Hiring A Tree Service

Tips on selecting the right tree service for your specific needs

Hiring a company to handle a project that is as large and treacherous as removing a giant Sycamore tree that looms dangerously over your house, or as sensitive as pruning a delicate Dogwood - most definitely deserves careful consideration.

A qualified specialist will do tree work properly and safely, leaving nothing behind but an excellent job. However, an unqualified person may further damage the tree, and more importantly may not be insured, leaving the liability burden to the client. This liability could run into the tens of thousands of dollars. (more about pricing here)

 

Here are some points to remember when hiring a tree service….

• Do a search on "Local Tree Service" for a listing of those businesses that do tree work in your area. Most search engines can get a general idea where you are located by your IP address or by “cookies” that are picked up from your surfing history in your most often used web-browser. While anyone can be listed on the internet or in the phone book, a business name listing at least indicates some degree of permanence or officiality. Be cautious of any tree service that lists "topping" as one of their services in any of their advertisements. This practice harms trees and should never be suggested or recommended as a pruning or trimming option. See our page on topping to learn about the many dangers associated with it.

 

• Ask for proof of certification. You can also do a little investigating on your own by checking the BBB website to establish credibility or look for any previous complaints. By typing the business name in the search window at the state of TN government website you can find out if they are listed as having a license or at least a federal tax id number. You can also look for their name at the International Society of Arboriculture website. Accreditation as an arborist is not required by the State of Tennessee in order to perform tree service work, but if they are a certified arborist they will have an id card listing their level of specialty that you can ask to see. As difficult as it is to achieve an arborist certification, however, it is highly unlikely that you will have to ask for it and far more likely, that you will not be able to shut them up about it and see them proudly display that information even before being asked.  Hiring an arborist, however, will cost you more money because of the simple fact that they are a specialist and have a high degree of knowledge about their field (like a regular family practitioner compared to an orthopedic surgeon). When it comes to special circumstances concerning the life or death of a long standing, cherished family heirloom, or a huge, very old, historical tree, the arborist’s area of expertise is worth the extra cost.

 

• Ask for certificates of insurance, including proof of liability for personal and property damage. Then, contact the insurance company to make sure the policy is current. Under some circumstances, you can be held financially responsible if an uninsured worker is hurt on your property or if the worker damages a neighbor's property.

 

• Ask for local references, and depending on the level of expertise you want, or the price of the job you need to have done, go take a look at some of their previous work, and if possible, talk with some of their former clients. A reliable tree service has been around long enough to establish a reputation, will have a few return customers, a few references, and a higher standard as a local business that their professionalism is evident.

 

• Don't rush into a decision just because you are promised a discount. Be sure both sides fully understand what work is to be done, and clear on the amount of money expected when everything is done, and never pay in full until the work is completed. Legitimate tree service companies will not ask for payment in advance, or expect full payment before they are finished.

 

• Most reputable tree care companies have all the work they can handle, especially during the storm season.  You can tell when “Side Job Bob” is going door to door trying to solicit tree work after storms and seeing tragedy as an opportunity to turn a quick buck. He will give himself away by his lack of professionalism, sloppy appearance, un-preparedness, and after listening to him long enough, his obvious ignorance about the service to which he professes to be an expert. And if somehow he manages to gain your trust despite all the aforementioned “red flags”, it becomes frighteningly apparent when he shows up to do the tree work without the proper attire, equipment, or assistance. Storm damage creates high-risk situations for both workers and property and cannot be taken seriously enough.

 

•  Quality tree work is not cheap. A qualified, honest and reliable tree service must carry several kinds of insurance as well as pay the ever-changing cost of running and maintaining expensive and specialized equipment. Most of all, the climbers and bucket operators, those who have to be very high up from the ground (sometimes more than 100 feet up) in order to work on the trees, are risking their lives to provide conservation and/or peace of mind to the customer on a daily basis. Beware of estimates that fall well below the average. There could be hidden costs or worse – they are not fully insured or properly trained.