When I get called out on storm or emergency tree work, often it is the first time a property owner has had to deal with such an issue. There are some who have had several trees come down over the years at the same location, these seasoned storm veterans may have wanted to take care of their trees a little better! as storm work can be, and often is, much more expensive than normal, routine pruning. When dealing with injuries and property damage, the first thing I have to say is this. I am not a lawyer, in no way shape or form am I giving legal advice, I am just relaying what I have personally experienced when dealing with the issue.

Trees fall!,at some point, they all do. This is the risk you take when having a large tree. Me, I am ok with it. Why they fall, can be figured out, when then fall, nobody can really say, its nature. Some trees can be obvious, massive amounts of rot and decay, but most of your average large trees, with out doing extensive research on the specific tree, it can be hard to tell. A tree that looks perfectly fine, may fall right in front of you, where as a tree that looks like it shouldn’t be standing, does, for years. Wind can wreak havoc on trees like no other. If hit just right, with enough power, wind can destroy anything in its path. A perfectly healthy tree can be turned in to splinters in a matter of seconds in a tornado. Straight line winds can lay a whole forest on its side. Its no wonder then, that when we have a strong wind that moves through the urban forest (the city) where there are many trees standing by themselves, surrounded by man made structures, that they cause a immense amount of damage every year, world wide. Not to mention injuries and ultimately death, like I said before, Google it. Trees often uproot. The tree above ground looks great, everything is just peachy, but the tree below is in bad shape. Roots not only provide nutrients for the tree, they also store energy and provide stabilization. When the roots die and decompose, the tree can quickly loose its ability to hold itself up. Even with a perfectly healthy tree, in a saturated soil, the roots “slide” around when the tree is moved by wind, loosing the “grip” In this case, trees can simply fall over, with just a little help from the wind. When the ground is saturated for a long periods of time, the roots cannot get oxygen, when this occurs, the trees defense system is decreased severely and pathogens can set in, infecting the root system, allowing the roots to rot, destabilizing the tree. In worse case scenarios, you have the perfect storm, a wet, warm winter, when the soil has been saturated for months, when normally it is frozen, pathogens have long been at work, then add in the wind. This does not happen often, but it does. Some times, trees just don’t have a chance.

This is a quick rundown of what seems to be the best course of action.

1. Once you have determined that everyone is safe, if you lose power, chances are a line was taken out in the process. If there is a line down, STAY AWAY! Call 911 and then the power company. Keep everybody else away until the authorities arrive. Only proceed with the tree when instructed that it is safe to do so by the fire dept or the power company. NO ONE ELSE. If the tree has fallen against a line, pole or a tower, STAY AWAY, if the cable line is down or the phone line is down, consider it energized and STAY AWAY! Treat any cable or wire as if it where live, the chance of surviving electrocution from high voltage is slim to none

2. Once the tree is safe, if the tree went down in a yard and caused no damage, call a Certified Arborist. If the tree did cause damage, call your insurance agency; stay on them until you get an adjuster out. Make sure they take pictures. You do the same, of everything. At the same time call a Certified Arborist. They will come to take a look and give you a bid on the work. Get it in writing, GET IT IN WRITING! Do not do any work until the adjuster has arrived.

3. The insurance adjuster can sign off on the amount proposed and give a authorization number. They can also sign the contract for services, acknowledging that the cost of the service is to be paid by the insurance company. It is best to have the Arborist and the Adjuster there at the same time.

4. With the agreement in writing and the tree service verified, you should be safe to proceed with the removal of the branch or tree.

Many services have different billing and payment procedures.

This is how I deal with it. First, I do not get paid by the insurance company; I get paid by the client. The contract is between the property owner and the tree service. I have a specific paragraph for the insurance agent or adjuster to fill out. Most will require a security deposit. It is a fact, that when people have a tree on their house, a hole in their roof, they will say anything to get it off and get the hole patched, it is not uncommon for a tree service to remove a tree for someone who has no intent on paying, the ability to pay or have a issue with the insurance company.  There is nothing tangible to recover if this happens, a deposit gives the Professional, Certified Arborist a comfort level, that they are not risking their life for nothing. Second, most do not wait for the insurance company to pay you, to get paid, Most are paid in full, when they are done with the project, unless otherwise authorized by the owner of the tree service. Removing a storm damaged branch or tree is extremely dangerous and  we have to put our lives at risk  to do it. We are trained in the proper and safe techniques by professional organizations such as the ISA and TCIA (Tree Care Industry Association), however, nature is nature and unforeseen accidents still happen.

