About Us — Oklahoma Tree Appraisals
Oklahoma's Tree Appraisal Specialists
When the value of a tree comes into question — whether through herbicide drift, easement purchases, construction damage, storm loss, vandalism, or a property dispute — the strength of your case depends on the credentials, methodology, and reputation of the appraiser behind the report. That is the standard we built this practice around.
Oklahoma Tree Appraisals is the appraisal-focused practice of Urban Tree Consultants, founded by Caleb Banister and Chris Martin. Together, we hold the two highest credentials in our field: ISA Board Certified Master Arborist and Chris holds the elite ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist® (RCA). We produce tree and landscape appraisals that are written from the outset to withstand cross-examination, opposing experts, and the realities of insurance review.
Our reports follow the methodology of the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers (CTLA) as published in the most current edition of the Guide for Plant Appraisal — the standard recognized by courts, insurers, and the arboricultural profession nationwide.
Meet Caleb Banister:
ISA Board Certified Master Arborist Co-Founder, Urban Tree Consultants
Caleb has spent his entire working career working with trees around the United States. Before founding Urban Tree Consultants, he owned and operated a tree service company in the Oklahoma City metro for more than a decade, where he managed residential, large commercial, and municipal contracts across the region. Among the most significant chapters of that work has been his role overseeing the trees and grounds at the Oklahoma State Capitol Parks. Caring for the trees that frame the seat of state government is a uniquely high-stakes assignment: the specimens are mature, historically significant, and held to a level of public scrutiny that few private landscapes ever face. The experience sharpened Caleb's eye for tree value, condition assessment, and long-term stewardship — the same disciplines that anchor every appraisal he produces today.That field experience — climbing, diagnosing, pruning, removing, and ultimately appraising thousands of trees across hundreds of properties — is the foundation of his consulting work today.
He earned the ISA Board Certified Master Arborist credential, the highest certification offered by the International Society of Arboriculture and held by fewer than 2% of certified arborists world wide. It requires advanced expertise across all areas of arboriculture and a rigorous examination beyond what is required for standard ISA certification.Caleb specializes in tree appraisals involving herbicide and chemical damage, easement purchases, construction and development impacts, storm and casualty loss, and expert witness work for litigation and insurance claims. He has served as a consultant to state agencies, landowners and homeowners, municipalities, and attorneys.
Meet Chris Martin
ISA Board Certified Master Arborist ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist® (RCA) Co-Founder, Urban Tree Consultants
Chris brings more than 20 years of experience developing and managing commercial, residential, and utility projects and properties. His background in managing trees for large a campus gives him a perspective most arborists do not have: an understanding of how trees fit into the larger picture of land value, liability, insurance, and long-term asset management.
In addition to his ISA Board Certified Master Arborist credential, Chris holds the ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist® (RCA) designation — the highest credential a consulting arborist can earn. The RCA requires graduation from the ASCA Consulting Academy, more than 420 approved continuing education units, demonstrated technical expertise in tree appraisal and damage assessment, and a qualifying examination. Fewer than 2% of arborists nationwide hold the RCA.
His specialties include tree health, tree preservation planning, tree risk assessment and damage assessments arising from herbicide drift, construction injury, and casualty events. He has worked with all types of clients.
Why Our Credentials Matter
Anyone can call themselves an arborist. In most states, including Oklahoma, the term is not legally protected. The credentials that distinguish a qualified tree appraiser from a generic tree-care provider are specific, earned, and continuously maintained:
ISA Board Certified Master Arborist is the highest professional certification offered by the International Society of Arboriculture. Both Caleb and Chris hold this credential.
ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist® (RCA) is the gold standard for consulting work. Chris holds this credential.
When you hire us, you are hiring two of the most credentialed arborists in the state — working as a team, on your case, with the experience and methodology to produce a report that stands up.