Trimming trees

October 3, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Arborists say finding a professioanl can be easy

McClatchy Newspapers

KANSAS CITY, Mo.

Except for a few imper- fect limbs, the 50-year-old twin oak trees towered flawlessly over Helen Brisson’s backyard. She enjoyed their wide shade, which always seemed 10 degrees cooler in summertime, and the way the branches swayed with their pointy foliage in the breeze.

But one spring, only two weeks after she had hired a bargain door-to-door pruning service, leaves that had just sprouted began falling from one of the trees. Then, the other. Eight years and thousands of dollars later, only one oak remains, and Brisson is still paying—in tree treatment every few years—for the mistake.

The problem, she has learned, is common: Tree pruners without professional training often damage trees more than they help them.

But arborists say finding proper tree care can be easy if homeowners keep a few pointers in mind.

For the most part, homeowners can prune the branches on small trees, such as ornamentals, if they research the species. But for higher-up projects or disease treatment, expert help is the way to go.

“If you have to leave the ground as a homeowner,” said arborist Brad Hatfield of VanBooven Tree Care, “that’s probably when you should call someone.”

Bret Cleveland, owner of Urban Tree Specialists, suggests contacting three legitimate companies and comparing the estimates.

To guarantee legitimacy, verify that workers are trained professional arborists. and ask for proof.

Cleveland said clients should check to make sure the document says the tree trimmer is an ISA certified arborist, not merely an ISA member.

Also request verification of workers’ compensation insurance to avoid liability for any potential injuries incurred on the property.

Professional arborists can determine what jobs are necessary, and they know how to complete them without damaging the trees, Hatfield said.

Accidents, such as what happened with Brisson’s oak trees, occur when workers use improper techniques, such as wearing climbing spikes that expose trees to diseases.

Sometimes, Cleveland said, picking a certified tree trimmer means paying more and waiting longer. More exhaustive maintenance over pools, gardens or buildings and on multistem trees or on extra-hard trees, can add an additional 10 percent or 20 percent.

For treating diseased trees, Hatfield says, seeking qualified expertise is essential to ensure a full recovery. “The wrong chemical could hurt the tree,” Hatfield said.

For personal safety, Don Hendrickson, president and owner of Arbor Care, said removals should be left to the experts. Recently he was called in to clear a tree that an untrained company had tried to remove; workers had torn down power lines in the process.

“I knew immediately these boys didn’t know what they were doing,” Hendrickson said. “They didn’t make their cuts right. I was surprised somebody didn’t get killed.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration prohibits private tree businesses without special certification to work within 10 feet of the line of poles.

Property owners are lawfully liable for damage to neighboring properties caused by fallen limbs, said senior communications consultant Mele Telitz of Allstate. But if they take care of their trees, any similar damage from healthy trees because of weather isn’t their legal responsibility.

In general, people can reduce the amount of care and number of removal projects on their property by carefully selecting new trees and places to plant them, landscape architect Robert Whitman of Gould Evans said. Various tree types have different tolerances for sun, wind and water, and they have unique space requirements.