About Valley Tree Services

In 1972, Joel Stefanski was introduced to the World of Trees in New Hampshire. Joel’s interest in the Tree World was passed on from his Father, Paul Stefanski, who attended Farragut College for Forestry in 1947 after serving from 1945 in the 8th Air Force in England as a tail gunner on B-17s. Joel’s grandfather, Martin Stefanski (an immigrant from Poland) cleared trees during the Great Depression.

Working in the Forest Produce Industry for eight years help pay for 5 years of College at Keene State College (Ind. Ed) and a degree in Forest Technologies from the University of New Hampshire. After graduating from UNH in 1981, Joel worked for Seven Island Land Co. in Northern Maine. This included working on experimental tree harvest systems and managing 300,000 acres of woodlands. His second job was Percival Forest Products, supplying whole tree wood chips (biomass) to a cogeneration power plant in Westbrook Maine for Electricity. Next, waas professional Timber Falling in the Coconino, Kaibab, Dixie and Apache National Forest in Arizona and Southern Utah.

In 1983, Joel finally made it to Alaska with the excitement and energy to establish Valley Tree Services in 1984. The led to clearing powerline easements for the Seward, Ketchikan, Chugach and Matanuska Electric. Major projects were the 25 miles of the Alcan Highway realignment in Northway. Stefanskis Brotherhood cleared 75 acres for the Seward Prison and whole tree chipped 40,000 cubic yards of wood chips for the Parks Highway at Alder Creek. After the big projects, Joel focused on residential tree work and clearing powerline easements for Matanuska Electric.
There’s more, Joel and Mindy Stefanski completed over 20 years in the World of Timbersports. Mindy was the first female ever known to compete in Men’s Ax-throwing in the USA, during the 1980’s and place. She also won the World Champion title in Jack and Jill cross-cut sawing in Sitka, Alaska. In 1992, Joel dethroned 10 time National Champion (Melvin Lentz) at the All-Alaska Logging Championships Sitka, Alaska. In 1988 Joel and Mindy represented the USA timber team in Sydney for Australias bi-centennial celebration fat the Royal Eawster Show. These of many have led to much positive exposure on the Jay Leno Show, Extreme Home Makeover Alaskan Bachelorette’s, ESPN, Outdoor Life Network, New York Times, etc.
Mindy is also 4 time State of Alaska Amateur Golf Champion, plus many other titles and has represented Alaska at Hilton Head and the Doreal.
Mindy and Joel have two children, both excelled in sports and graduated from Colony High School. Rhowe went on to play in College at the University of Wyoming for baseball. Saige played basketball at Walla Walla C.C. and at Central Methodist University in Missour and qualified for the NAIA National Championships, Division I as one of the top 32 Women’s Basketball teams in the USA.
Joel’s education and experience in insect/ diseases, silvics/ dendrology, wood properties/ identification, forest fire behavior control and use, ansi A300 pruning standards, forest improvement and recreation, forest mensuration is a great reason to call Joel for a Free Estimate.