The Importance of Hiring a Qualified Arborist for Tree Services

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Trees are a vital part of our ecosystem. Not only do they provide us with oxygen to breathe, but they add beauty and elegance to any outdoor space. Investing in the care of trees for your property can provide substantial returns for your community. 

Maintaining beautiful and healthy trees brings forth ecological benefits. On the other hand, leaving them unkempt can turn them into a liability and a potential hazard. 

Caring for trees can be quite different than caring for shrubbery or flowers. Trees—whether you are pruning or removing—require back-breaking effort and can be dangerous for untrained individuals. 

It takes special equipment as well as industry knowledge to properly care for trees. A lack of skill and experience can endanger the person performing the work. For that reason, hiring an arborist is essential to keep up the visual appeal, health, and structural soundness of the trees in your community. 

Tree

What Arborists Can Do for You

By definition, an arborist is a certified individual who is trained in the science and art of caring for, maintaining, and planting individual trees. When looking for a certified arborist, be sure to look for one accredited by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) (like us here at Monarch) or a member of the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA). To that end, here are some services that arborists can offer:

1. Tree Pruning 

A certified arborist will know how and when to prune trees. It may seem like a simple task, but incorrect procedures will only compromise the health of the tree. Additionally, an arborist has the knowledge to identify the type of pruning method necessary to enhance the appearance, overall health, and safety of the trees.

Professional pruning entails the following: 

  • Training young trees to help them develop a strong structure
  • Pruning the limbs to make way for light penetration and to increase airflow through the canopy 
  • Removing damaged branches and limbs 
  • Removing limbs that may obstruct other structures and potentially wound the tree
  • Removing dead, diseased, or weak limbs
  • Creating a better structure to boost the robustness of the tree against harsh winds or storms
  • Removing excessive weight at the ends of the branches
  • Creating a better shape in a damaged tree

2. Tree Health Care 

The state of your tree is vital, as poor health can turn it into a potential hazard for your surroundings or passers-by. Arborists have the expertise, tools, and experience to conduct preventive care and regular maintenance. A health care plan involves checking on the tree’s structure and overall health. 

With that in mind, arborists aim to maintain the tree’s structure and overall health to keep it strong against insects, diseases, and environmental conditions. 

It should be noted that urban settings can be more stressful to trees, so regular check-ups are in order. To that end, health care for trees involves the following: 

  • A preventive health and safety assessment of the tree
  • A spray or injection program to control certain insects or diseases
  • Proper aeration to improve root growth 
  • Supporting weak branches through cabling or bracing
  • Corrective pruning
  • Fertilization
  • Seasonal irrigation
Tree by a fence

3. Tree Removal 

Removing trees should always be a last resort. When it is necessary, however, investing in an arborist is a must. These professionals hold a Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ). This makes their professional opinion reliable as they have the knowledge and expertise to provide proper mitigation measures, which includes the removal of trees. 

Here are a few situations where tree removal may be necessary:

  • The tree has been deemed irreparably hazardous by a qualified arborist
  • The tree is being replaced by a different tree
  • The tree is crowding or harming other trees
  • The tree is dead or dying
  • The tree is located improperly in a construction or development site 

4. Tree Planting 

The task of planting trees isn’t as straightforward as it seems. It takes a professional and trained eye to determine the right soil and specific location for optimal growth, and fortunately, arborists are trained to do just that. 

Attempting to plant trees without proper analysis of the type of seed as well as the place can lead to disastrous results in the future. For instance, trees can struggle to grow from limited space, which can damage surrounding property or items as it continues to stretch. 

Additionally, planting large trees demands industry equipment and skills, making it all the more essential to seek the help of an ISA certified arborist for proper tree planting.

5. Emergency Tree Services

There are environmental factors that can compromise the health of your trees—natural disasters like storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, and more. These unfortunate events can break the limbs of the tree, and in some cases, strike it down entirely. 

Once the tree breaks, it can be a hazard to people as it can impact passers-by, buildings, cars, powerlines, and other trees. Once the tree is down, you will need an arborist to move it for you as doing it your own may be dangerous.

6. Other Tree Services

Beyond pruning, planting, health care, emergency services, and removal, an arborist can also provide the following services: 

  • Assess the value of a tree
  • Assess the hazard potential of a tree depending on its site conditions
  • Implement lightning protection systems in particular regions
  • Develop protection plans regarding trees on development and construction sites
  • Grind or remove stumps
  • Perform cabling 
  • Brace weak-limbed trees

Arborists can also offer services such as relocation of your trees, along with health consultations and health plans to prevent the development of diseases or damages. 

