Company History

A Family Business Since 1919

For four generations, the Van Yahres family has shared a deep love of Virginia and its natural resources. Van Yahres Tree Company’s work in Central Virginia dates back to 1919 when our founder, George Van Yahres, was hired to assist with the grounds restoration effort at Monticello. George Van Yahres provided consulting advice on the project and Van Yahres Tree Company was hired to perform all tree care services. George’s son, Mitch Van Yahres, built on the company’s expertise and reputation for excellence when he established the Charlottesville branch of the company in 1949.

Mitch Van Yahres

Mitch provided arboricultural assessments and helped train the next generation of area arborists—his lifetime work protected and preserved thousands of trees throughout Central Virginia. Mitch’s career also includes many years of distinguished service as a civic leader and delegate to the Virginia General Assembly.

Mike Van Yahres

Mitch’s son, Mike, bought Van Yahres Tree Company in the mid 90’s. Mike is a trained arborist and also holds a Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia. Mike has published articles in national magazines and was invited to speak across country on the subjects of campus design and tree management.

Jake Van Yahres and Shana Clarke

In February of 2020, Mike knew the time had come to pass the company torch and sold the company to his children, Jake Van Yahres and Shana Clarke, for the same reason he bought it from Mitch: to give the next generation the opportunity to improve the business.

Jake and Shana bring unique talents to take the company to the next level with our fantastic management team lead by Stacy Moren. Specifically, they look forward to making improvements in both technology and plant health care. Ultimately, these efforts will benefit the community, the environment and most importantly you, our trusted client.

We are proud to protect the trees, homes and historic properties that are a part of the history of Virginia and part of your family’s history. Trees are a natural legacy for future generations, and caring for trees is what we do best. Our promise is to provide services and contributions to the community that will continue to make Central Virginia a special place to live, work and raise our families.