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4 Common Services & Benefits of a Tree Service Company

The recent Amazon rainforest fire and series of bush fires in Australia brought light to the significant damage that can happen to and in nature. In recent years, there have been massive movements across the globe to save mother earth, and many of them start with planting trees and conserving the remaining ones we have. Today, we’d like to focus on saving and keeping the surrounding trees in your neighborhood in good health.

Trees bring many benefits to our world. They do not only beautify the environment with their various colors, shapes, and heights, but they also play a vital role in maintaining an ecological balance, which is crucial to the growth and life of every living organism. 

Two trees on a hillside
Tree landscape

Regular tree care and maintenance are essential to the growth and lifespan of your surrounding trees. In most cases, hiring a tree service company to look after the well-being of your trees is a great solution.

If you’re wondering what a tree service company does, below are four common services they provide. Also, keep on reading to find out some benefits that you will receive from hiring a tree service company.

1. Tree care and maintenance

Tree care entails every aspect of the processes that can contribute to the prosperity of trees. This includes watering the trees, getting rid of pests, treating diseases, and trimming the leaves regularly, among others. Along with this is the expert advice that they will offer regarding the prosperity of trees and keeping up with the requirements of healthy trees. When the trees are dealt with appropriately, chances are they will become stronger, and healthier. This is what a tree service company can ensure through regular tree care and upkeep.

2. Tree pruning and complete removal

Tree pruning and complete tree removal are vital services that a tree service company can perform. Chances are that there’s a need to cut away dead or overgrown stems or branches, which is crucial to ensure the fruitfulness and growth of your trees. A tree service company can deal with these tasks with ease because they know what to prune and what not to touch. Furthermore, when your trees are old, damaged, or pose a threat to the neighborhood, a tree service company can ensure the safe removal of the impacted trees to ensure the safety of the surroundings.

3. Protection of natural beauty

The goal of every tree service company is to protect the natural beauty of a property while securing the neighborhood and its belongings. Part of the company’s services includes expelling evergreens that have been infected by pests, such as spruce budworm and the Pine Beetle. It has the right product solutions to exterminate these pests without harming the trees themselves. When trees, shrubs, or other plants are infected, the service company can treat them to ensure they grow healthy and won’t contaminate other greeneries in the area.

4. Tree stump removal

Tree stumps aren’t only unsightly, but they are actually dangerous to individuals because they may topple over them. Part of the offering that tree service companies can provide include the removal of tree stumps. If the tree stump is something that you’re worried about, then it makes sense to hire a tree service company.

Benefits of hiring a tree service company

walkway lined with trees

After having discussed some of the common services that are offered by a tree service company, let’s now go over the benefits that you can get from hiring one, including the following:

Injury prevention: For efficient tree pruning and removal, you will need various tools and equipment to get the job done. If you aren’t an expert in these tasks, chances are that you might get yourself hurt in the process. For this reason, it’s best to leave the tree pruning and removal to the experts so that you can stay away from unwanted injuries. These experts have the knowledge, skills, and expertise to perform these services. They also have the protective gear needed to ensure that they remain safe while working.

Time saved: The process of removing, pruning, and even taking care of your trees is time-consuming. If you don’t have all the time in the world, it’s best to leave them to a tree service company. Doing so can help you complete the job faster compared to doing it yourself. Expect that these professionals have the experience and know the best methods to get the work done in the shortest time possible.

Prompt emergency action: During emergency situations, the need to contact a tree service company is imperative for your safety, your property, and that of the neighborhood. If a recent storm has caused your trees to fall and land on your property, this company can efficiently remove the debris and ensure that there are no more risks or damage to property. They also help rehabilitate the trees to avoid further damage by pruning them regularly and removing the weaker branches.

Bracing and cabling: Bracing and cabling are processes used to enhance the stability of the weaker trees by putting a cable in them to provide support. A tree service company can properly perform this procedure because they know what to do and how to install them.

Preventive maintenance and cleaning: As discussed above, the tree company will ensure that your trees remain healthy for as long as possible. At the same time, professionals will reduce any disease, site problems, and insects that may affect the well-being of the trees. Furthermore, most tree service companies offer cleaning services after removing or pruning the trees. This means that there will be no trunks or branches left in your compound.

At this point, you now have a thorough idea as to what a tree service company does and the benefits that they will offer you. If you have surrounding trees that need to be taken care of or if there are issues starting to manifest in your trees, it is best that you contact a tree service company immediately and see how they can best help you. Their work is to provide advice and guide you as the client to take every step necessary to have healthy, beautiful trees.

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

The Importance of Inspecting Trees to Prevent Hazards to Your Home – Our Guide

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A tree that fell because of the wind.

Trees may seem harmless upon first glance. You may not notice them every day, but trees are vital to your surroundings and are visual points of interest. Investing in the care of trees is highly beneficial for the community as they give environmental benefits and add beauty to the community, but failing to evaluate a tree’s condition can present liabilities and risk for your family and community. 

Why is Tree Maintenance Important? 