When we have storms and there are lots of trees down, the Jack Of All Trades come out like cockroaches. They will go to door, giving out the best prices in the world. STOP!  Don’t even think about it. Professional Arborist do not go door to door! These guys will do anything for money and today they printed off tree service business cards, yesterday it was roofing, tomorrow it will be retaining wall installation. Landscapers and lawn services jump on this as well. They can often be more dangerous than the J.O.A.T., as they have a false sense of security, thinking they have a grasp, when they are far from it.  Removing a tree from a structure is serious business. It should ONLY be performed by an ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) Certified Arborist.  We are properly trained in Advanced Rigging and understand the forces involves. One branch, cut it in the wrong place, can and does, result in death. Google it, you will see what I mean. Often, when the Home Owner goes ahead and hires the guy off the street. Additional damage is incurred; the insurance company does not pay for this and will sometimes deny the whole claim. They want you to hire a pro as well. If the guy doesn’t have insurance and causes more damage or gets hurt, the home owner can and often is, be held liable. Certified Arborist have specially designed equipment for this type of work.  A boat rope, electric chainsaw and a ladder are not on the list.

If you do not want to deal with the insurance company, that is your choice. A Certified Arborist will gladly deal directly with the home owner.

Where do I find a Certified Arborist? It’s easy!, go http://isa-arbor.com/ ,type in your zip and BAM! There we are! Now when looking at the list, Keep in mind that Arborist not have to be a current member. It will still show our certification number and expiration date, for example. Mine is MW-5088A and expires June 30 2013. There is a easier way yet! Just call me!

Finally, the best thing to do is stay calm, do not make any knee jerk decisions. Hire only vetted pros. Take pics to cover your backside. Insurance companies hate trees, they hate paying for them even more! Do not put yourself at risk by hiring your buddy’s nephew or someone knocking on a door. When it is all said and done. There is one thing left that you need to do……………….have me plant a new one!

Scott

Kathy, Le Claire

“We live on over 3 acres on a wooded bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.  We first used him to clear about 70 scrap trees from the bluff to give us a river view.  We were pleased with the service and price and have proceeded to use him on a lot of other tree work that needs to be done around here.  He gives solid quotes, is responsive and does good work.  He also uses good safety equipment, which a lot of tree guys do not.  Highly recommend.”

Kim, Le Claire

“We had about 80 trees removed to open a view to the Mississippi River in a difficult hill terrain.  Additionally we had them prune and trim our front yard trees.  This involved about 10 trees.  And remove a dead oak from a difficult hill terrain.

Bill, Andover

“I don’t usually take the time to review a product or service, but I made exception in this case because I was so impressed with the quality of service provided by Scott Swearinger and his crew. My wife and I needed three large maple trees and one large locust tree trimmed at our residence in Andover, IL. One of the maple trees had a great deal of deadwood in it, but the tree was worth salvaging. We also needed an old, nonproductive apple tree removed. Scott is a very knowledgeable certified arborist. He and his crew did an excellent job (for a fair price) with our trees. They really look nice and we can’t wait for spring to see how they look once they leaf out! Some of these trees were near our house and electric service line and were a potential risk. After the work that Scott and his crew performed, I’m now more at ease about any potential damage risk these trees present to our property. I am extremely pleased with the tree service and cleanup Scott and his crew performed.”

Elizabeth, Bettendorf

“Scott came to meet with us and give us our estimate.  He told us about the process and how it was going to work.  The first morning they arrived right when they said they would be there.  Worked all day got all the branches down from the tree (working between all the power lines).  Next working day, they took down the rest of tree.  About a week later, they came back and removed the stump and filled it. I really appreciated how polite Scott and his crew were from start to finish.  They did a wonderful job.  The price was right and the only ones that bid on it that were able to do this without taking out my power and my neighbors’ power while doing this big project.”

Brain, Davenport

“I obtained several bids prior to deciding on Economy Tree.  The owner, Scott Swearinger, impressed me as being straightforward, honest, and professional; he didn’t try any scare tactics, unlike two other contractors, but laid out the possible courses of action and answered all of my questions.  His military background and website suggested he would get the job done, and he lived up to it.  I was most impressed by him (out of four bidders), so I was pretty happy that his bid was also the lowest by a significant amount.  He arranged the work quickly, showed up on site with his work crew, gave specific instructions, and introduced me.  

