Independent consulting for tree health, risk, protection, appraisal, and stewardship.
Nicole Harrison is a consulting arborist whose work helps homeowners, development teams, and public agencies make clearer decisions about the trees that matter to a place.
Her practice brings together field observation, formal arboricultural training, municipal experience, and a deep regard for the life a tree can have long after a single project is complete.
From forest work and municipal leadership to independent consulting, Nicole’s experience connects what a tree needs with the practical decisions people must make around it.
Certified Arborist
ISA #WE-6500-AM
Registered consultant
ASCA since 2020
Urban forest perspective
ISA Municipal Specialist
A career built around trees in changing places.
The Foundation:
Kenneth A. Menzer and ABACUS
The roots of our company trace back to Kenneth A. Menzer (ISA Certified Arborist #WE-2122AM), a revered pioneer in regional tree care and the original founder of ABACUS Consulting. Operating out of Auburn, California, Ken established ABACUS under a strict guiding principle: "Where Every Detail Counts." [1, 2]
Long before modern tree protection ordinances were standardized, Ken Menzer was the gold standard for independent, technical tree diagnostics, forensic investigation, and complex municipal reporting throughout Sacramento and the Sierra foothill counties. He pioneered the 100% "pure consulting" model—decoupling diagnostic arborist assessments from commercial tree removal and trimming operations to guarantee clients completely unbiased, data-driven advocacy. [1, 2]
Carrying the Legacy Forward
Nicole Harrison grew up embedded in this family business, working side-by-side with her father at ABACUS. Under Ken's direct mentorship, she developed a deep reverence for the local trees and mastered the technical precision required to evaluate tree risk, assess health, and navigate strict municipal codes. Nicole achieved her own ISA Certification in 2003 and eventually took the helm of the consulting operations in 2016. [1, 2, 3]
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Today, Focal Point Arboriculture stands as the direct evolution of that multi-generational knowledge. While the name has changed to reflect our modern analytical capabilities, our core philosophy remains unchanged. [1]
As a Registered Consulting Arborist (RCA #719), Nicole continues to honor Ken Menzer's foundational blueprint: offering elite, independent arboricultural expertise entirely free of commercial conflicts of interest. We are proud to bring decades of deep-rooted regional history, unmatched municipal insight, and uncompromised integrity to every project layout, permit application, and oak woodland report we deliver. [1, 2, 3]
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The Evolution of Focal Point Arboriculture
Continuing the Tradition: The Next Generation
Today, Focal Point Arboriculture stands as the direct evolution of that deep-rooted knowledge, and we are proud to announce that the tradition is expanding. Moving forward, the next generation of our family is stepping up to carry this professional lineage into the future:
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Julie DeBarros, ISA Certified Arborist (#WE-10478): Bringing dedicated technical arboricultural expertise and certified fieldwork capabilities to maintain our gold standard of data collection.
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Nicholas McNamara: Joining the industry to uphold our family's long-standing commitment to tree science, preservation, and independent consulting.
By uniting decades of institutional history with new, certified field talent and administrative support, our family firm remains uniquely positioned to serve developers, civil engineers, and homeowners. We provide uncompromised integrity, advanced arboreal diagnostics, and trusted compliance reporting across Sonoma, Placer, Nevada, Yuba, Yolo, Salano, Napa and El Dorado and Sacramento Counties—ensuring that every project we touch honors the legacy started generations ago.
Nicole Harrison
Qualifications and Experience
Get in Touch
Need tree or landscape consulting services?
Contact ISA Certified Arborist Nicole Harrison.
Call: 530-305-0165
Email: focalpointtrees@gmail.com
Consulting & WC ISA Certified Arborist #WE-6500-AM
ISA Certified Urban Forest Professional
ISA Tree Risk Assessment
Education:
American Society of Consulting Arborists: Arboricultural Consulting Academy, February 2016
Sierra College, 2014-2016, Sustainable Agriculture
UC Master Gardener Program, Placer County, 2013
Sierra College, 2012, Environmental Horticulture and Forestry
Certification & License:
American Society of Consulting Arborists, Registered Consulting Arborist, Since 2020
International Society of Arboriculture, Urban Forest Professional, Since 2014
International Society of Arboriculture, Tree Risk Assessment Qualification, 2014 - 2024
International Society of Arboriculture, Certified Arborist, #WE-6500, Since 2003
Professional Affiliations and Memberships:
International: International Society of Arboriculture
National: American Society of Consulting Arborists
American Horticultural Society
Maple Society of North America
Regional: International Society of Arboriculture, Western Chapter
California Native Plant Society
California Oak Foundation
Professional Career:
2024 to Present, Owner Focal Point Arboriculture Consulting
2018 2024 Co-owner, Chief Financial Officer and Consulting Arborist, CalTLC, Inc.
2016 Owner, Abacus Consulting Arborists (Consulting Arborist), 2009 to Present
2016 LSA Associates, Inc., Consulting Arborist – Associate
2015 2016 Sacramento County Tree Coordinator, Sacramento, California
2007 2014 Abacus, Certified Arborist, Auburn, California
2008 USFS, Silviculture Department, Truckee, California
1998 2007 Rogers & Shadek, Attorneys, Incline Village, Nevada
Professional Experience and Presentations:
Experience available upon Request.
“Trees and Construction” ISA Certification Course – Tree Test Prep, Sacramento, CA 08-2023
“Tree Assessment and Risk Management” ISA Certification Course, Sacramento, CA 08-2023
“Japanese Maples” Nevada County Master Gardeners, Grass Valley, CA 04-2023
“Tree Assessment and Risk Management” ISA Certification Course – Tree Test Prep, Sacramento, CA 08-2022
“Arboriculture for Gardeners” Placer County Master Gardeners, Auburn, CA 3-2022
“Mature Trees and Risk” Placer County Master Gardeners, Auburn, CA 3-2022
“Determining Extent of Fire Damage to Trees” with Ms. Britton, American Society of Consulting Arborists webinar, 03-2021
“Native Trees in our Landscape” Roseville Garden Club, Roseville, CA 06-2021
“Care of Landscape Trees” Divide Garden Club, Georgetown, CA, 03-2017
“Summer Pruning for Backyard Orchards” Placer County Master Gardeners, Auburn, CA 8-14-16
“Caring for your Trees During a Drought” Placer County Master Gardeners, Auburn, CA 02-2016
“Winchester Tree Disorders” Winchester Homeowners Association, Meadow Vista, CA, 02-2016
“Selection and Care of Citrus”, Lincoln Garden Club, Lincoln, CA, 03-2015
“Selection, Planting and Care of Landscape Trees” Auburn Garden Club, Auburn, CA, 01-2014
“Evaluating your Trees from the Ground Up” Placer County Master Gardeners, Loomis, CA 09-2012
“Why Do Trees Fall Down” Auburn Garden Club, Auburn, CA, 03-2012