Trees have the power to increase property values in Kansas City, improve air quality, reduce household energy costs, improve water quality and more according to the Unites States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service. When trees are present in our everyday Kansas City landscapes it’s easy to forget just how significant they are to all of our lives. Trees of the right variety placed properly and cared for professionally provide enormous benefits and have significant economic, environmental and societal value.
Become a knowledgeable tree care customer with these 7 tips and remember to be a responsible tree owner too! Trees can quickly go from beautiful resources to costly burdens.
What is an Arborist?
Don't just hire someone with a chainsaw that knocks on your door (especially after a storm). An Arborist is a person who has gained the technical competence to correctly and efficiently care for trees and other woody plants. They don't technically need to be a certified Arborist in Kansas City but they have to have a genuine passion for trees and of course know what they are talking about. Check the company's website to make sure they are a reputable company before making a purchase decision.
Fully Insured...
The last thing you want is to have an uninsured tree care service on your property. Operating a tree care service without the proper insurance and licensing is illegal. You play a huge gamble allowing an uninsured tree service on your property. Our advice, DONT DO IT. Ask for an updated copy of their insurance certificate. Here is an example of what a certificate of insurance looks like for a tree care service: Click here.
- Check into the company's insurance. A company without adequate insurance coverage is an establishment that you don't want working anywhere near your home. You want to ensure that the company has liability insurance and worker's compensation insurance.
Liability insurance guarantees that if the company causes damage to your home or possessions, it covers the expenses.
Worker's compensation insurance protects both you and the company's employees by covering any injury that an employee sustains while working on your property. Additionally, it protects you from a lawsuit if anything should happen while the company is cutting trees.
Industry Standards Are Important.
The tree care industry has OSHA and ANSI standards to follow as guidelines for safety, general work procedures, tree pruning, and more. Make sure that the Kansas City tree service you hire follows ANSI standard pruning. There are many tree men that improperly prune trees and recommend poor tree maintenance. There are many different tree species, and each tree responds differently from a diverse set of tree pruning methods. Make sure an Arborist, or tenured professional provides their professional opinion. Topping and cutting back trees too hard are examples of improper tree care.
Can They Provide a List of References?
This is just good common sense. Don't hesitate to ask the company for referrals from customers who had similar work done. You're entitled to know what to expect and how other people felt about the services provided. Remember, the company is going to be doing work that, if done improperly, could potentially cause a heavy limb to fall on your house and that is what you are trying to avoid. Right?!
Equipment is Essential.
In order to reach the mature trees in our Kansas City Urban Landscapes, or to access the difficult spots and branches of a tree, A certified Arborist is equipped with tree cranes and bucket trucks.
Moreover, the Arborist should be trained to handle the advanced tree-care machinery and not injure themselves or other people while performing any tasks. There are rules such as OSHA standards and ANSI Z133, which should be followed to ensure safety at the workplace. These USA recognized rules are a set of safety standards for repairing, pruning, removing, and maintaining trees and branches. After every 5 years these rules are updated and regulated in order to ensure maximum workplace safety.
Ask Questions.
There are a variety of importation questions you should ask a Kansas City tree service that you may hire. They should be more than happy to answer these questions if they are not already mentioned on their website or in a conversation.
- How long have you been in business? No one wants a young, inexperienced company causing a ruckus on their property. Make sure your potential tree care company is at least 5-10 years old. Many tree companies under 10 years old eventually fail because they don’t stay with industry standards. This industry is full of pop up businesses that go neighborhood to neighborhood searching for business. Don’t be scammed by these unseasoned companies.
- How do they minimize potential damage to your yard? A qualified tree service will have an answer to this question right away. Protecting the things around your tree is an important part of the job. They should be able to explain the precautions they take while working in your yard. If they say, “we will just fill in our tire tracks with dirt” that may not be a good sign. At a minimum, plywood should be used to protect your lawn from equipment. The professionals at Cartwright Tree Care use AlturnaMats to protect your beautiful Kansas City lawn from our equipment's giant feet!
- Are they TCIA Accredited? The TCIA program is another certification that can help identify a trustworthy service. However, TCIA specializes in accreditation for companies, not individuals. It ensures tree trimming services have proper tree care knowledge and follow appropriate business practices! For a full directory of TCIA accredited businesses, visit this website.
Shop Around.
Take time to shop around and get 3 estimates. For large projects, ask the tree service how many projects like yours they have completed in the last year. Ask for several local references that are at least one year-old and follow through on checking them.
