WHEN TREES ARE TOO BIG
Unfortunately, many trees have been planted in unsuitable locations with inadequate room for growth of their canopy, their root system, or both. This scenario can create multiple issues. One example is when a tree’s root system causes damage to surrounding hardscapes, this is often seen in the case of driveway or walkway pavement cracking or being pushed up.
Another potential issue is when a tree’s root system grows too close to a home or building. This may result in damage to the foundation of the home or lead to interference with below ground plumbing, piping, or electrical components.
Lastly, it is common for a trees canopy to grow too large for its location and subsequently encroach on homes or buildings. The canopy may also interfere with service or power lines, or prevent adjacent trees or shrubs from receiving enough light or having adequate room for their own canopy to flourish and maintain symmetry.
In these situations, specific tree pruning techniques may be implemented to mitigate or eliminate problems associated with a tree that has grown to large, however, this is not always the case. In some situations, tree removal is the only feasible option when a balance between aesthetics, health, and function cannot be achieved with tree pruning or other methods.
There are a variety of factors that need to be considered when determining whether tree removal or tree pruning is the best option, this is when expertise and experience are essential in making an educated decision and allocating resources efficiently. ArborGreen Tree Care has Certified Arborists (ISA) on staff ready to consult and advise the best course of action for our clients and their tree care needs.
There are many tree services in North Vancouver and the surrounding areas, and not all adhere to the same moral and ethical philosophies, with some tree services still suggesting and performing the very outdated – and problematic – tree pruning technique called “topping”. This is the removal of significant portions of the upper sections of a trees canopy. Any certified arborist or reputable tree service will caution against this and educate their client as to why this pruning technique is no longer an acceptable form of pruning. However, many tree services will still promote this outdated technique. Why do they do this? Simple, it is profitable and many tree services choose profits over clients’ actual needs and goals.
ArborGreen Tree Care prides itself in being advocates of tree preservation and will always take the time to discuss with our clients, in detail, their goals and all options available to them with the hope that we can achieve their goals without tree removal. It is not uncommon for our clients to call us requesting a quote for a large scale tree removal due to unwarranted fears, bad advice, or from encouragement by other tree services looking to generate as much profits as possible. Often the tree or trees in question are beautiful and contribute to the value and appeal of their property, and the only reason they’re considering tree removal is because they have not yet been educated or been presented other options.
It often ends up being the case that tree removal is not required and their goals can be met with tree pruning or other methods. Our clients are then delighted when they discover they can preserve their trees and save money opting for the less costly measure of tree pruning. Visit our tree pruning services page for more information on tree pruning techniques and benefits.
WHEN TREES ARE UNHEALTHY
In addition to the potential issues created by trees that do not have adequate space, there are a variety of factors that can cause a tree to enter a state of stress or decline, or to eventually die. Although there are sometimes remedies that can help slow or prevent the decline and eventual death of a tree, more often than not, tree removal ends up being the most viable solution once a tree has already declined in health and vigor.
Determining causation can be time consuming, costly, and there are never any guarantees that diagnoses and subsequent treatments will save a tree. It is for these reasons that tree removal is often the most sensible route to take when determining what to do with a dying tree.
A dead or dying tree poses an immediate risk to people or property and should be dealt with as soon as possible once discovered. The longer a dead tree stays standing, the greater the associated risks will become and the greater the chances are that failure of individual parts or of the entire tree may occur. Additionally, once a tree has died, decay will begin to spread, and the structural stability of the tree will become compromised. This increases the risks for any arborist who is tasked with the tree removal project and often involves the need to implement specialized techniques or equipment. In some cases, if the degree of decay in the tree is too severe or the structural stability too compromised, a crane is required to safely remove the tree. This greatly increases the costs associated with the removal of the tree.
For these reasons, if you have a dying or dead tree, it is always best to have an ISA certified arborist come assess the tree as soon as possible to mitigate risks to people, property, and workers, as well as to keep the cost of the tree’s removal as low as possible.
Tree removal operations are inherently risky with little to no room for error. A great deal of expertise, experience, and the proper up to date equipment and techniques are required to ensure the job is completed safely and efficiently.
The North Shore has some of the largest trees in any residential setting, as well as the most technical terrain in the Lower Mainland. This is where local experience shines, ArborGreen Tree Care has been exclusively servicing North and West Vancouver for over 7 years and have extensive experience with highly technical and hazardous tree removal projects of all sizes.
Safety is our number one priority for the benefit of our employees, our clients, and their properties. We have an outstanding reputation in North Vancouver and work where we live, taking pride in being a local business that exclusively serves the North Vancouver and West Vancouver area. Additionally, we are equipped for and experienced with remote access work, this includes work that involves boat access such as servicing clients up and down the Indian Arm, as well as clients with properties on our surrounding Islands.
We have built an outstanding reputation within our community for quality of service and property care, always performing exemplary clean up and taking all measure to mitigate damage to our clients yards, gardens, and adjacent trees, shrubs, and hedges when providing all of our tree services.
