Meet Your Neighbors: Michael Leonard, Certified Arborist, SavATree

By Kayla Schmidt

Photography by Justin Negard

Michael Leonard has spent nearly 44 years getting to know other people’s trees. As a certified arborist with SavATree, based out of Bedford Hills, he’s spent his career inspecting, diagnosing and caring for the trees that shape Westchester’s properties—and the homeowners who love them.

What inspired you to take care of trees?

My father was a tree surgeon in New Jersey, so I grew up going on jobs with him. I think that sparked a love for the outdoors. I went to West Virginia University, where I earned a degree in forestry resource management and then ultimately became an International Security of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist, meaning I’m professionally certified in the science and care of trees.

What does your role as an arborist involve?

I mostly go out to residential (but sometimes commercial) properties to inspect their trees and lawns. I try to get a sense of how healthy things are, how they’re growing, whether there’s a pest or pathogen, whether the trees are under stress and what we can do to remediate the situation. In this area, we have warmer winter temperatures than we used to, so that’s something we have to watch.

What qualifications do you need for this kind of job?

A degree in forestry, horticulture or a related science is great—that’s less we have to teach. But if someone doesn’t have that background and is willing to learn, we’ll teach them. You have to be good with people, and you have to be willing to work outside in the cold, the heat, with the insects—all of it. You also need a thick skin. Sometimes you come across a property and you want to do certain things with it, but the homeowner may not want to—and it’s their property.

What does a typical week look like?

I work Monday through Friday, and sometimes on Saturday. I’m often at work by 7 a.m., meeting crews at different properties. If it’s a tree crew, I’ll go over the work with them—depending on the species, age, location and why we’re pruning. Throughout the day, I check in with the crews and meet with clients. Some days I’m at one or two properties; other days, seven to nine.

What is something people often misunderstand about your work?

People sometimes confuse what we do with what a landscaper does. A landscaper is often there to mow the lawn, but many aren’t qualified as certified tree experts. It’s a different kind of work.

Tell us a funny story from your time on the job.

We once worked for a woman who had about seven to 10 dogs. We showed up to do some work, got out of the truck, and one of our guys was afraid of dogs. The dogs came over to greet us, and you have never seen a guy run so fast in your life!

What is your favorite part of your work?

Trees are like people: every one is different. You can always see something new, something you want to help with. Some of these trees grow to enormous heights and could be 100 to 200 years old; others are brand new. You never know what you’re going to find. Beyond that, my daily job makes a direct impact on people’s lives. A homeowner’s tree can carry a deep emotional bond—whether they planted it for an occasion or it’s stood for over 100 years, it can anchor their attachment and joy for their loved ones, their home and the surrounding environment. Being able to work in that relationship with them brings a deep sense of purpose. Working outdoors also gives me a sense of environmental stewardship, which helps the health of our urban forests and local ecosystems.

Can you tell us about a memorable experience?

I once did a site walk with a group of Girl Scouts, maybe 12 to 15 of them who were around 10 to 12 years old. We walked a property, talked about trees, and I had them touch the bark. I gave them a book on tree identification, and they all really got into it. Years later, when one of the girls was graduating from high school, she came up to me and told me how much fun she’d had that day. It’s cool that she remembered it so many years later. Everyone’s connected—you might be on someone’s property talking about their trees and then find out they know someone else whose trees you also take care of.

This article was edited by Rinn Kress and fact-checked by Isabella Aranda Garcia. The photographer used Adobe Creative Suite to edit his photos.

This article was published in the July/August 2026 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.