His crew did a fabulous job on a tough bit of work; a tight space with a very tall tree and two nearby houses.  They were organized, coordinated, and efficient; there were the necessary breaks to rehydrate, but no standing around watching others work.  They answered my questions, followed through on the few things I requested, cleaned up, let me look over the job before they left, and were altogether friendly, polite, and professional.  There was no impatience if I had a request; they just did it with a smile.  They seemed pretty happy, too, which in my experience is the sign of a good working atmosphere and a good crew.

I would absolutely use this group again, and recommend them to my friends and neighbors.  They did a great job of taking my interests into account and accomplishing their task.  I am completely satisfied with their work.”

Rod, Davenport

“Called back right away with an estimate. Had 3 trees close to the house and phone lines removed. Quick service. They cleaned up all of the limbs and mess. Will use this company again in the future to trim up the other trees.”

Guest at SuperPages.com

“Great job! Recently had them cut down 3 large trees and trim 1. Very nice guys. Cleaned up very nice and blew all the leafs off my roof. I wanted the wood, so they cut and stacked it for me. The tree they trimmed was really ugly. Now its very pretty”

When I was older, My cousin, I, and our mob squad of kids would build endless amount of forts and tree houses down in the woods by the “creek” in Bettendorf. I always was the one climbing up to nail this or hang that. We learned that trees made good shade spots when we had wiffle ball tournaments at Lb Stadium, aka the sandlot!  I look back and realize that I have always found myself drawn to the trees. So, I guess that’s why, when running a tree service fell into my lap, I decided to run with it.

I’m glad I did, because there are a lot of things that trees do, that I never even considered. I’m not going to go real deep, but just a few tidbits for you to think about.

Like, trees can save us, from ourselves! They shelter us, keep us warm. They clean the water we drink, the air we breathe; they provide food and keep us cool! And that is just the start.

Let’s talk about air, we all know that trees provide oxygen, but do we ever think about Carbon Dioxide? A mature tree can sequester (trap) over 3 tons of it! Think about that, if each of you planted a tree a year…………

Trees clean our water, they slow the rain, allowing it to soak into the ground, slowing down storm runoff, reducing erosion and they help maintain creek and river banks. Trees can filter out many elements out of the water by absorbing them though their root system.

They feed us! When we lived in Fallbrook, California, our house had 4 orange trees, 5 avocado trees, a pear, apple, peach, lime, lemon, mandarin, 2 grapefruit trees, and a black berry bush! We never bought fruit! My guys would come in on the weekend and maintained my yard in exchange for picking the trees each week, ensuring they always had fresh fruit on the table for their families. My foreman, Delfino gave me the best guacamole recipe on earth, restaurants have nothing on me!

Trees provide habitats for some edible wild life such as squirrels and birds. Sometimes Bears, Mountain Lions, Raccoon’s and Bobcats! But I don’t suggest climbing up after them!

Trees protect us from the wind, ever notice that most of the farms are surrounded by trees? I have been told that proper placing a wind break on a farm, it can reduce heating cost by 30%. They stop snow drifts from accumulating around the rural homes, making the fear of being snowed in during an emergency go away. Not to mention they screen dust, noise and maintain a natural privacy fence that looks a lot better than sea of metal or green treated wood!

They provide so much material for the products that we depend on every day that I can’t even begin to list them all. STOP! Look around right now, how much stuff can you see that was made from a tree! Pretty crazy right! How many books have you read, or for that matter, seen! It’s everywhere you look!

What about that cork in your wine bottles…..Trees!

Did you know that if you heat wood, not burn, but heat it, it will emit a gas that can run small engines!

There are many more benefits of trees, and I could go on, but I think you get the idea! We need them, they sure don’t need us. The number one pathogen to the tree is us. It’s sad, but it’s true. We, humans are more responsible for the lost of our trees than all other ailments combined. We can fix this. It starts with you. Next time you look at a tree think about all this. It looks as if it’s just standing there taking up space, while in reality, it is doing more for the earth, as it stands in front of you, than we are!

