MOST COMMON TREE SERVICE FOR OUR COMMERCIAL CLIENTS
Commercial settings are generally busy with pedestrians, customers, and tenants and as such, require a higher level of attention to detail and a more consistent tree service maintenance schedule compared to residential settings.
Most commercial properties require tree pruning and hedge trimming for functional purposes such as pedestrian ease of access and light requirements in addition to upholding a professional and tidy appearance.
The most common need for annual or biannual maintenance schedules for our commercial clients in North Vancouver and West Vancouver are for hedge trimming and tree pruning services related to access and safety.
Hedge Trimming Service:
Hedges require regular trimming to keep them aesthetically pleasing and to keep them from growing into buildings, walkways, or driveways. This is especially important for commercial buildings or strata run apartment buildings with a lot of pedestrian foot traffic. Keeping hedges away from walkways allows pedestrians, clients, and tenants safe and comfortable access along pathways, to entrances, and into buildings.
In the rainy season especially, ample space for foot traffic is important to allow space for individuals with umbrellas and to prevent them from getting wet due to brushing up against overgrown hedges.
Tree Pruning Service:
Commercial buildings and apartments generally do not have as much outdoor space as residential properties and as such, trees are almost always planted within close proximity to buildings and other structures.
For this reason, regularly scheduled tree pruning is often required to prevent trees from growing into the sides of buildings or overhanging too close to roofs and gutter systems.
The Issues With Close Proximity Trees:
Rodent Access:
Rodents are a common problem in Vancouver, North Vancouver, and West Vancouver and include rats, squirrels, and racoons. They often find access to roofs by way of trees adjacent to the buildings they seek shelter or food from. For this reason, we recommend having your properties trees pruned to create at 3-5’ of clearance between any buildings and the surrounding trees.
Fire Hazard Mitigation:
Depending on the area of your commercial building or apartment complex, wildfires can be a concern and often insurance companies will require a specific buffer zone – measured in meters – to be created between trees and a building or structure for insurance to be valid.
Tenant Concern:
Trees that are too close to a building or growing directly into them can be a nuisance to tenants of a building or apartment complex. They can create noise when wind blows the branches into siding or windows, they reduce light, and can make a space feel confined.
Regular or periodic tree pruning can mitigate, prevent, or eliminate these issues entirely.
WHY HAVE A TREE SERVICE BUDGET FOR YOUR COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
Business Benefits:
Trees in a commercial district bring in more clients, keep them around longer and some research even suggests they may spend more money than in a commercial district without natural landscape features. This means having an annual budget set aside for tree pruning, hedge trimming, and shrub care on your commercial or industrial property may be well worth the investment for its positive psychological effects on your clients and the overall professional appearance of your commercial property.
Safety:
Trees and hedges that are overgrown or defective can pose a risk in certain situations due to obstruction of accessways, from low hanging branches or from dead branches that may fall from a trees’ canopy.
All trees on a commercial property should be inspected periodically and have a crown cleaning performed to remove all dead, dying, or diseased branches or tree parts.
Additionally, commercial properties need to be accessible to everyone, including those with limited mobility or who require a wheelchair. For this reason, it is essential to keep sidewalks, walkways, and entrances clear of obstruction. This means hedge trimming to prevent hedges from encroaching accessways and entrances as well as pruning trees with overhanging or encroaching branches.
Call us today to set up a time for a free consultation for your commercial property, we would love to show you what knowledge and passion can do for you and your business.
