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Shady Tree Trimmers Are Tricking Elderly Homeowners Into Cutting Down Fit Trees, Here’s What You Need to Know
Jul
Have you had a knock on your door or maybe a note in your mailbox saying that the trees in your garden are perilous and need urgent work? Maybe you are a little worried about the trees that seem to be getting bigger every year and you think, “Well, they can’t do any harm […] Is it possible?”.
Unfortunately, taking action could result in damage to your trees or expose you to significant financial losses.
There is a little bit there serious fraud in several states where tree trimmers are knocking on doors, pressuring elderly homeowners to work. This has led to victims’ petitions and some local governments seeking to obtain licenses for tree trimmer operators. Some of these cases require thousands of dollars in investment, very penniless quality work, and potentially perilous consequences.
As a tree scientist who works with urban trees, I can assure you that some enormous, venerable trees are worth leaving alone, even if you sometimes find them annoying. So if you’re going to prune trees in your yard, especially robust venerable trees, make sure you do it right.
Hiring a Good Arborist
Trees are enormous and sophisticated organisms, and people who work on them need to be skilled to know how the trees will react to their actions. Otherwise, there is a risk that the work done on the trees could actually make their structure unstable and perilous.
There are many well-trained arborists in most Australian states who can take care of your trees.
But how do you tell the good from the bad? Here are some tips on what to look for when hiring a good arborist.
Firstly, a good arborist will have a TAFE or university qualification in arboriculture (at least a level 4 certificate) and significant public liability insurance (at least A$10 million, and most will have a policy of A$20 million). Check your home insurance policy, as tree work may not be covered and if something goes seriously wrong it can be very exorbitant.
Read more: Act of God or just bad management? Why trees are falling and how to prevent it
Second, trained arborists will not work on enormous trees or above ground alone. There will always be a crew of at least two people, whether they are using lifting towers or ropes and harnesses to get to the tree. They will also explain exactly what they intend to do to your tree and why.
Finally, most good arborists will not call themselves lumberjacks and I will trim instead of pruning trees. Pruning is a targeted approach to tree management, while trimming is the wholesale removal of branches and leaves, which can lead to problems in the coming months and years.
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So where can things go wrong? It’s not uncommon for older people to worry about enormous, venerable trees that are perfectly protected, then remove them, only to find that their property values have dropped significantly at a time when they need the asset the most.
Unnecessary removal of a enormous venerable tree destroys assets that required years of care. Its removal can seriously reduce the value of your property by up to 5% or $10,000 if the tree is a prominent feature in your garden.
When you feel “regret”
Inattentive pruning of tree crowns — which can result in little or no leaves and significantly reduced branching — may seem like a good way to eliminate the risk of leaf, fruit and branch loss.
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But if this is done healthy tree by using a solid structure, you can create the exact problem you wanted to avoid: increased shedding and the development of a perilous canopy.
This is because after severe pruning, many trees respond by producing many modern shoots, called epicormic shoots. You may have seen them growing after fires. Epicormic shoots may be weakly attached to the trunk or larger branches of the tree in the early years, and if not properly managed, the heavier shoots can shed a lot.
Is the tree really that bad?
Many people are aware of what annoys them about trees – fallen leaves, flowers and fruit, clogged gutters, even cracked fences and paths.
They often forget or are unaware of the benefits these same trees provide. This includes shade in summer, moderating robust winds that protect their roofs during storms, or the value of tree root systems in stabilizing the soil on steep house blocks.
You may not realize the value of these services until after the tree has been removed – you acted in haste, but you may regret the loss for many years it will take to grow a replacement tree. That’s treegret!
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Ask the right questions
You can do the right thing by choosing to have work done to improve the appearance, structure and health of a valuable venerable tree in your garden.
A branch may be growing too close to a home, a low-growing branch may be blocking traffic or pedestrians, or there may be dead or diseased branches that pose a hazard to the tree and people.
Read more: Here are 5 practical ways trees can assist us survive climate change
But the next time someone knocks on your door and you have the opportunity to greet a tree trimmer, be sure to ask if he is qualified. Ask how much liability insurance he has and what kind of crew will be working on your job.
Then ask them what exactly they plan to do with your tree.
I asked all these questions and was told about qualifications that I know do not exist, that come from institutions that do not train arborists, and plans to prune or topple the trees that I know will make them less protected.
