How does Coronavirus COVID-19 alter our workflow?

DSMc said:
Ahh... well, I must admit, that thought has crossed my mind a time or two.

No hoax, the virus is real and people will die.
Click to expand...


I was texting a couple who I'm good friends with today. They both work in hospitals. This is what I was told when questioning if it was real.

"Yes it's real. I would follow all recommend guidelines. And blanked out name and I are are seeing them and it's about to get pretty bad."

“Our healthcare system anticipates becoming overwhelmed in the next two weeks and healthcare workers here and across the nation are running out of supplies.”

"People are coming in symptomatic but at present time we can't test unless they are urgently ill and need hospitalization. And there are cases of young people who are hospitalized"

My thoughts are that the virus is real, the government’s response is horrible, and the impact on the poor in this country and around the world is what will be truly devastating.
 
20200319_105939.webp
I was a bit over half way through with this 20" sweetgum when my client let me know that he was lecturing in 20 minutes. He started working at home shortly after work commenced at his house. I was able to lop off a couple 5 foot sections onto the invasive ferns in the planted bed, move the mini, and then switch to three smaller removals on the other side of the house from his office.

We had texted previously about mitigating the sound during their lectures (his wife is also teaching) by using lithium power or moving to the other side of the house. I offered to use a lithium saw, but he was fine with us continuing on the other side of the house. I'm heading back early tomorrow morning to move these sweetgum chunks to the curb. Could have been awkward if I was just beginning my negative blocking at 60 feet and had to shift gears. I'm going to ask my clients about how my workflow might impact their covid-19 lives.

On my part, two days were subtracted from my week, to replace old people working at the voting precincts on Tuesday, and to parent my son yesterday. My ground guy and I went to lunch at a restaurant and everyone was maintaining distance fairly well. Hoping my food was made without covid-19.... I'm choosing my restaurants with what I think is more care than usual, but who really knows... That was my covid-affected day, in a nutshell.
 
Well, most of our work was cancelled this week. (sigh)

So, I have one more day of stumps left, and then I'm sitting on my hands. My friend owns a good sized landscape company, and they just had two Spring projects, worth 200G, cancelled. Plus his stock portfolio got wiped out. Ouch.

Our cases are accelerating, and a lock-down is not beyond the realm of possibility.
The good thing about being poor, though, is that, when SHTF... you don't REALLY notice...

In other news, apparently Chuck Norris tested positive for Covid-19.

The coronavirus has to spend 2 weeks in Quarantine.

Ahem...
 
N95 Masks and gloves are standard grocery shopping PPE. Homemade masks might include using a head buff and a few or more layers of some tissue to cover your mouth and nose, maybe even scented a bit with some disinfecting tea tree oil. An unsealed mask may provide some protection, but a fully sealed one will give viral airborne particulates more obstacles to get through, before reaching you. I use a n95 mask under my Rock Exotica buff. The buff helps maintain the mask's seal around my mouth and nose, without fogging up my glasses too bad. Bought a box of throw away gloves too. Sometimes you can use two gloves on each hand if you are going to two at-risk places. Please protect yourselves and your loved ones with proper PPE.
 
Last edited:
John@TreeXP said:
N95 Masks and gloves are standard grocery shopping PPE. Homemade masks might include using a head buff and a few or more layers of some tissue to cover your mouth and nose, maybe even scented a bit with some disinfecting tea tree oil. An unsealed mask may provide some protection, but a fully sealed one will give viral airborne particulates more obstacles to get through, before reaching you. I use a n95 mask under my Rock Exotica buff. The buff helps maintain the mask's seal around my mouth and nose, without fogging up my glasses too bad. Bought a box of throw away gloves too. Sometimes you can use two gloves on each hand if you are going to two at-risk places. Please protect yourselves and your loved ones with proper PPE.
Click to expand...
So your the reason I cannot find any anywhere
 
I had a customer write me a $750 check after completing a job, as he was handing me the check he said "Here you go, Or I have an unopened 12 pack of Angel soft TP and we can call it even"

Times are clearly getting tough around here when we start bartering for TP. :nocausagracia:

On a similar note, I have an uncle who lives in China. He said that a friend of his had to sit down with his kids and talk to them about how much TP they were using because kids in America are running out. We've officially gone from "you better eat all of your food because there are starving kids in China" to "Ration your toilet paper because there are dirty butt kids in America"