Even if you take pride in having a green thumb, caring for trees takes gardening to a whole different level as it involves complex techniques and tools.

If you’re are looking for a certified arborist in Orange County, get in touch with us to see how we can help.

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Plant Health Care – When Does It Make Sense?

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If the plants in your community aren’t looking their best, it may be time for some serious plant health care.

Whether it’s trees, shrubs, or flowers, healthy plant life can make a home or neighborhood look much more welcoming and inviting. It also makes the area appear more well-kept which can entice future residents to move in and current residents to stay.

Read on to learn more about plant health care, what it is, and when it makes sense for you to start using it for your property.

The Definition of Plant Health Care

When you hear the term “healthcare,” you probably think of humans first. Plants actually need to be monitored and cared for just like every other living thing on the planet.

The term plant health care means that your plant life is provided with things like vital nutrients they need to thrive and grow. It also involves things like insect and disease control to keep the plants healthy and safe.

The threat of plant-related diseases is much more common than you might think. Pests like Japanese beetles, bagworms, spider mites, and aphids are just a few examples of the potentially damaging pests that can wreak total havoc on your beautiful plants. With regular plant health care practices, your trees and shrubs will bloom, look greener, and be much more attractive.

In order to ensure that your plant life is thriving, you should consider bringing in an expert for a plant health care service. This service will help to select the best plants for your property, develop an efficient maintenance plan for those plants, and come up with a plan to defend against potential threats, thereby protecting your investment (aka your plants) from damage and disease.

Keeping plants healthy all year round will ensure that they grow and look beautiful for many years to come.

Quality care ensures that your plants stay fresh, healthy-looking, and attractive through the changing seasons.

Being proactive ensures that the plants you use will remain in great shape as time goes on.

What Are the Benefits?

When you enlist the help of a professional plant health care provider, you’ll reap a variety of benefits. These plant pros know exactly what your specific plant life needs to thrive and stay healthy.

They’ll work to improve your water usage to not only save you money but also to ensure that your plants are receiving the correct amount of water they need. Soil tests will be performed to ensure that the soil around your property is healthy and compacted properly.

If any threat is found, the plant health care professionals will work to eliminate it in a responsible manner. This tactic is usually done in an eco-friendly way so as not to cause harm to your landscaping or the environment. With early treatment, problems can be eliminated before they get out of hand.

With regular care, your plants will look incredible. They’ll grow and blossom, creating an attractive look around your neighborhood, association, condominium complex, and home. 

Landscape consultants will assess your plants and determine what needs to be added or removed. When you work side-by-side with these professionals, you’ll see just how much time and effort goes into maintaining plant life. As time goes on, your property will look much more attractive to potential buyers or tenants.

Why Would You Use Plant Health Care?

If you’re a manager of an HOA or other property community you already have a full plate and may not have the time to consider a holistic approach when it comes to the health of your landscaping. You have to think about the selection of plants you have, practice proper planting techniques, and the maintenance of those plants. You also need to consider pest control and what companion plants to choose. It can quickly become overwhelming!

There’s an intricate process involved in plant health care designed to ensure your property looks its best. Some of the things that a plant health care professional will do include:

  • Selecting the right plants for aesthetic and other purposes like noise barriers
  • Planting for shade where it’s needed to provide residents with a pleasant landscape
  • Making site considerations such as soil type and condition, climate, drainage, and available planting space
  • Determining the proper methods for pest resistance to keep plants healthy
  • Devising a plan to ensure that all plants are healthy and well-maintained

A plant health care professional will give you advice on what you can do to be proactive to keep your plants healthy and happy. They may also inspect the surrounding areas for signs of pest damage in other places in order to assess the threat to your plants.

You can also change your current landscaping layout and include a new selection of plant life that’s native to your area. Experienced arborists will asses your trees to make sure they’re all healthy and in good condition.

When you opt to focus on your plants, the entire community will flourish and appreciate the beauty of the landscaping. It’s also a smart way to increase property values. Healthy landscaping entices renters and current residents to stay or to move into your community.

Leave Plant Health to the Pros

If you manage an HOA or other residential community, it’s easy to see how plant health care can benefit your community. With some proper planting and planning, your landscaping will look aesthetically pleasing and your plants will thrive.

Choose a professional company that understands the needs of residential landscaping so you can enjoy your plants without the fear of pests or disease. We want to see your plants stay healthy and grow, so be sure to contact us today for more information on how you can get started taking care of the plants on your property.

