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About:
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I am a Certified Arborist, and I take a lot of pride in that. If it is a codeword for "salesman", "Certified Arborist” means little. The lion's share of tree work is accomplished by someone who is not a Certified Arborist and with no Certified Arborist on sight. One could argue that the man with the clipboard, "the Arborist," has had some training with "non-arborists" and therefore has a better product. This is hard to verify and, from what I have seen, generally not the case. They probably haven't been training at all. It is crucial that a Certified Arborist is available to assist with the job. It doesn't matter if a company has Certified Arborists, if they aren't available to the customer.
It is important to determine if the salesman/arborist speaks a similar language as non-arborists. In some cases, the language barrier between Spanish and English speakers can be quite high. I speak Spanish yet I have a hard time communicating technical details critical to safe tree work. I side with the Spanish speaking worker here because they are the ones who can be hurt if training is lacking. Make sure there will be someone on your job who speaks English in addition to any Spanish speaking workers.
There is much risk involved in picking up the phone book and calling the tree service with the biggest, most colorful ad. Companies with strong ethics and customer satisfaction rarely advertise. While you don't have to eliminate big ads, it is important to consider other criteria when choosing a tree service. The Better Business Bureau has always been a great resource for consumers. However, I know of one tree service member that has received 39 complaints over the past 36 months. Wow, that's service. Our company, Arboreal, has 0 complaints in the past 6 years.
There are a lot of other companies with the same good track record. As of this writing the best resource available to any consumer looking to hire a tree service is angieslist.com. It is currently free to join, and provides a wealth information on local service providers, from roofers to tree services to computer repairs. If you lack ethics, you can't outwit Angie's lists. She will catch you and make you pay. Arboreal takes care clients and angieslist.com keeps track. The one and only drawback to Angieslist.com is that at some point she will also make the consumer pay. The $50 annual she may soon charge could save you thousands.
Last, I want to mention the hard sell. You think used car salesmen can be pushy? If someone invites you to your home and tries to get you to sign or decide now, then you have a moral responsibility to send them away. In short, don't support a business that has only their own best interest at heart. Take your time in choosing an arborist and hang on to him if he takes care of you.
Let me summarize this essay by listing these steps.
1. Get estimates from Arborists certified by the International Society of Arboriculture.
2. Ensure that the Certified Arborist is present at the job site during the work.
3. Make sure that the Certified Arborist is able to communicate with his workers.
4. Spend some time looking through angieslist.com and arizonabbb.org.
This research shouldn't be done too often. Keep looking for the company that interests you and keep them in your heart.
A professional who takes care of trees for individuals, businesses, and residential areas. A tree service is needed if you have dead or dying trees that need to removed before they become dangerous, if there are trees on your property that need to been pruned, etc. It is important to remember that not all tree service companies operate in the same way. Make sure you hire a company that can take care of your tree needs. All companies must be insured and bonded. If you have a dead or unsightly tree that you need to be moved, make sure that the company removes it all and that it is done safely and efficiently.
If you need to have tree care for your live trees you want to be sure that the company has the knowledge to care for these trees. They should also know how to safely remove any dead branches without damaging the live tree and they know how to do selective topping and pruning. An arborist is a professional who can care for many trees. If you hire an individual or company is not an arborist you could inadvertently hire someone that will botch your trees and cause them to possibly become diseased, die, or grown unshapely.
A knowledgeable tree service company will also be happy to give a potential client a free estimates to what they are going to do and the cost for each service along with other information pertinent to the estimate. You should make sure that you get at least two estimates and compare them before making your final decision. One thing that the homeowner should make sure is in the estimate is that they will do a total clean up along with the removal of any debris from the job. Many reputable tree service companies will also take the time to discuss with the homeowner any landscape goals they have. They will be able to show the homeowner which trees in your yard that could hinder other grasses or plants growths in the area. After they have examined your trees and identified any diseases, they will inform you so that you can get them treated. Most will use a tree service when trees are starting to bud or become dormant.
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