Will it come here you ask? It already is. Although we have not had a confirmed case here in Iowa, that island in the Mississippi up north being the exception. We do know it’s here. Does this mean my ash tree is going to die, yep. It’s a living organism, its going to die eventually!  EAB is a nasty bug, very aggressive. It feeds on the phloem of the tree, eventually, with multiple bugs in one tree, it cuts off the circulation of the tree and it dies. This can take up to 4 years. There are treatments, but so far they are only 80% effective. So if you have a tree that has 100 bugs………..

What will most likely happen, eventually they will be here in massive proportions, creating all kinds of hate and discontent. The DNR/EPA will issue an eradication order. Meaning that all ash trees will need to be destroyed, yeah, that’s what I said, ALL OF THEM. If you have one in your yard, you will receive a notice that you have “so many days” to remove it, if you do not, they will. In this case, imminent domain will be enforced, and right fully so. The reason for this, as the ash trees diminish, the food supply for these bugs will too. Nature being as awesome as it is, the bugs will evolve and find a new food supply. THIS WE MUST PREVENT. It sucks, I know. I like ash trees, but the thought of them going after our oaks, maples and for gods sake, our elms! Well it’s scary to think about! Currently, the powers to be are working really hard to stop it, most of the pros that I have talked to, have little faith that they will be successful, but we cannot give up. This is why you see the “don’t move firewood” signs everywhere and why it is illegal to bring ash into Iowa. For the details on this, go to the EAB page on the site here, it will give you links to the gov sites set up just for EAB. I have been working with the USDA on this and we believe we found one in Bettendorf, we have 2 of 4 items, need 3 to confirm, we did not discover this tree till late fall, we have set a traps and will re-inspect this spring.

Most services have no idea how to rig a tree down safely. They take huge chances to get the job done fast, only exposing themselves, their customers’ property, all to save a little time. The term “it’s easier to cut up on the ground” is always said. Not true.  They approach the tree with wreck less abandonment. Making choices on time, rather than safety. This often results in a longer, harder day for everyone. Many times I have seen a tree cutter with a little bit of rigging knowledge, swing big leaders around, trying to “go big” so they can get down. The reason they don’t go out on the tips of the branches and break it down is, because they are scared. Now don’t get me wrong, if I were to tell you I don’t get nervous up there, I would be lying. Some trees are just scary.  The reason they are scared is they don’t possess the skill to do it efficiently. To them, it seems like it takes too long to rig out all the pieces, but they cannot see the big picture. Going big, often results in a branch hung up in a tree, a gutter damaged, shingles ripped, etc.  Then when they do get it free, the ground men have to figure out how to get it down to the ground without it hitting power lines, the fence, shed and so on. Now they have to cut it all up, often right in the danger zone below the Arborist. Stopping him from working, keeping him in the tree longer. (Side note: I have seen climbers do this on purpose as well. They send something down that will be a pain for the ground men, tying ridiculous knots, so it will take the ground men  a while to clear it. Mean time, the climber, who is milking the clock, can text his girl friend or talk to a buddy about cars.) Anyways, this type of work is always going to produce a less than stellar performance, not to mention, constantly putting their people, the customers’ and their property at unnecessary risk.  Me, I go small. I will go out to the tips and work my way back, never cutting anything that the guys cannot immediately escape from and easily remove from the drop zone. This allows the job site to be clean at all times, as the material that comes down, is instantly processed. This reduces the amount of time they are running a saw. Keeps the Drop Zone free of debris, so the guys can walk and work. All of these little changes from their style to mine reduce our risk. And that is what it is all about, reducing the risk. Risk Mitigation and situational awareness are huge in the tree business, just as in the Marines, they are designed to bring everyone home safe.  You have to constantly monitor both of these, at all times. You do this with constant communication. I see these guys, that we will for now on call the “others” I have watched them feed chippers with nothing but daisy dukes and a beer, these are not your neighbors getting together to do a weekend project, but so called tree services. They have no idea the risk they impose and the homeowners do not have a clue of what could happen to them if someone was hurt. A chipper will eat a human and have no regret. I have seen them ride on the outside of a bucket with no safety harness, climb ladders with a 3ft saw, only to cut a branch that hits them on the way down.  I have seen them try and lay a tree over, only for it to go over backward and land on a house. I get calls all the time from various people about the “others” They tell me stories that I just cannot believe, until I go look myself. They use the buckets as cranes. They use crane operators that have no idea of what they are doing (FYI time again, when u are picking a piece of wood, you do not tie it off in a manner that it is going to flip upside down. Anyone who says this is right, obviously has been operating on luck and no skill or training) It is almost too funny to listen to them talk how they are approaching the tree, leaving safety and proficiently in the truck. They go to work with absolutely no plan. Just getting in the tree and start cutting. Again this is the most dangerous job in the world. Not the crab fishermen on the show. Every year, ANSI produces a list of the top 10 most dangerous jobs. We are on top every year. This is due to no regulation. When you do not have a way of vetting who is who. You ended up with a tree community that is filled with half trained druggies and ex-cons that have no intent on providing a safe work environment, just to get it down by any means necessary. This is why we are on top. If you were to look at all the accidents in the tree industry, you will find that most are preventable and most occurred to those who have no training. Very rarely, do you hear about a Certified Arborist getting killed. Mainly, its bubba with the “others”. Go on you tube, type in tree accidents, you will see. The other culprits of many accidents are the Home Owner themselves. Now I do not expect them to understand basic tree care or basic rigging. That is why they should hire a pro. Ask around to your friends and family. Someone close to you has been hurt doing tree work. Recently here in Bettendorf, a HO was using his ladder to cut a large branch. He broke his back.  I watched first hand as a neighbor came out to “help” us with his saw. I would not have let him, but it didn’t get that far. He started his saw, in his yard, and then ran it right into his leg. I instantly found myself applying first aid to him. This is no joke. He could have died that day in his yard from bleeding to death.  Many of the “others” have a little bit of skill, and they take that as full on training, when really, they have barely made it to the basic level. They understand how to cut a piece of wood, they understand gravity and they can figure out how to tie off large pieces and swing them into the tree. But that is about it.  If you were to ask them how much force they applied to the ropes when they drop something with them, they would have no clue of what you are talking about.  They walk a thin line, always on the verge of destroying something or getting someone killed.  Luck is not a skill, and they have really no understanding of the danger they put themselves in.

