An Accredited Tree Service; Your Best Bet for Proper
Procedures and Healthy Trees
Using a tree service to keep trees around a home or landscape healthy
and attractive is of much larger benefit than most people think.
In addition to aesthetic value, healthy, attractive trees on a property
can increase overall property values by as much as 25%! However,
there are precautions a homeowner should take when hiring a tree
trimming service for tree removal or expert arborist services.
Even healthy trees are susceptible to injury and disease caused by
construction damage. Just moving machinery or a high volume of foot
traffic near trees can cause tree damage, or even kill the tree. Digging
in surrounding areas can cause serious tree root damage. By
consulting with a certified arborist before undertaking a construction
or renovation project, such mishaps can be minimized or avoided
altogether.
Seek Trained Professionals
The first step in hiring a tree service company is to establish
whether they belong to any professional organizations; such as the
Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), or the International Society
of Arboriculture. (ISA)
Next, establish if any of the employees who will be doing the work
are certified arborists. Also inquire as to whether or not they
carry arborist insurance. Note: to become certified, a tree arborist
has to pass a test administered by one of the above professional
organizations; insuring that they are knowledgeable and adequately
trained to perform the work safely.
In addition to arborist certification, the TCIA offers an accreditation
program for tree service companies covering all aspects of tree
care; including employee training, insurance coverage, and compliance
with industry standards, safety, tax payments, and licensing. Note:
an accredited tree service company must employ a minimum number
of certified arborists, to insure proper tree care procedures at
the job site.
Be Wary of Fly-By-Night Tree Services
Some disreputable tree service companies undertake a practice known
as “storm chasing.” They are nothing more than individuals
who go door-to-door after a storm, soliciting clean-up tree removal
services. They may have large professional-looking dump trucks
and wear uniforms, but a prudent homeowner will not be fooled. Even
under the urgency of a storm situation, reputable tree services
will gladly provide insurance certificates, certification credentials,
and references.
Insist on References
When hiring a tree service company, ask friends, relatives, and
neighbors for word-of-mouth references; also ask the prospective
company for references.
Set up a personal meeting when a company representative comes to
look at the required work. They should be dressed professionally,
and produce necessary insurance and certification documents upon
request. Take notes during the interview; follow up with phone verification
with the issuing companies or organizations.
Insist on a written estimate for services to be rendered; including
exact details of the work to be performed, as well as the costs
of each service.
Be Adamant about Industry Accepted Procedures
Various tree and stump removal services in many communities provide
the basic “cut down the tree, haul it away, and fire up the
tree stump grinder” type services. All done with the proper
safety guidelines and insurance coverage. Whereas tree nursery and
similar services are more focused on arboriculture. They will be
knowledgeable and experienced in maintaining tree health and accepted
industry standards for trimming and pruning trees.
The tree service industry has standards set by the ANSI A300 guidelines.
A homeowner should always ask if these guidelines will be met when
services are performed. Practices that would violate these standards
include “topping a tree,” “lion’s tailing,”
or using climbing spikes to prune a tree.
Lion’s tailing is removing a large amount of interior branches
and foliage; topping is cutting off a major portion of the main
branches to drastically reduce size of the tree. The use of climbing
spikes causes damage and wounds the tree. Note: pruning and trimming
should never remove more than 25% of the foliage on a single branch,
and no more than 25% of the total tree foliage in a single year,
with at least 50% of the foliage remaining evenly distributed in
the lower 66% of the canopy.
Using practices that violate the industry standards can result
in severe tree injury, or even kill the tree; with visual damage
not showing up until years after the services were performed.
Higher Cost for Certified Tree Service Worth the Investment
Tree removal cost can be considerable, and tree removal prices
may vary from one service provider to another. However, paying the
higher costs for an accredited tree service employing certified
arborists, with adequate insurance coverage, utilizing industry
standard procedures, may be well worth the investment. Especially
when considering the plight of homeowners who hire a company with
inadequate or no insurance at all. Then end up holding the bag for
property damages and personal injury to tree service workers injured
while on their property!
Remove the Stumps
Once tree removal has been completed, one final obstacle remains
– what to do about the tree stump. A reliable tree service
will be knowledgeable and well-experienced on how to remove tree
stump eyesores. If you plan on having the tree service company perform
the tree stump removal, make sure to have them include the stump
removal cost in the tree removal estimate before undertaking the
project.
An accredited tree service will be able to quickly dispatch the
stump with a tree stump grinder. If you are in no hurry, in lieu
of the more costly grinding procedures a chemical tree stump remover
can be topically applied. This can be done by drilling holes in
the stump, and pouring the solution in. However, this alternative
takes months, even years to complete; requiring a healthy portion
of patience.
Find a Reliable Professional for Your Project
To find reliable tree service professionals for tree removal,
or a arborist for expert tree care, an excellent online resource
is HandyCanadian.com.
Homeowners sign up for FREE, with no obligation; post their tree
removal project or tree care needs anywhere in Canada online. Their
project description is instantly made visible to professional tree
service provider members who then compete for the project. Providing
the homeowner with competitive bids; sometimes as quickly as hours
after posting.
Homeowners can view company profile pages, references, credentials,
customer reviews, and even contractor photo galleries of recently
completed projects online, 24/7. Then make an informed contractor
hiring decision, or hire no one at all. Remember, there is no obligation
whatsoever; no hidden costs.
To sign up and post your project now, CLICK
HERE.
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