For one, trees that are placed close to a property can be a potential hazard to both personal and public safety. Landowners and homeowners alike are responsible for assessing the tree to maintain its upkeep. 

That means if you spot any defective part of a tree, it’s your duty to hire a professional arborist to nip the problem at its bud. After all, any structural failure from a tree can lead to personal injury or property damage, both of which can burn holes in your pocket. 

What Makes a Tree Hazardous? 

A tree can fail due to decay, old-age, or natural disasters causing pieces of it to fall off. However, it becomes most hazardous when there is a valuable target involved such as a structure, vehicle, or person. The directness of the target changes the degree of the risk, which also influences the corrective treatments that follow. 

A tree can also pose a threat if it blocks the vision of drivers, obstructs pathways, interferes with utilities or signs, or has roots causing issues with its surroundings (like raising sidewalks). This can be a hazard to the routine activities of people, which is why regular inspection is crucial to prevent possible risks occurring on properties or to people that are near the tree. 

What Causes a Tree to Fall? 

High winds and decay are a recipe for failure.

A tree that has partially fallen.

There are tree failures that are easily predictable, though most risks can be mitigated by keeping watch for any red flags. Pay attention to the following while you are inspecting your trees: 

Tree Health – You can foresee any structural problems by taking a closer look at the tree’s overall health. This includes the foliage color, foliage density, signs of infection, and it’s vigor. Some serious, tell-tale signs of a dying tree include large, dead branches, thin leaf coverings, oddly-shaped leaves, and fungus all over the bark. 

Tree Defects – Be sure to inspect the tree for any defects by thoroughly checking the crown and trunk down to the roots. A clear indication of a potential hazard is if there are dead branches along the tree’s crown, which are commonly called widowmakers. It’s an ominous name that serves as a warning to passers-by as defects can cause branches to fall even on a clear and calm day. 

Other signs that indicate impending issues are cracks and splits along the tree’s trunks. Root rot is one of the most important factors to consider, so be extra vigilant on inspecting the base of the trunk for any evidence of root defects like cracking, heaving soil, or growing mushrooms. 

Improper Pruning – Poor pruning techniques can weaken branches, which can lead to a decline of the tree’s health. 

Site Conditions – The planting location plays a significant role in a tree’s health as any construction within the tree’s root zone can compromise its ability to support the weight of the entire tree. 

Targets – These refer to the potential damage to valuable targets like people and property. A tree placed over a playground, near a sidewalk, or next to a driveway are samples of high-risk targets. 

Keep in mind that tree inspection is highly recommended before and after storms, heavy snowfall, flooding, and other natural calamities. 

Other Factors to Consider When Inspecting for Tree Failure 

For a more in-depth guide on what to consider when inspecting trees, refer to the table below: 

Site ConditionsBiotic and Abiotic FactorsHuman Activity
Depth of bedrockPathogens or diseases presentNearby tree removal
Soil typeInsect activity and severityExcavation removal of roots
Direction of prevailing windsDrought or flood effectsPaving obstructing roots
Erosion near the treeTree community makeup nearbyPoor pruning practices

Wind, storm, flood damagesInjuries due to mowers, car accidents, etc. 

Why You Should Rank Tree Defects

Ranking the severity of the tree’s condition can help you have a clearer picture of its overall health. This will allow you to determine the next best course of action to take – whether it just demands maintenance or complete removal. 

HighModerate
Cracks with decayCallus closing crack
Cracks with callus formingV-Shaped branch union with upturned bark
In-rolled bark widening the crackAny branch with up to 66% of side branches dead
4″ diameter or larger branch with crackBranch with a sharp bend
Two or more cracks in the same trunk or branchLopsided or unbalanced crown, especially if nearby trees were pruned or removed in the last ten years. 
Crack that allows independent movement on either side of the crack
V-shaped branch union with in-rolled bark
Cankers and rot with conks of shelf fungi
Cankers affecting more than 50% circumference
Canker connected to a crack
Dead tree
Dead branch
More than 50% of the root system severed within the drip line
Tree leaning > 45%
Learning tree with any defect on the trunk below the first branch above the ground

This should clue you in on the magnitude of the problem and help you reach the necessary measurements for mitigating the hazards. 

In Conclusion

Inspecting trees and foretelling any future hazard is an art and science. It takes a keen eye, proper training, experience, and the right tools to safely assess the health and condition of a tree to minimize the risk of fall damage and injury. 

That’s why assessing tree hazard is best left to the hands of a professional arborist. They have a deeper knowledge of tree biology and physiology, which supports their ability to evaluate the tree structure and its decay process. With all that combined, they can easily determine the tree’s growth pattern, its history, and how other environmental factors influence the tree’s integrity. 

Understanding the process behind tree hazard inspections can also help you spot red flags yourself. This will help you prevent any complications from growing out of hand as you can determine the best time to call a professional to cut the potential risks at its roots.

If you’re looking for a qualified tree risk assessor in Orange County, get in touch with us today to see how we can help.