystem supports 15 to 20 deer per square mile. Fairfax County estimates many sites are running 40 to 100. At that density seedlings and saplings get eaten before they ever become trees, which means when a hundred year old oak comes out of a Reston woodland, nothing is queued up behind it.
Our crews are in Reston often, and they pass their own jobs on the way to the next one. In a community this organized, where neighbors sign off on each other's applications and the pathways run past everybody's back yard, work that was done badly is visible for years. We'd rather be the company whose work holds up to that.
Whether you have a brand-new sapling in need of support or a gnarled, 100-year-old oak that’s making you nervous, the RTEC Treecare team can provide the tree-care services you need. A few of the services our clients need most often are detailed below, but don’t hesitate to contact our customer service team if you need something you don’t see listed.
Dealing with a fallen tree or worried about potential storm damage? We’re here to help—offering 24/7 emergency tree services to keep your property safe!
Tree health and safety issues aren’t always obvious, and for homeowners and property managers, that’s genuinely one of the trickier parts of tree care. Keep a close eye on your trees, and contact the ISA-certified arborists at RTEC Treecare if you spot any of these warning signs.
Getting started is easy; you can set up a consultation via phone, email, or our online booking form linked below.
One of our ISA-certified arborists or environmental technicians will take the time to listen carefully to each question or concern.
Our crew will arrive at the scheduled time and carry out the work in a professional, safe, and respectful manner.
We’ll always share some recommendations for the ongoing support and care of your plants and trees.
Your trees are a genuine asset, but they come with real risks. That’s why choosing the right tree care partner matters so much. With RTEC Treecare, you get a team that consistently rises above the competition and gives you the confidence you deserve.
RTEC Treecare was the first tree company in Virginia to receive Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) accreditation, and our team includes several International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborists.
Safety is never up for debate. Our crew, our clients, and anyone in the area stays protected from start to finish. If a job can’t be done safely, we won’t touch it.
Careless tree care can damage homes, landscapes, and hardscapes. Our team uses high-strength ropes, piece-by-piece removal techniques, and cranes to make sure your property stays protected throughout the job.
From bucket trucks and aerial lifts to chainsaws, air spades, and chippers, our crews come prepared with professional-grade tools to handle whatever a job requires.
Over three decades, we’ve built a deep familiarity with the trees common to Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC, along with the environmental challenges, pests, and diseases that tend to affect them most.
From your first call to the final cleanup, RTEC Treecare keeps communication open and straightforward. You can always reach us, and you’ll never be left guessing about where things stand with your project.
Some tree service companies cut corners on local rules and regulations. RTEC Treecare isn’t one of them. We keep all required licenses and comprehensive insurance coverage current so you’re fully protected.
Trees don’t exist in a vacuum. The soil beneath their roots, the insects visiting their fruit and flowers, everything in their surroundings shapes their health. That’s precisely why partnering with an environmentally responsible tree care team makes a real difference.
That same perspective guides everything we do. We provide eco-friendly solutions that support long-term tree health while protecting the surrounding landscape. From organic biostimulant applications and soil-nurturing mulch to health-focused pruning techniques, our work is designed to strengthen trees naturally and responsibly.
RTEC Treecare not only provides a comprehensive assortment of tree-care services, but we also serve a wide variety of clients. From residential homeowners to commercial property managers to government agencies, we can provide the kind of award-winning tree care services you need.
Our service area includes most of the DC Metropolitan area, including portions of Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC. You can see a list of some of the specific communities we serve below!
Still have questions about our tree-care services? We’ve rounded up a few of the most common questions our clients have and answered them below.
Fall has a way of making us notice our trees again. Maples flash red and orange, leaves scatter across the lawn, and that oak outside
Verticillium wilt can begin with a fungus that’s been waiting beneath your lawn for years — possibly since before you owned the property. It can
When a tree starts looking unhealthy, most people look up. They check the leaves for discoloration, scan the branches for dieback, or inspect the trunk
Feel free to leave your contact information on our online form. A consultation is always free, and it’s the first step towards finding a solution for your trees!