As for work flow, the amount of rain we've gotten has had a larger effect on workflow than covid-19. The only real impact that I have seen, is more customers are home while we work and no one offers to shake hands. That said we just had our first confirmed case in the area today, so time will tell.
 
climbhightree said:
Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania to close their physical locations to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Pennsylvania
United States
Total Confirmed Cases
189
Active cases
188
Recovered cases
0
Fatal cases
1

Thankful that We don't have a store or need to meet/greet clients. But I am expecting signed jobs to start getting canceled now.
Click to expand...
We got that news last night, and sent out an email explaining our need to shut down to our clients. So far, no cancellations. We’ve had a pretty positive response, and two customers who want to schedule more work when we are able to work again, so that was good news. Still worried about others canceling, but not much we can do about it.

To all those out there who are still operating, prepare, because this day is likely coming to all, nation wide!
 
Reach said:
We got that news last night, and sent out an email explaining our need to shut down to our clients. So far, no cancellations. We’ve had a pretty positive response, and two customers who want to schedule more work when we are able to work again, so that was good news. Still worried about others canceling, but not much we can do about it.

To all those out there who are still operating, prepare, because this day is likely coming to all, nation wide!
Click to expand...
I expect by Monday Michigan will be next
The whole world needs to do the same to get the results we need
So so sad
But I believe much needed
Hopefully not to late
Good luck everyone
 
climbhightree said:
Below is a link to the Governor’s Administration has deemed essential/non-essential:


Click to expand...

Yeah,
a) Are tree companies considered to have physical locations / may not continue physical operations?
b) I don't quite know where we fit in the list...
c) What are all these businesses supposed to do to survive?
d) We are all going to DIE!!!!!
 
John_KAYS said:
Yeah,
a) Are tree companies considered to have physical locations / may not continue physical operations?
b) I don't quite know where we fit in the list...
c) What are all these businesses supposed to do to survive?
d) We are all going to DIE!!!!!
Click to expand...
The actual order is a little more clear: https://www.governor.pa.gov/wp-cont...00319-TWW-COVID-19-business-closure-order.pdf

It appears to me that we as tree services must close down, as this applies to all businesses that have a physical location; my understanding is businesses that do not need to close are work-from-home type businesses, companies that allow you to work from your house with a phone or computer.

I figure that we are similar in nature to construction companies, and they are all ordered to close.
 
I feel I am in a unique position, because we don't have a physical store front or office location (home office). On top of that we currently have no employees right now...just my wife and I. So there is really no risk for us to spread the virus to others.

We have contacted our client for today, and they said please continue with the work.
 
treebing said:
if we had done it a couple of weeks ago it might not have been a big thing.

www.npr.org

Weeks Before Virus Panic, Intelligence Chairman Privately Raised Alarm, Sold Stocks

Sen. Richard Burr issued a warning at a private event weeks ago to prepare for dire effects from the coronavirus, going further than his more public comments, according to a recording obtained by NPR.
www.npr.org www.npr.org
Click to expand...
I was listening to this story on my way into the hospital yesterday morning. The knowledge was there. We have one single box of masks on my unit and have to keep them locked in a room with the keys hidden so they don't get stolen by other nursing units. It is already getting ugly.
 
climbhightree said:
I feel I am in a unique position, because we don't have a physical store front or office location (home office). On top of that we currently have no employees right now...just my wife and I. So there is really no risk for us to spread the virus to others.

We have contacted our client for today, and they said please continue with the work.
Click to expand...
I can understand that position. We are almost as small at present, but the mandate looks pretty clear, and I believe in setting a good example for my staff and for other businesses, so we are unfortunately shutting down until we are allowed to reopen, or can find a legal way to remain in business at this time.
 
Njdelaney said:
I was listening to this story on my way into the hospital yesterday morning. The knowledge was there. We have one single box of masks on my unit and have to keep them locked in a room with the keys hidden so they don't get stolen by other nursing units. It is already getting ugly.
Click to expand...
Hear that @John@TreeXP. Send them to someone who is saving lives
 
NY ordered all non essential work to shut down or no more than 25% of staff still show up.

but they didn’t really define who is “essential”.

So we’re still working. YAY! I think?

day by day still.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Kask Stihl NORTHEASTERN Arborists Wesspur TreeStuff.com Teufelberger Westminster X-Rigging Teufelberger
Back
Top Bottom