About Us
Founded by Climbers. Rooted in the Upstate.
Rig Line Tree Service brings expert rigging and crane care to homes, lakes, and mountains across Oconee County and South Carolina.
Our Story
A tree company built on rope skill
Rig Line Tree Service was founded in 2021 by people who climb and rig for a living. From the start, our niche was the work most crews avoid: high-hazard removals, delicate dismantles in tight spaces, steep lakefront and mountain terrain, and the storm calls that come in the middle of the night.
Based in Westminster in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, we've built a reputation across the Upstate for technical climbing, safe rope control, and property cleanup that leaves no trace we were there — except the problem tree, gone. That reputation lives on our Facebook page, where clients share their experiences.
Whether you're a homeowner with one impossible tree, a lake-house owner facing a shoreline removal, or a fellow tree company that needs a specialist climber, Rig Line is the crew the Upstate calls for the tough ones.
What sets that work apart isn't just the climbing — it's the judgment behind it. We'll tell you when a tree can be saved instead of removed, when a job needs a crane instead of a rope, and when the honest answer is that the removal you asked for isn't the removal you actually need. That candor, backed by full insurance and a written scope on every job, is what turns a one-time storm call into the number Upstate families keep for years.
Licensed & Insured
Full liability & workers' comp
Expert Climbers
Certified riggers & crane care
24/7 Emergency
Storm response, day or night
Free Estimates
Written scopes, no surprises
Where We Work
Rooted in Westminster, serving all of Upstate South Carolina
From our Westminster base we cover Oconee County and the wider Upstate, and travel statewide for larger and specialty projects.
Our home ground is Oconee County — Westminster, Seneca, Clemson, Walhalla, and the Lake Keowee and Lake Hartwell communities — where our climbers know the terrain, the tree species, and the storms that shape the work. From there we reach across the greater Upstate into Anderson, Pickens, Greenville, and Spartanburg counties, and we travel farther still for the removals and lakefront jobs that call for a specialist. Wherever the job is, the standard travels with us: the same insured crew, the same free written scope, and the same clean finish, whether it's a backyard pine in town or a crane removal on a steep Keowee shoreline. See the full list of communities we serve, or explore everything we do on our services page.
Our Capabilities
What our crews bring to the job
“Expert climbers and riggers” isn't a slogan — it's a specific set of skills and equipment that decides whether a difficult tree comes down cleanly or becomes an insurance claim.
A lot of tree work looks the same from the curb; the difference shows up on the hard jobs. Here's what we actually bring to a Westminster-area property:
- Technical rope climbing to reach trees no bucket truck can — steep banks, tight lots, behind the house
- Precision rigging and lowering systems that take heavy wood down over roofs, docks, and pools under full control
- Crane coordination for the largest and most dangerous removals, lifting whole sections clear of the structure
- 24/7 storm and emergency response, including trees on homes and blocked access
- Shoreline and steep-slope experience tuned to Lake Keowee, Lake Hartwell, and the Blue Ridge foothills
- Complete cleanup — chipping, hauling, raking, and blowing the site clean on every job
Just as important is what stands behind that work. Being fully licensed and insured means we carry both general liability and workers' compensation coverage — so if something goes wrong on a removal over your home, it's our responsibility, not yours. We provide a certificate of insurance on request before we start, and every job comes with a free written scope so the price and the plan are clear up front. It's the difference between hiring a professional company and handing a chainsaw to a stranger.
What We Stand For
How we work
Safety first, always
Every job is planned around getting our crew and your property through it unharmed. Rigging discipline isn't optional — it's the whole point.
Real technical skill
Climbing and rigging are crafts we've worked hard to master. It's why we can take on the trees others turn down.
Respect for your property
We protect your lawn, beds, and structures while we work, and leave the site cleaner than we found it.
Honest, local relationships
Straight recommendations, clear written scopes, and fair pricing. Most of our work comes from repeat neighbors.
Credentials & Coverage
Licensed, insured, and accountable
- Fully licensed & insured — certificate available on request
- Full general liability and workers' compensation coverage
- Trained, experienced climbing and rigging crews
- Free written estimates with clear, itemized scopes
- 24/7 emergency storm response across the Upstate
- Serving Westminster, Oconee County & statewide SC
How We Think About Risk
Safety isn't a department — it's the whole job
In tree work, the difference between a routine day and a tragedy is planning and discipline. It's the part of the job clients never see, and the part we take most seriously.
Every removal we do is a controlled sequence, not a race. Before anyone leaves the ground we identify the targets under the tree, check for utility involvement, read where the wood is loaded, and choose the method — climb, rig, or crane — that keeps both the crew and your property out of harm's way. On a grade or over a structure, that means lowering each piece under control rather than dropping it and hoping. It's slower than the alternative, and that's the point.
- A plan for every job before the first cut — targets, access, drop zones, and the method to match
- Rigging and lowering systems sized to the load, not guesswork with a rope over a branch
- Proper climbing technique and gear — no spurs on a tree you intend to keep
- Utility hazards flagged and the power company called before anyone approaches a line
- The judgment to bring in a crane when a tree is too big or too compromised to climb
- Full insurance behind it all, so an unexpected outcome is our responsibility, not yours
Straight Answers
The jobs we take — and the ones we turn down
We built this company on the hard jobs: the tree eighteen inches off a lake house, the dead giant over a power drop, the removal on a slope no truck can climb. When another crew takes one look and declines, that's often the call we want.
But saying yes to the tough work also means being willing to say no — and to tell you the truth even when it costs us a job. We'll recommend saving a tree with pruning or cabling when removal isn't warranted. We'll tell you a repair is smaller than you feared. And we won't take shortcuts that put our crew or your home at risk to hit a lower price. That honesty is why so much of our work comes back to us through referrals.
Locally owned, and here to stay
We're based in Westminster, we live in the communities we serve, and our name is on every job. That's not a marketing line — it's the reason we treat your property like a neighbor's, because in the Upstate, you often are one. When you find a tree crew you trust, you stop shopping around. That's the relationship we're after.
See what our customers say →FAQ
About Rig Line Tree Service
We were founded in 2021 by working climbers and riggers, and we've spent the years since building a reputation across Upstate South Carolina for the high-hazard, technical tree work that most crews avoid.
Our own trained crews perform the work. We also hire out as contract climbers for other tree companies that need a specialist for a difficult piece of a job — the rope work is what we're known for — but the crew on your property is our crew.
We were built around climbing and rigging rather than adding it as a sideline behind a bucket truck. That means we can safely reach and dismantle the trees others turn down — over roofs and docks, on steep banks, and in tight spaces — and coordinate crane support when a job calls for it.
Yes. We carry full general liability and workers' compensation insurance and provide a certificate on request before we start. On high-risk work over a home, that coverage means the liability is ours, not yours — never hire a tree crew that can't show it.
Both. The same crew that takes down a single backyard pine also runs scheduled maintenance and storm response for HOAs, campuses, and commercial properties across the Upstate. No job is too small, and the hard ones are our specialty.
Ready for Safe, Reliable Tree Work?
Free estimates across Westminster and Upstate South Carolina. Call Rig Line Tree Service — open 24/7 — emergency service available.