You do not need tree-service software, a subscription, or a new app to use the Emergency Tree Removal Hazard & Drop-Zone Liability Sign-off. It was built for a job site: gloves on, phone in pocket, paperwork done in minutes with a free PDF reader and either Excel or Google Sheets back at the truck or office.
What software opens and edits it
The kit arrives as PDFs and one spreadsheet. The flat printable PDFs — US Letter and A4, plus an ink-friendly black-and-white version — open in Adobe Acrobat Reader (free), Apple Preview, Apple Files on iPhone and iPad, Files by Google on Android, and most modern web browsers. Print copies for the clipboard if your crew prefers paper in the field.
The fillable PDF is the on-site version. Open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) on your phone and tap-type into every field: hazard checklists, the risk call, property protection notes, homeowner initials and signatures, and the crew briefing sign-in. The drop-zone diagram page is a grid you draw on — on a tablet with a stylus that works directly in many PDF apps; on a phone, sketch it on the printed page and photograph it into the job folder. Save one copy per job, named by address, so every property’s record stays together.
The Job & Cost Tracker is an.xlsx file. It works in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, and LibreOffice Calc. Google Sheets is the easiest free option if you do not own Excel: upload the file to Google Drive, open it as a Sheet, and the balance-due totals and the job cost calculator — labour, fees, and a margin quote that calculates itself — are ready to use. Demo data is included so you can see the formulas working first.
What devices it works on
- iPhone and iPad — fillable PDF in Files or Acrobat Reader on site; tracker in Google Sheets or Numbers
- Android phones and tablets — fillable PDF in Acrobat Reader; tracker in Google Sheets
- Windows and Mac desktop — best for printing field copies, filing signed records, and quoting from the cost calculator
- Any home or office printer — US Letter or A4, color or the included ink-friendly black-and-white version
A practical setup is phone plus printed diagram pages: assessments, authorization, and briefing happen on the fillable PDF, while the drop-zone grid lives on paper where drawing is fastest — photographed into the same job folder before the first cut.
What pairs with it
The kit pairs with the physical routine it records: cones for the drop zone, a phone camera for the before-work photo walk and the diagram, and the crew’s usual protective gear, which the briefing page checks off. [Affiliate slot: drop-zone safety cones] [Affiliate slot: arborist helmet and ear protection] If you already use estimating or invoicing software, the tracker does not replace it — it holds the hazard, authorization, and cost record per job, and its job names and balances match easily against your invoices.
Honest comparison: this kit vs. doing it manually
You can run a removal on a verbal walk-around and a handshake. What you lose shows up later: no written risk call when a homeowner asks why a limb came down the way it did, no record of the fence damage that predated your crew, no signed price and authorization when memory shifts, and no briefing record if someone is hurt. A generic tree-service contract template covers the business deal but rarely the field sequence — hazard assessment, drop-zone plan, protection walk, briefing, timed log, joint closing walk-through. This kit does not make a dangerous tree safe, and it does not replace training, permits, or your local utility rules. Its job is discipline and proof: the same ten minutes, in the same order, signed, on every job.
This kit is a job-site record and sign-off tool, not legal advice — consult an attorney about your situation. Laws, permits, and utility rules vary by city and state.
Companion guide: Tree Removal Hazard Sign-Off: Write the Hazards Down, Mark the Drop Zone, and Get the Signature Before the First Cut
Get the kit
SAFETY AND CONTROL, SIGNED BEFORE THE FIRST CUT. Get the Emergency Tree Removal Hazard & Drop-Zone Liability Sign-off for $12.95, or find DealShore on Etsy.
Get free sample pages + new kit alerts — email contact@dealshore.com