We work with our clients to devise a plan based on their objectives and budget and implement it in a timely and professional manner. Based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Rio Responsible Forestry LLC is 100% insured offering homeowners and property managers a variety of services ranging from single tree removal to multi acre treatments. We bring expertise in protecting homes from wild fire as well as improving the health of trees using a comprehensive approach to accommodate site specific needs.
Services
Founded in 2018 by Ben Van Kleeck, the Rio team found itself in transition from working fire lines and large thinning projects to include more types of tree and forest management. This was born out of a means to bring solutions to solve the same issues that besiege our national forests to those that live in and around our wooded landscapes.
Firescaping, or fire mitigation, or hazardous fuels management was Rio Responsible Forestry LLC's introduction to private forestry. We do an assessment of how severe fire risk is and develop a plan with the property owner to mitigate carrying fuels. Carrying fuels are what allow the fire to move from one area to another, one group of trees to another, or in the case of carrying the fire from the ground to the canopy via "ladder fuels".
Ben and his crew were terrific to work with - they recently did clearing, cutting and chipping on our overgrown 5 acre property to improve the health of the trees, control erosion, and for fire danger mitigation. Ben always arrived when stated, was a pleasure to work with, and worked incredibly hard for a fair price.
Reviews (6)
D. Harding
Nov 19, 2021
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Ben and his team did a really good job clearing and pruning some of our trees. Ben seemed very knowledgeable about trees and plants and made good recommendations about what to keep and what to clear. We ended up deciding to have some additional trees removed and he was very fair about the price for the additional work. Part of the job was to spread out the chips produced from the shredder/chipper and they did a great job of that, too. Finally, he raked our gravel driveway to smooth out the tracks made from his trailer, chipper, etc. Like many businesses these days, he has a hard time getting crew
Ken P.
Sep 22, 2020
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Ben and his crew were terrific to work with - they recently did clearing, cutting and chipping on our overgrown 5 acre property to improve the health of the trees, control erosion, and for fire danger mitigation. Ben always arrived when stated, was a pleasure to work with, and worked incredibly hard for a fair price. And a big bonus - he is extremely knowledgeable about the trees and plants and has a great aesthetic sense. Our property looks beautiful!
Gene Hill
Sep 10, 2020
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I own a densely wooded property with a residence within the forest edge of the Tesuque/Chupadero foothills above Santa Fe and recently became aware that there would be a major need for fire risk mitigation there. After a few failed attempts at finding a crew that is truly qualified to help with that (some much prefer to work with celebrities, lol) I found Ben Van Kleeck and his team some of whom are experienced firefighter "hot shots," so they know what is at risk. I have a long family history at this location, but Ben and co. know more about our local forestry than I could ever have learned over
Wayne Grant
Sep 06, 2020
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William Johnson
Aug 24, 2019
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Ben has asked me to write a commentary on the tree work he did on my newly purchased property in the eastern hills of Santa Fe. One of the main attractions for me of this six and one half acre piece of land were the trees, exclusively pinon and juniper with a smattering of scub oak. I was excited by the hundreds of young pinons of 4 to 8 feet in height which must have sprung up in the aftermath of the pinebark beetle devastation some ten years earlier. There were many mature junipers and pinons that had survived the plague and dead fallen trunks and branches of those which had not. Somehow, though
Rae Domenico
Jul 30, 2019
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A recommendation for anyone needing tree management. Rio Responsible Forestry LLC does a skillful job with projects of all sizes, from forests to estates to residential homes. Ben Van Kleeck is the owner, and I’ve used him several times, first to deliver firewood (which he does on the side), and then to save trees at my house that weren’t doing well. He normally works on a much larger scale, but was kind enough to diagnose and effectively remove tree limbs. He also removed an entire invasive tree that was growing on the fence line between 2 properties, by carefully extracting the tree, while
