Another Minute Inside An Arborist's Head

Frax

Frax

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Expat now in Chapel Hill, NC by way of Calgary, Al
Another Minute Inside An Arborist\'s Head

Lady: "Can you trim that poplar?"

(Arborist looking at large double stemmed poplar in neighbour's yard. Two large scaffold limbs overhang customer's yard about 40 feet up)

Arborist: "Do you mean you want those limbs shortened back?"

Lady: " Well...those two big ones...can you cut them right off?"

Arborist(thinking): trim?.... TRIM?!!!... removing both major limbs from half of a large tree isn't a bloody 'trim'. Trimming is for a f'ing Christmas tree! It's a totally different bloody thing!!!

Arborist (speaking) "Are you concerned those limbs are dangerous? They look pretty solid and are not over your house. I think its a mistake to remove them."

Lady: "Well last year a hawk nested up there and I don't want it to nest there again."

Arborist (thinking): wtf??

Arborist: "Oh, that's very cool. Was the hawk being protective of its nest and making it hard for you to enjoy your garden?"

Lady: "No. But there was a lot of bird poop last year."

Arborist (thinking) "wtf again???!!! Destabilize a tree that doesn't even belong to you because of some possible birdshit in your garden...which is behind the shed anyway where no one walks..."

Arborist: "Well nobody likes a messy garden. But to remove two major limbs will destabilize your neighbour's tree and potentially make it unsafe. You could be liable if the tree declines or fails".

Lady: "Oh dear. Is there nothing you can do?"

Arborist: 'No"

True story.
 
Re: Another Minute Inside An Arborist\'s Head

Awesome Nora. Sometimes I wish I had a tape recorder when people are telling me about how terrible their trees are.

SZ
 
Re: Another Minute Inside An Arborist\'s Head

Frax, I've been there many times. How about a light reduction on the limbs? could the worst of them have been removed back to a suitable growth point (not wanting to create large wound near main stem).

You just wasted your valuable time and fuel money visiting that job!

Those 2 limbs overhanging the property - she's well within her rights to have them pruned back. Ok so the job you would have to carry out may not be the most pleasurable arboricultural experience, but as professionals it's our job to find a solution. Those limbs are going to grow further over her property, they will have to be managed at some point, why not find a way of managing them now. As we all know Poplars are more prone to shed large limbs than most other trees.

Did you get a pic of the tree and the limbs?



.
 
Re: Another Minute Inside An Arborist\'s Head

That was a cool story Frax, I think in my neck of the woods I will check DEC regs on this. You can not cut a tree or disturb surrounding tree unless life or severe property damage will happen to any trees that house a bird of prey.
 
Re: Another Minute Inside An Arborist\'s Head

It's like they want sympathy for their unimaginable suffering.
I've given up trying to downplay their concerns, because most times it means the work will go to someone with much less attention to detail than I would provide annoyed and in a hurry to get out of there.
The positive outlook is always thinking about the next site, in hopes there's someone that gives a hoot about one or more of the trees on their property.
 
Re: Another Minute Inside An Arborist\'s Head

How about trimming this tree?
I bet this bird poops too.

p.s. - just a tree I saw near a job I will be doing...
I have had one customer ask me to trim off the branch that the Eagle lands on, poops on his deck. I told him it would take a couple weeks before I could come and look - never called him back.
 

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Re: Another Minute Inside An Arborist\'s Head

How about this Beech tree. It is said to be largest west of the Mississippi...
New homeowner wants that big limb cut off - you know, the one that drops all the leaves on his new roof.
Looking in photo, the 20 inch diameter limb starts from about 1/3 way up trunk, grows at a 45% angle up and over peak of roof.
I will be telling him that Beech trees are not known for breaking at the branch union. Maybe a little end weight trim and other very small prunung to let some light into yard, roof.
 

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Re: Another Minute Inside An Arborist\'s Head

unatool, Could you reload the beech file? At least for me, only the top portion downloads. I can see the entire file as a thumbnail.....

I'm looking in Van Pelt's "Champion Trees" and see one Copper beech in Blaine and one in Bellingham, each a few AFA points less than the 119 footer in an Everett cemetery--that I rec climbed a few years ago. The Everett one was 16 feet around in 1993, and was a tad over 18 feet when I measured it about 6 years ago.

One of my fav trees, no doubt.

We pruned this Everett beaut about 7 years ago, including roof clearance. Needs it again. It's just under 15 feet around.
6318136887_2f50671169_o.jpg
 
Re: Another Minute Inside An Arborist\'s Head

Roger,
Please pm me with your email. I am looking for sugguestions on how best to interface client with tree. I have 5 pics of tree and can send to you.
Also, I sent a pm to MDVaden to see if he knew anything about the Blaine tree Champion status. I can not find info on internet - except that it may be in the book by Van Pelt.
Yes, this tree must be the one, it is located @ 265 Boblett St.. The one in Bellingham is 3 blocks away from me and looks good. My old boss thinned it years ago. I have cut a low, hanging (broken) limb off for her too.
I like your above photo. I can see it needs pruning away from the roof again, but I bet your original trim was nice... Not too much? My client wants some "BIG SH!T" cut back so he dont gotta do it again in a year. Yeah, right.

p.s. - Maybe I should buy the Van Pelt book...
 

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Re: Another Minute Inside An Arborist\'s Head

Certainly wildlife and significant trees I will do my best to sway clients on, even if it means calling colleagues at the city if there is a reasonable possibility the client will take a chance on having it done by someone else.

I won't hesitate to delay work if nests are encountered from non protected species.

If our municipal bylaw enforcement had any teeth, maybe I could go to bat for what I believed in a little more often when it comes to "it drops leaves all over my roof". If I chose to say no to shady add-ons, all it means is I get a call back to find a compromise. Compromise means the customer is always right.
 
Re: Another Minute Inside An Arborist\'s Head

Our company policy dictates that we will not interfere with any native species. I suppose we make an exception for certain insects though.

We usually leave long stubs on dead pieces if there are nest holes in it. We tell the homeowner that we have done this and they are usually pleased as hell thet they have a nest hole in their tree. Many times they did not know it was there.

On a removal we would defer the removal if the nest was occupied.
 
Re: Another Minute Inside An Arborist\'s Head

Ryan,
Yes, I agree with you. The diffulcult part is the way I speak to the client and assure that he see the plan the same as I. If he thinks I am an overpriced arborist type, he can get the guy in town that will spur up the (Beech tree!) and cut the big wing off.
The job is less tree trimming than people herding. Let him feel good about the tree work, believe his roof will never grow moss, breeze will never blow other leaves towards his roof. Did I mention that he just spent $19K on the new cedar shingles? I bet he likes it...
 
Re: Another Minute Inside An Arborist\'s Head

Yep, that's the tree. It's 314 points was 17 behind the one in Everett...and when measured in 1992, was 17 feet around, 91 feet tall, and 75 feet wide. The Everett beech was then listed as 119 feet tall, but I'm quite positive it may, even today, be only 115. I descended from very near the top with a 220' line and reached terra firma in one pitch.

I'd reduce that limb, certainly not remove it. Big cuts are bad on any species, but beech, at least here in the NW, are able to handle poor pruning.

The B'ham tree was 15'8" around in 1988, 87'tall, and 99' (!!) wide. Bet it's a beaut as well!
 
Re: Another Minute Inside An Arborist\'s Head

We're the "new" frontier, Jeff.....The beech in my photo is, at most, 98 years old.

I've seen no sign of decline in any fagus. They love our climate and soil, and will surely reach the same size as many of the behemoths in Europe or the eastern US.
 
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