Bear Creek Tree Service, LLC

The arborist who assesses your trees is the one who does the work.

Bear Creek Tree Service, LLC is owned and run by Mark Benfield, an ISA Certified Arborist and Marine Corps veteran who cared for trees with the U.S. Forest Service and in Great Smoky Mountains National Park before starting Bear Creek in 2023.

Why Mark is an Arborist

Protect the good trees, safely remove the bad ones, and leave the place better than we found it.

Why trees?

Mark works in trees because he loves the problem and the responsibility. Every removal and every prune is a puzzle, solved with knowledge and the tools on the truck, with no one to call for a bailout. He puts his own judgment on the line each time, and he likes it that way.

He is a lifelong student of the work. As he puts it, you could not learn it all in one lifetime, let alone in Western North Carolina, where the variety of trees is unlike anywhere else.

What that means for you

It means the assessment comes from training, not a guess. Bear Creek Tree Sercice brings the same eye that cares for trees on public land to the trees in your yard, whether the right answer is to take one down, open a view, or treat one that can be saved.

You get removals, pruning, view trims, storm cleanup, and tree health work from someone who can tell you what a tree actually needs, and why. The recommendation is honest, even when an honest answer is less work for us.

Staying true to mission, vision, and purpose

What guides the work

Mission

Training. Applied every day.

Bear Creek Tree Service brings the training of a certified arborist to everyday tree care across Western North Carolina. We remove, prune, and treat trees with honest advice and careful work, never dramatically changing or harming the property. The work we do today shapes these places for the next generation.

Vision

The most trusted name.

We strive to be the most trusted name in expert tree care across Western North Carolina, known for work that protects trees and properties for generations.

Purpose

Better than we found it.

We care for trees and the communities around them, using real training and honest judgment, so that every property is left safer, healthier, and better than it was found.

Core values

Five things every job is held to

Illustration of a mature tree with deep roots

Care

Good trees are worth protecting, and the yard is left as clean as we found it, or cleaner.

Expertise

Bear Creek Tree Service experience means every tree on your property is read by someone trained to know what it needs, not just how to take it down. When Mark tells you a tree can stay, it is because the science says so, and when he tells you one has to come down, you can trust the call.

Responsibility

The owner's name is on every job, the work is done safely, and the property is protected throughout.

Honesty

You get the facts and your options, with no scare tactics. If a tree can stay, we say so.

Service

Marine Corps roots and a habit of doing the job right, the first time.

Who runs Bear Creek

Mark Benfield, owner and certified arborist

Bear Creek Tree Service, LLC is owned and operated by Mark Benfield, a certified arborist who does the work himself. Because the owner is on the job, you deal with the person who assesses your trees, does the work, and stands behind it. There is no crew sent out in his place and no manager to call.

Before he worked for himself, Mark cared for trees on some of the most visited public lands in the country. With the U.S. Forest Service, he worked across wildfire, silviculture, timber, recreation, and hazard tree removal. As an arborist with the National Park Service, he helped care for the trees in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where the work lasts for generations of visitors. That background shapes how he reads a tree and how he treats your property.

Credentials

ISA-certified arborist, SO-10614A, certified June 2024
Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources, Oregon State University
U.S. Forest Service, across wildfire, silviculture, timber, and hazard trees
Arborist, National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
U.S. Marine Corps veteran, four years of service. Bear Creek is veteran-owned

Where we work

Serving Sylva and the Western North Carolina mountains

Bear Creek Tree Service, LLC works across Western North Carolina, with nearby Clayton just over the Georgia line. If you are near one of these towns and not sure we reach your address, ask.

Frequently asked questions

Who actually does the work at Bear Creek?

Mark Benfield, the owner and a certified arborist, assesses every tree and does the work himself. There is no separate crew sent out in his place.

What are Mark's credentials?

Mark is an ISA-certified arborist with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources from Oregon State University. He worked with the U.S. Forest Service across wildfire, silviculture, timber, and hazard trees, and as an arborist with the National Park Service in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.