I ask Chris Henninger, owner of Live Oak Tree Service, why he chose to dedicate his life to trees.
“Trees look ancient. You never know how they’re going to grow once you plant them. They're majestic.” For Chris, trees symbolize both unpredictability and grace, mirroring life itself.
Chris’s relationship with trees began early: in summers, he worked alongside his father, who owned a tree service in Macomb County. "My dad taught me this trade,” Chris declares, adding that he’s been climbing trees professionally since 1993. When Chris lived for a time in Florida, he encountered the southern live oak—a tree that would profoundly inspire him. “It’s the heaviest, densest hardwood in North America. It doesn’t grow in Michigan, but I fell in love with it down south. When I returned, naming my business after it felt right.”
Trees for Chris are deeply personal—and he’s not the only human who’s like that: Chris recalls trees being significant markers in many of his clients’ lives. "I’ve had trees with sentimental value in my own life,” he reflects. “I try to respect that with customers.”
Chris also knows the flip side of trees: “some give peace,” he notes, “others cause anxiety.. A perfectly healthy tree can still pose a hazard, so peace of mind and prudence have to take priority. But it’s all about what's right for their home and family. Sometimes people hesitate to remove a tree. I tell them, 'We can always prune first. It’s costlier, but you won’t have to say goodbye yet.’”
He recalls one couple's struggle with a majestic oak whose branches repeatedly threatened their home—and their toddler. “We started to remove the tree, and they came out, torn. They weren’t ready. So we waited,” Chris says gently. “Ten minutes later, they decided. It was hard. A week later, they called me to come trim one of their other trees, and the man told me his wife had been in tears the whole week over the loss of that tree.”
I suggest that when a tree of ours dies, we’re confronted with your own mortality. Chris agrees. “It’s sobering,” he says. “Maybe that’s why people grieve them so deeply.”
His deep emotional connection to trees surfaced vividly when he brought up Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree—a book I still know by heart and immediately demonstrate to Chris. We’re both moved recalling the end of the book, when the tree—now a stump—offers the boy, who’s now an old man, a place to rest. “That's profound,” Chris opines. “That book shows how important trees are to creation.”
When I ask about Chris’s guiding philosophy, he takes a moment before thoughtfully referencing Colossians 3:17: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” For Chris, this isn't mere scripture—it’s how he runs his business. “When I show up at someone’s home, my goal is honesty and integrity. I want to serve them well, as though working directly for God.”
Reflecting on his most valuable life lessons, Chris distills them succinctly: “Do what you say you’re going to do, and always treat people how you want to be treated. Those are the two biggest lessons I’ve learned—good and bad.”
When I ask about the future of his business, Chris’s aspirations remain clear: “I want to always provide good service at a fair price. If I can’t, I'll find something else. That’s my ambition—to simply do right by people and their trees.”
I come away clear: for Chris Henninger, caring for trees is more than a business. It’s a sacred covenant, rooted—quite literally—in service, compassion and respect.
To talk with Chris about your tree needs: liveoaktreecompany.com or (586) 419-1783
"I’ve had trees with sentimental value…I respect that with customers.”