Who we are
Blackberry removal is demanding work that needs to be approached properly. Our staff are equipped with the personal protective equipment, tools and safety procedures required to work around dense growth, steep slopes and difficult-access areas. Every property is assessed individually because access, density, surrounding vegetation and the future use of the space all affect how the work should be completed.
The goal is not always to clear the area and walk away. Some clients simply need their property made accessible again. Others want roots removed, garden beds rebuilt, new planting installed and ongoing maintenance to manage regrowth. Thornguard can provide that complete progression from removal through restoration and continued care.
We saw a problem that was being avoided and built a company prepared to take it on. Our purpose is to help people reclaim spaces they thought they had lost and give them a clear path for what should grow there next.
—Skylar Dane, Founder
The idea for Thornguard started during my first trip to Vancouver from Edmonton. After landing at Abbotsford Airport, I remember seeing what looked like a never-ending wall of thorny brush lining the ditches along the drive into the city.
I asked my girlfriend at the time, who is now my lovely wife, what it was and why there was so much of it. She told me it was blackberry. I was shocked. Back home, this kind of growth was practically nonexistent, but here it seemed to be everywhere.
After moving to Vancouver and working in the private landscaping industry, I quickly understood how serious the problem was. Himalayan blackberry had taken over backyards, slopes, fence lines and neglected spaces across the region. Property owners needed help, but most landscaping companies were not interested in working with it. They were set up for lawn care, pruning and garden maintenance, not dense walls of thorny canes.
I decided Thornguard would be the solution to that problem.