Contact Us Today!
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What Role Should a Contractor Play in Water Management?

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While water management is an important topic for any HOA, apartment complex, or city, communities in Southern California must be exceptionally aware of water usage in landscaping. Because of frequent drought periods and water surcharges, monitoring and reducing water usage is good for the environment and the budget. So how can community managers work with a landscaping contractor to make this happen?

One of the most important things when choosing a reputable landscaping contractor to work with on water management for your community or HOA is understanding what should be expected of them. Knowing what questions to ask and services to look for when meeting with a potential landscaping partner will go a long way in making a smart business decision.

Below are some of the tasks that a landscaping contractor should include for any city or housing community in order to cut their water usage and improve water management efforts:

Incorporate Eco-Friendly Landscaping Designs in Common Areas

Working with your landscaping company to incorporate environmentally-conscious design elements into your community’s common areas is one of the best ways to help water management efforts and can provide a unique, attractive landscape that will catch your potential residents’ eye.

Because of the wonderful variety of plants that are native to Southern California, it is possible to have an attractive landscaping design while primarily using plants that do not require excessive amounts of water. A good landscaping contractor will work with you to incorporate eco-friendly elements into your design such as:

  • Replacing grass with high-quality gravel and stone
  • Utilizing succulents into the design, such as cacti or aloe
  • Planting hearty perennial flowers in lieu of ones that require frequent watering
  • Using a dry stream to guide water flow after rains
  • Adding mulch to help the soil retain moisture

As the landscaping company makes updates like this throughout the design, property managers will begin to see a big impact on overall water usage and expenditure for the community.

Have an Expert Knowledge of Plants’ Watering Needs 

When it comes to water management, it is essential to understand the different needs of plants and adjust the watering and maintenance plans accordingly. Your landscaping contractor should be aware of which plants get afternoon sun—making them likely to need more water—or which sections of the lawn are primarily shaded throughout the day.

Having this inherent knowledge of what plants need can go a long way in cutting down on the water usage for the entire community. Choosing to work with a landscaping expert that is local to Southern California and understands the unique needs of this region will be extremely helpful in preventing water from going to waste.

Perform Irrigation Retrofits for the Community

While irrigation is not something that every HOA or apartment complex will be interested in using, it is important to work with a contractor who can perform an irrigation retrofit if that is something the community might decide to do in the future. 

Irrigation systems allow housing communities or cities to obtain detailed control over water usage. They allow water to be turned on and off remotely and allow the flow to be controlled in zones, creating different levels of watering volume. This ensures that every type of plant gets the water it requires, without the waste or over-watering associated with performing a blanketed soaking. This increased efficiency can lead to an extreme reduction in water usage overall.

Keep Up With Regular Maintenace Checks Around Common Areas

When it comes to water usage, even something as small as a single-drip leak or not switching an automated system to new settings when Daylight Savings Time ends can make a big impact if it is left untreated. Especially for communities in Southern California, every drop that is wasted can have an impact on the budget and the overall health of the landscaping work.

Watching for leaking hoses, malfunctioning sprinklers, or cracks in piping are all essential tasks for a landscaping contractor to perform, and it can save the community quite a bit on water management expenses in the long run. Additionally, the landscaping contractor should closely monitor and frequently recalibrate any automated systems based on time of year, angle of sunlight, and other factors that might cause a discrepancy between the water used and what the plants actually need.

Report on Water Usage for the Community

A good landscaping company should not simply reassure you that water is being saved without any evidence—instead, look for a contractor that will be able to provide community managers with clear reports on the impact of your efforts. 

By utilizing monthly reports, quarterly numbers, and year-over-year comparisons, a community manager can see exactly how any changes and updates have impacted their water management budget. Having the reporting and data regarding water usage will be extremely helpful for property managers to assess their water usage and make decisions about any extra steps necessary to reach their target water usage goal.

While community managers have many things to consider when choosing a landscaping contractor to work with, one of the most important things for Southern California HOAs, apartment complexes, or cities to be sure of is that they are choosing a landscaping partner they can trust and that is exceptionally knowledgable of the latest best practices in landscape and water management. Not only does this create a more beautiful and water-efficient community overall, but it also ensures that they are facilitating an environment that their residents will love for years to come.

At Monarch Environmental, we are made up of a team of EPA Water Sense Partners and Certified Water Managers that are passionate about working with community managers to reach their water management goals. If you’d like to learn more about our water management expertise, check out our list of water management services and contact us today.

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