Now some will take issues with this, send me nasty comments about  what they think, that’s good! At least we know they can read! Now! there is no more excuses of why they don’t do it right……….right!

“Fear is for the educated, I am not educated, so I have no fear” – Words of a old date palm climber when asked about safety on the job, in the country of India

Topping is a practice done by tree cutters who have no idea what they are doing, if they do, they should be arrested. In many major cities across the U.S. it is illegal. It is one of those practices that is from the Stone Age. It was done as a normal practice, until we started walking upright and learning how to talk, in other words, it’s been a while since it was recognized as a proper practice.  Yet it is still done all over town. Some of these guys are convinced that what they are doing is right, but it is so wrong. If you see any tree service do it, they are wrong. I have talked with a few of them, tried to explain to them why it is bad, their only response was, “we have always done it” They have been doing it for so wrong for so long they think its right.  I could go into details but the ISA already has, so I will let them explain it. Here’s what the ISA says

Why Topping Hurts Trees

Topping is perhaps the most harmful tree pruning practice known. Yet, despite more than 25 years of literature and seminars explaining its harmful effects, topping remains a common practice. This brochure explains why topping is not an acceptable pruning technique and offers better alternatives.

What is Topping?

Topping is the indiscriminate cutting of tree branches to stubs or lateral branches that are not large enough to assume the terminal role. Other names for topping include “heading,” “tipping,” “hat-racking,” and “rounding over.”

The most common reason given for topping is to reduce the size of a tree. Home owners often feel that their trees have become too large for their property. People fear that tall trees may pose a hazard. Topping, however, is not a viable method of height reduction and certainly does not reduce the hazard. In fact, topping will make a tree more hazardous in the long term.

Topping Stresses Trees

Topping often removes 50 to 100 percent of the leaf-bearing crown of a tree. Because leaves are the food factories of a tree, removing them can temporarily starve a tree. The severity of the pruning triggers a sort of survival mechanism. The tree activates latent buds, forcing the rapid growth of multiple shoots below each cut. The tree needs to put out a new crop of leaves as soon as possible. If a tree does not have the stored energy reserves to do so, it will be seriously weakened and may die.

A stressed tree is more vulnerable to insect and disease infestations. Large, open pruning wounds expose the sapwood and heartwood to attacks. The tree may lack sufficient energy to chemically defend the wounds against invasion, and some insects are actually attracted to the chemical signals trees release.

