If the trees on your property look sick, are losing branches, have drooping or broken limbs, are dropping leaves at the wrong time of year, or need to be pruned or trimmed for aesthetic or safety reasons, it’s probably time for you to call a good tree service contractor The best ones can provide all the services you need to get your trees back to a healthy, safe condition and take care of you as a customer.
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What do tree service technicians do?
Tree service technicians provide an entire catalog of tree care, from trimming and fertilizing to identifying and treating pests and diseases. You can visit this website to find a Tree technician near you.
Depending on the company and their clients needs, most local tree care companies do the following:
- Tree trimming and pruning
- Deadwooding and limb removal
- Crown lifting and crown reduction
- Planting new trees and supervising healthy growth
- Fertilizing treatments for trees
- Tree pest prevention
- Tree stabilization, staking, and anchoring
- Tree pest and disease inspections, identification, and treatment
- Tree removal and stump removal
- Tree moving and relocation
- Emergency tree services
- Tree health monitoring
- Managing trees in private yards, commercial lots, public parks, and green spaces
- Tree care consulting services
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How good tree care is different
Tree technicians are responsible for any and all services involved in keeping trees healthy and beautiful or mitigating damage related to sick, dying, or problematic trees. But there’s a difference between tree care companies that offer tree topping or other potentially damaging services and those that understand the proper way to care for trees in the short and long term.
Any person with a chainsaw can take a damaged limb off of a tree after a storm or stake up a leaning young tree. But a true tree service technician will consider the type of tree, the age and overall health of the tree, its shape and location, how it interacts with other trees and landscaping, the tree’s proximity to power lines and buildings or other objects, whether the tree can be saved or must be moved or removed, the presence of pests or disease, and other factors that can dictate the type of service needed and how it should be performed.
They’ll also consider how the actions they take today will impact the tree in the months and years to come. Topping or heading trees can cause weakness, disease, and other problems, so even though it’s a fast fix, real tree technicians know it’s not a good way to handle oversized trees or other tree problems. Instead, they’ll look into crown reduction and other, less-invasive measures that protect the overall health of the tree and still get the needed results.
Inexpensive tree care performed by handymen or other non-experts can actually end up costing more in the end if the tree suffers or dies, if the services cause accidents or injury, or if the tree ends up being permanently deformed. While hiring a trained tree technician may cost a little more, you’ll get the benefit of having a licensed, insured, trained individual advising you, treating your trees, and providing a better outcome.
Characteristics of good tree care technicians
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Since the range of services is so wide, the best tree care workers have a combination of formal and on-the-job training. Some also have certifications to prove their commitment to the best tree care methods. They need to be able to complete the immediate work in front of them while also considering the future health and growth patterns of the tree.
Tree service technicians are usually required to climb trees or use bucket trucks and other equipment to access tree canopy areas and limbs high off the ground. The job can be physically demanding, so most technicians have to be physically fit and healthy enough to lift, bend, climb, use power tools, and perform other job duties in potentially hazardous conditions and locations.
The job can also be dangerous, so tree care technicians need to be careful, smart, attentive, and thoughtful about their work and how they’re performing it. Limbs and branches can fall, trunks may need to be removed in large sections, and trees often interact with power lines or buildings. So tree care technicians need to know how to stay safe and work in safe and responsible ways that get the job done without risking injury or damage.
They may also benefit from aesthetic skills when it comes to keeping trees beautiful through trimming or crown reduction. This is especially helpful when needing to trim trees for size or beautification reasons or to prune trees that are growing close to homes, walkways, and other areas where they can interfere with buildings or people’s activities. Some tree contractors also work with urban planners, landscapers, and horticulturists to combine trees into parks or lawns to make a unified landscape where trees are an ornamental or functional part of the space.
Above all, tree care contractors are service providers, and they need to be able to work well with customers. This can include individuals, businesses, other contractors, the public, and even public works officials.
Overarching qualities like honesty, reliability, good communication skills, flexibility and adaptability, innovativeness, and focus are important, as is a commitment to quality and safety.
Who is considered a tree technician?
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Any tree care professional who cares for trees, can identify and treat tree pests and diseases, knows how to safely climb trees, can prune and trim trees, or is able to remove dead branches or even remove dead or dying trees can be considered a tree care technician.
Some tree care professionals are tree trimmers who specialize in keeping trees looking nice by removing branches and dying limbs. These individuals may only have on-the-job training, or they may have more advanced education.
Urban forestry professionals, also called foresters or urban foresters, are individuals who are trained and educated to manage an entire population of trees. They may manage actual forest land, or they may work in more populated areas caring for city parks, arboretums, lots with many trees, and trees along streets and other public areas.
Arborists are generally tree experts who care for individual trees and usually serve private customers and individuals. Arborists are usually educated and certified to perform a wide variety of tree care services including pruning, trimming, pest and disease identification and treatment, fertilization, tree planting and removal, and more. The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certifies arborists and other tree technicians. Arborists who cite themselves as ISA Certified have met education requirements, passed a test, and have proven that they are qualified to be certified.
While you may not need a certified arborist to provide simple tree services, it’s very important to always hire licensed, insured, skilled tree care technicians. Tree services can be dangerous, and personal injury and property damage are always possible. So, it’s vital that you only hire licensed and insured tree care companies who can provide safety and security measures that protect you, your property, and their workers.
