Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve put together a list of the questions we are frequently asked. Want to learn more? Reach out to us at 651-239-3672.
General Questions
Hiring the right tree care company is critical to ensuring the health and safety of your valuable trees.
When evaluating a tree care company:
- Verify that they have workers’ compensation and liability insurance. Ask for Certificates of Insurance, and call their insurance company to make sure the policy is current.
- Check their reputation. Ask for references and check online ratings.
- Be sure you understand the work to be done and the cost to complete the work.
- Be sure they have ISA Certified Arborists on staff. Ask to see their credentials. This designation ensures you that they understand the proper ways to assess, maintain and when necessary, safely remove your trees.
- It’s usually not necessary to provide any money up front. Work should be paid upon satisfactory completion of the job.
- Good tree work is not inexpensive. Be wary of any estimates that fall well below average.
Good tree care is an ongoing process. Hiring a company that you can trust and develop a professional relationship with will ensure your trees get the best care possible. We’ve created a Free downloadable checklist to help you choose the right company. Click here for your Free copy.
Questions About Tree Removals
While it might be tempting to remove your own tree to save money, the risk of injury and damage to your home and property greatly exceeds any potential savings.
Tree removal is an extremely dangerous activity. It is vitally important to have the proper equipment, training and experience to safely remove a tree. We continually train to ensure the safety of our crews and your property.
Tree removal costs vary greatly. It is absolutely necessary to visit the tree in question- and your property- before giving you a firm estimate. Be very wary of any company willing to give you a quote over the phone or any type of verbal agreement.
Here are a few things we consider when determining the price for a tree removal:
- Size of tree (height and diameter).
- Ease of access to the property.
- Dangerous conditions (proximity to power lines, busy roads, etc.).
- Stability of the tree (tree is dead, infested/diseased or heavily decayed).
There are some misconceptions about pricing, too. A larger tree doesn’t necessarily mean higher costs. However, the opposite can be true with small trees in challenging situations.
Although every company has their own ways of pricing, our goal is to be fair to both you and our organization.
Often the decision to remove a tree is clear. When a tree is dead, diseased, unstable, or presents a safety hazard- it must be removed.
Sometimes, the decision to remove a tree is not so clear. Fortunately, our Certified Arborists have the training and experience to help. We’ll accurately assess the health of your tree, and give you honest advice about what is best for you and your tree.
We’ll let you know if there are alternatives to removing a tree, and tell you the likelihood of saving it.
Depending on what is causing the decline of your tree, it may represent a safety hazard. Trees that are unstable can fall or lose branches, damaging property and injuring people.
If the decline of your tree is caused by disease or infestation, it is important to remove it before the condition can spread to surrounding trees.
Tree removals in the urban environment are very tricky. They are often sprawling over homes, driveways, and landscapes. Power lines and busy roads can also complicate removals. At Expert Tree, we have the proper equipment and training to get the job done. We’ll remove these trees safely, efficiently, and with minimal impact to the surrounding areas.
When trees are removed, each cut releases a heavy piece of wood and sends it into motion. Often, these pieces cannot be allowed to fall to the ground. We use ropes and other specialty tools to manipulate and control pieces and lower them to the ground. Sometimes, the safest and most efficient way to get a tree down is with a crane. Rigging is set, and we smoothly lift out cut limbs and logs. Crane work requires a great deal of knowledge and experience. It is important to consider only the most qualified companies.
Once removed, we chip the tree or haul it away. We place plywood or matts to protect sensitive areas from equipment. To protect lawns and blacktop, we place pads under the out-riggers of larger trucks. Finally, we make sure we leave your property neat and clean. We rake the grass and blow off the hard surfaces. We repair any small ruts or divots. Attention to the smallest details makes a difficult tree removal successful.
Absolutedly! We have the equipment needed to quickly turn the stump into a pile of wood chips. We’ll thoroughly clean up the site and remove the chips. If you prefer, we can leave the chips behind for your use. Just let us know what you prefer.
Questions About Tree Pruning and Trimming
While it might be tempting to trim your own tree to save money, the risk of injury and damage to your home and property greatly exceeds any potential savings.
Tree trimming is an extremely dangerous activity. It is vitally important to have the proper equipment, training, and experience to safely prune a tree. We continually train to ensure the safety of our crews and your property.
Tree trimming and pruning costs vary greatly depending on your tree and property. In order to give you an accurate estimate, we absolutely need to visit the tree in question and your property. Be very wary of any company willing to give you a quote over the phone or any type of verbal agreement.
Here are a few things we consider when determining the price for a tree trimming and pruning:
- Size of tree (height and diameter).
- Ease of access to the property.
- Dangerous conditions (proximity to power lines, busy roads, etc.).
- Stability of the tree.
There are some misconceptions about pricing, too. A larger tree doesn’t necessarily mean higher costs. However, the opposite can be true with small trees in challenging situations.
Although every company has their own ways of pricing, our goal is to be fair to both you and our organization.
Our experienced, Certified Arborists have years of training to enable them to safely prune your tree- while ensuring its health and longevity. We follow the pruning standards established by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and ANSI A300 and Z133.
Ideally, pruning begins with structure pruning when a tree is young. This helps the tree grow stronger and healthier than it would on its own. Over time, a skilled professional can work through the canopy and prune out problematic branches. Trained professionals also control the fall of pruned branches to prevent damage to the tree’s surroundings.