Topping Causes Decay

The preferred location to make a pruning cut is just beyond the branch collar at the branch’s point of attachment. The tree is biologically equipped to close such a wound, provided the tree is healthy enough and the wound is not too large. Cuts made along a limb between lateral branches create stubs with wounds that the tree may not be able to close. The exposed wood tissues begin to decay. Normally, a tree will “wall off,” or compartmentalize, the decaying tissues, but few trees can defend the multiple severe wounds caused by topping. The decay organisms are given a free path to move down through the branches.

Topping Can Lead to Sunburn

Branches within a tree’s crown produce thousands of leaves to absorb sunlight. When the leaves are removed, the remaining branches and trunk are suddenly exposed to high levels of light and heat. The result may be sunburn of the tissues beneath the bark, which can lead to cankers, bark splitting, and death of some branches.

Topping Creates Hazards

The survival mechanism that causes a tree to produce multiple shoots below each topping cut comes at great expense to the tree. These shoots develop from buds near the surface of the old branches. Unlike normal branches that develop in a socket of overlapping wood tissues, these new shoots are anchored only in the outermost layers of the parent branches.

The new shoots grow quickly, as much as 20 feet in one year, in some species. Unfortunately, the shoots are prone to breaking, especially during windy conditions. The irony is that while the goal was to reduce the tree’s height to make it safer, it has been made more hazardous than before.

Topping Makes Trees Ugly

The natural branching structure of a tree is a biological wonder. Trees form a variety of shapes and growth habits, all with the same goal of presenting their leaves to the sun. Topping removes the ends of the branches, often leaving ugly stubs. Topping destroys the natural form of a tree.

Without leaves (up to 6 months of the year in temperate climates), a topped tree appears disfigured and mutilated. With leaves, it is a dense ball of foliage, lacking its simple grace. A tree that has been topped can never fully regain its natural form.

Topping Is Expensive

The cost of topping a tree is not limited to what the perpetrator is paid. If the tree survives, it will require pruning again within a few years. It will either need to be reduced again or storm damage will have to be cleaned up. If the tree dies, it will have to be removed.

Topping is a high-maintenance pruning practice, with some hidden costs. One is the reduction in property value. Healthy, well-maintained trees can add 10 to 20 percent to the value of a property. Disfigured, topped trees are considered an impending expense.

Another possible cost of topped trees is potential liability. Topped trees are prone to breaking and can be hazardous. Because topping is considered an unacceptable pruning practice, any damage caused by branch failure of a topped tree may lead to a finding of negligence in a court of law.

Alternatives to Topping

Sometimes a tree must be reduced in height or spread. Providing clearance for utility lines is an example. There are recommended techniques for doing so. If practical, branches should be removed back to their point of origin. If a branch must be shortened, it should be cut back to a lateral that is large enough to assume the terminal role. A rule of thumb is to cut back to a lateral that is at least one-third the diameter of the limb being removed.

This method of branch reduction helps to preserve the natural form of the tree. However, if large cuts are involved, the tree may not be able to close over and compartmentalize the wounds. Sometimes the best solution is to remove the tree and replace it with a species that is more appropriate for the site.

Hiring an Arborist

Pruning large trees can be dangerous. If pruning involves working above the ground or using power equipment, it is best to hire a professional arborist. An arborist can determine the type of pruning that is necessary to improve the health, appearance, and safety of your trees. A professional arborist can provide the services of a trained crew, with all of the required safety equipment and liability insurance.

When selecting an arborist,

• check for membership in professional organizations such as the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), or the American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA). Such membership demonstrates a willingness on the part of the arborist to stay up to date on the latest techniques and information.
• check for ISA arborist certification. Certified Arborists are experienced professionals who have passed an extensive examination covering all aspects of tree care.
• ask for proof of insurance.
• ask for a list of references, and don’t hesitate to check them.
• avoid using the services of any tree company that
• advertises topping as a service provided. Knowledgeable arborists know that topping is harmful to trees and is not an accepted practice.
• uses tree climbing spikes to climb trees that are being pruned. Climbing spikes can damage trees, and their use should be limited to trees that are being removed.

They have no training, just what uncle bubba told them. So there they are, trying to remove a 2000lb chunk of wood over your roof, deck or driveway. Then OOPS! Now you have a truck flipped in your yard. A log thru your roof. How about that crushed deck rail or busted driveway. They could go small and safe, this takes a little longer, and that is why they don’t do it. They only take on hard removals if they can get a crane close to the tree, if they can’t “it can’t be done” is what they say. They have no idea how to remove a large hazardous tree by rigging. They are afraid to climb out on the tips to set rigging, so they go big, crashing the branch or leader back into the tree, creating a even more hazardous situation by hanging it up or busting other branches free. When they prune, it is common practice for them to start at the top and prune on the way down, this is lazy. When they cut braches, they smash down thru the canopy, tearing up most of what was to remain, knowing they cannot leave broken branches hanging all around, they remove those too. Now you have a tree that has about 30% of the canopy left. They then will give you some crazy reason why the tree was severely trimmed, when the real reason is that they tore it up while working on it. They will climb a tree that is to be pruned while wearing their spikes (gaffs, spurs) leaving hundreds of puncture wounds for the tree to try and heal. They top trees like it is an art form. Prune oak trees in the middle of summer. They leave stubs instead of properly finish cutting. Often they do not even understand how to make a proper pruning cut; this results in a “peel” where the bark peals away, below the cut, leaving a nasty wound that the tree will most likely not heal.

They have multiple businesses, ya know! Ask them, they do everything and are the best at it! They will build you a retaining wall, re-roof your house, mow your grass, build you a deck; they do gutters and windows as well. Do you know why? Because this is what they destroy when doing tree work, so instead of calling a pro to fix the damage, they pull out their other business card, which just happens to be the exact service you need to fix what they broke! Some are landscapers that know just enough to be dangerous. They customer comes out and asks “you know anybody that does trees?” Of course the landscaper says he does, and then goes on to completely mutilate the tree. The QC not having much knowledge on proper Arboriculture, just accept the end result as normal.

They drink beer on site, hit on your 14 year old daughter all while casing your residence for a later return, that nice tool box in the garage will look better in theirs, ask the police, there is a reason why they are on the watch list. They purposely do not mark their trucks, so when someone wants to complain, they don’t know who to call. Not only is this done, it is preached about. They take your material out to rural roads and dump it in the ditches; they do this because they have been kicked out of most dump sites. They drive down the road with unsecured loads, dropping stuff all the way out to the country. Last year, one of the “others” was hauling large logs on the back of their large  junk flat bed, the load was not tied down, they turned a corner and large 1500lb logs rolled off the truck and into a intersection, almost hitting my wife and father-in-law. Instead of stopping and getting it, they hit the gas. This was done by a “premier” tree service, yeah right! They promise a rose garden but deliver a thorn bush. They will take your money and never return. They take on jobs to technical for them, then when they figure out they can’t do it, pick up their saws and leave, leaving the home owner with a sometimes hazardous situation, The HO then calls a pro, and the pro says no! (Not because he wants to be mean, but he cannot take on the liability of others, nor do they want the neighbors thinking that it was them that did the bad work). They will come out and tell you that your tree is going to die when they know darn well it’s not, just to make revenue. These half hearted self proclaimed Arborist will also explain how they are going to do it, but will have never been in a tree themselves, or if they have, it was very little and they recognized they don’t have what it takes, so they will get a couple pics of them bear hugging the trunk 10ft of the ground. Then you have the ones who knock on doors. As a rule, most legitimate tree services don’t need to do this, we stay busy all year. Tree services that knock on doors are looking to make enough money that day to get their fix. Door hangers and mailers are fine, but walking the neighbor hoods, telling every person that the world is ending, if they don’t cut down that tree. They will list in the phone books, on their advertising that they are Arborist. Some even have it in their name. They are not, again go to www.isa.com check them out, you will see. They will steal intellectual property of professionals, not realizing that there are legal ramifications when they do. They claim professional services but are a far cry from it. The other cool little trick they do is falsifying their documentation. Anybody with a computer can generate a Insurance Certificate or a Bond. It is very important that you call their insurance company to make sure it is legit. Too many times have I been told about a tree service that has destroyed something, only for the HO to find out they really don’t have insurance. Then they are stuck flipping the bill. The tree service scurries away, the HO can try and go after him, but for what, a junky truck and a saw you can buy at home depot. Most people are a good judge of character, use your gut. When you meet these “others” and you feel that they are less than desirable, do a back ground check on them. We did, OMG! We use www.instantcheckmate.com , cost about 20 buck to get unlimited checks for a month. Do it! You will be blown away by the records of some of my competition……wait, they are not my competitors, they can’t compete with me, so again, let me rephrase that. You will be blown away by the in-depth, serious criminal activities of the “others” So be careful people! You do not want to hire someone who is going to come back in the middle of the night and steal from you. You will see them doing things that are completely and totally unsafe. Not wearing the proper safety gear, feeding chippers with daisy dukes and a beer. These guys are the ones who leave garbage all over their customer’s yard, go no. 2 in your bushes, (yes that is true, someone really did that and I know who you are!) Some will work for a day, up and leave the jobsite for a few days leaving their ropes and gear all over your yard so your kids can go out and get hurt. They will leave huge piles of brush and say “ILL BE BACK” and the customer never see’s them again. I am not sure why, but many people feel the need to call me and tell me what they see, or what they have experienced. Some guys, from other crews, that have wanted to work for me, still call me to tell me what they did for the day!  I secretly coach them, not necessarily wanting to help my competition, but some of these young guys have good intentions and I don’t want to see them get hurt, so I give them pointers all the time. It’s funny to hear their bosses talk about how good their guys are, not realizing that the little tricks that are making their guys better, come from me! Don’t worry guys, your secret is safe!