Pruning by improperly trained personnel can result in damage and decay for your tree, and creates safety hazards. Be wary of any company that does tree topping, over prunes a tree, or uses climbing spikes or gaffs. Be sure the firm you use has experienced, Certified Arborists on staff to preserve your investment, enhance the beauty of your trees, and maintain their safety and health.
Trees need regular care to keep them healthy, safe, and beautiful. When not maintained, trees can become dangerous. Uncorrected area of trees become weaker and eventually fail. Over time, branches that die start to fall. Branches may grow into siding and roofs and cause damage. Branches can also grow into power lines or fall on them, causing outages. Tree canopies can become so dense that they catch wind like a sail, blowing over or breaking off in heavy winds.
Our Certified Arborists are skilled at evaluating your trees. We target problematic areas, including dead limbs, cracked or broken limbs, and poorly attached unions. Areas of decay are identified and addressed. We thin trees canopies so that the wind and snow can pass through more easily.
Routine pruning results in safer, stronger, and healthier trees.
In general, trees can be pruned any time of the year.
There are a few exceptions, however, based upon the species of tree. Oaks, for example, can only be pruned while dormant – during the months of November through March.
Additionally, trees areas with sensitive flowers and landscapes are best pruned when yards are frozen and flowers are not in bloom.
Our Arborists will evaluate your trees, and make a recommendation on the best time to prune your trees – based upon the species of trees and the unique characteristics or your property.
Generally, we recommend professional pruning of your trees every 3-5 years.
Ideally, tree pruning begins when a tree is very young. This is called training or structure pruning, and involves removing poorly spaced or problematic branches. As a tree becomes mid to large in size, pruning focuses on dead, dying and crossed branches. We also identify any area of the tree that may become dangerous.
Trees that are routinely pruned will be far healthier and safer than those that are not. Routine pruning also gives a trained professional an opportunity to look at the tree’s overall health, diagnose insect and disease issues and provide recommendations for treatment at an early stage.
Good tree care is an ongoing process, and at Expert Tree Service, we want to build a professional relationship with you to ensure your trees are getting the best care possible.
Questions About Stump Grinding
It might be tempting to try to grind your own stump to save some money. First and foremost, grinding a stump is a dangerous activity. Using a stump grinder requires training and experience to ensure you are not injured.
Additionally, the cost to rent a grinder – along with the time it will take you – far exceeds what it will cost to have a professional crew come in and take care of it for you.
The cost to grind a stump can vary greatly, depending upon the size of the stump and the conditions of your property.
We really need to see your stump and your property to give you an accurate estimate. Be very wary of any company willing to give you a quote over the phone or any type of verbal agreement.
Here are a few things we consider when determining the price for stump grinding:
- Size of the stump (height and diameter).
- Ease of access to the property.
- Dangerous conditions (proximity to power lines, busy roads, etc.).
- Stability of the stump.
There are some misconceptions about pricing, too. Just because a stump is large, doesn’t necessarily mean high costs. However, the opposite can be true with small stumps in challenging situations.
Although every company has their own ways of pricing, our goal is to be fair to both you and our organization.
Although it is not necessary to remove a stump, it can improve the look of your yard and make it easier to handle home maintenance projects, like mowing.
We have years of training and experience and can safely and efficiently grind even the largest stump.
We can grind stumps any time of year, except when the ground is frozen.
Stump grinding removes the visible portion of the stump, as well as the roots going down about 6-8 inches. There will be roots remaining that are deeper than that, and that extend farther away from the tree.
While it is possible to remove all roots, it is quite costly, and results in significant impact to the surrounding area. Stump grinding, on the other hand, is affordable and leaves the surrounding area relatively intact.
Questions About Tree Cabling and Bracing
Most of the time, a leaning tree cannot be straightened.
Sometimes, it is possible to straighten a tree that is less than 8 inches in diameter –however, it would require digging up the tree using a tree spade and actually replanting the tree.
If you notice a larger tree leaning after a storm, it is in the process of failing, and should be evaluated for safety.
Cabling and Bracing can provide a tree with additional structural support. Trees with multiple trunks and open canopies risk structural failure, and can result in harm to the tree, property damage and injury.
Our ISA Certified Arborists are experienced in evaluating the health and structural stability of your tree. We’ll give you a free evaluation of your tree, and give you an honest recommendation on what is best for you and your tree.
Questions About Crane-Assisted Tree Removals
At Expert Tree, we excel at Crane-Assisted Tree Removals. Using a crane offers many advantages over traditional tree removal:
- More efficient – With fewer cuts and the ability to remove larger portions of a tree, removals that might have taken multiple days can be done in a few hours.
- Increased Safety – There is less cutting, less lifting and carrying of wood, and greater safety for our crews.
- Less impact to property – Heavy pieces of wood are gently ‘floated’ over your home, garage, and driveway. Less equipment hauling logs across your yard means less impact to your property.
- Helps access trees in tight spots – We can access trees where space is tight, and remove trees where no ‘drop zone’ is available.
Click here to learn more about our Crane-Assisted Tree Removal Services.
Not necessarily. The increased efficiency of using a crane greatly reduces the number of hours it takes to remove your tree. You may be surprised to know that Crane-assisted removals can be surprisingly affordable.
Click here to learn more about our Crane-Assisted Tree Removal Services.