So! Next time you’re out and about, if you see a tree service, take a look. What do you see? Chances are they will meet and pass all pre-requisites to star in Joe Dirt 2!

I keep tabs on who is out there doing a good job as well. There are a few, out of the hundreds, that are pretty darn good. One of them, I look to for advice. We are not hard to find, just look for the out fits that speak English, have sleeves on their uniformed shirts, professional equipment that’s designed for tree work. Cleancut, courteous employees. You will see names all over; we want you to know who we are, not trying to hide it!

How do we fix it? tell your alderman that you want regulation on the tree industry. A simple test on safety and proper Arboriculture, before receiving a business license, would be epic! The easiest way is too simply require that all tree services have a I.S.A. Certified Arborist on staff.

Pine, or soft woods are not disrable wood, for fear of creosote build up and a chimney fire, most avoid it like the plague. You can burn it just as well as any other wood, as long as you clean your chimney on a regular basis.

Our wood, obviously comes from the trees that I remove or work on. The sizes and shapes are all different. I have found that most people prefer this over the standard 16”x5” piece. Those look good in a fireplace while having a nice romantic dinner! But they do not allow for good structure when burning in a stove. Having those big fat pieces are good for “overnight” logs and the little short pieces fit well in that place inside the stove that a regular piece will not fit.

Some people have a hard time starting fires. You cannot lay a bunch of wood together, then light a match and throw it on and expect it to burn. If you do not have time to mess with it. I would suggest buying those little fire starter logs. They work really well, they will burn for about 30 minutes, usually more than enough time to get things going. The best way is still to build your teepee with tender, saw dust and light dryer wood, get it going and then throw on your bigger stuff.

I am in no way a pro, these are the methods that I use and I burn every day. Hope it helps!

Save your gas for cooking, heat with wood!

To prevent this, you work on oaks in the winter, it’s not because the sap drops or because the tree is dormant, the first frost is not the answer either. The best way to prevent the spread of the spore is to do it when there is very little chance of the beetle feeding on the sap, in the middle of winter. When the frost is in the ground, most bugs are under the frost line or they were frozen to death. How many times have we had a frost  and a couple of real cold weeks and then, all of a sudden, we have 2 weeks of 60 degree temps! The bugs will be out and about feeding on whatever they can find; this is a typical Midwestern fall. People say after November or after first frost, these are wrong. Bugs do not work on a schedule and they do not get laid off. So yep, in the middle of winter, when there is 2 ft of snow on the ground and your nostrils burn every time you breath! That’s the best time to do it!  So far, by sticking to this plan, I have never lost an oak. Not saying that this is the final rule, every situation is conditional. This is gives your tree its best chance to avoid the bugs. No bugs, no spread. Oak wilt can get into the tree via the root system, but we will touch on that later. So, when you see someone pruning an oak in the middle of summer, they are wrong, in October, they are wrong, in November, they are wrong. I stick to late December to middle March, based on the conditions outside of course. There are 2 main reasons why it is done improperly 1.They don’t care about your tree, just making revenue 2. They do not want to work in the freezing cold. Either do I,  I do it because that’s the right thing to do.

There are a few other Certified Arborist in the area that prune them whenever. They know the reasons why it should be done in the winter, yet they do it and  they know that it is wrong, these are the guys who became certified for the wrong reasons, just to flash a piece of paper in a face. If they practiced true arboriculture, They would not do this