Irony

Mark Chisholm

Mark Chisholm

Administrator
Administrator
Location
Home of the New Jersey Devils
Here's something to ponder. My job yesterday was to drop and leave eight trees in the edge of the woods behind a house. No clean-up.

Sounds easy enough. Turns out that the smallest tree was still 90' tall. They were oaks, beeches and tulips. Oh, and 1 black birch. Some were tall and straight and others were fattys. All required some thought as to how to fell them without damaging the neighboring trees.

My problem was with two of the trees. I didn't feel that they needed to come down for any reason. When I spoke up, I found out that an "inspector" from the state decided that they needed to be removed. For what you ask? To help the environment.

How? I asked. /forum/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

Well, the clients were going to be helping by adding solar panels to help reduce energy waste to heat their hot water and their house.

Oh. I get it. Let's remove 8 LARGE trees that cast shade, produce O2, reduce CO2.... for the environment. /forum/images/graemlins/thk.gif

Where's the sanity. True six of them were hollow, split or hazardous enough to get approval, but why the others? I don't understand the concept.
 
If I may be so bold. Are you saying that you you did not understand the job you had coming and you obviously did not bid it. With no contention applied, why do you feel this in an issue that you feel your opinion ( although respectible ), should interfere with or alter the job you were given to do?
Devils advocate messin around the Buzz.
Jeff Lovstrom
 
I think your clients are being encouraged to use an alternative resource instead of electric from the power plants and natural gas from the gas co.'s. It's worth the trade off of a few trees. The trees can be replaced and hopefully, the idea catches on enough for the power plants to be replaced by those trees, eventually.

Joe
 
Obviously I know how to keep my opinion to myself (on the job anyway) since I did the removals as they were planned. I always teach my guys that the best thing to do is to do the job as sold (if you're sure that it was indeed sold that way) and then say your peace to the bidder not the client. When I show up to do a job w/ a crew, it doesn't make sense (or money) to complain about it. I feel that it is better to suck it up and move on. I can do more by trying to change things for future jobs.

I just felt that it was a little ironic. I was removing some 100'+ shade trees (that I wish I had in my yard) in order to help the environment. Sounds funny. I actually felt bad doing it. And leaving everything sit there to (kinda) go to waste felt wrong. I felt like I was in a tree-slaughter house.


There's more to the story. The state will give $20,000.00 to these homeowners to help with the change over. And, if this system doesn't perform as it should, they will pay (or should I say "we") 80% of their energy bills. Hmmm.

Like Joe said, the long run may be more beneficial, but it was hard on my conscience.
 
Mark, Thanks for a good answer. Sorry to be the advocate, but in doing so I think you gave alot of guys in our position to realize they are not alone and suck it up, like you said. I have great respect for you and thank you for entertaing my question.
 
Jeff,

Thanks for asking and thanks (a lot) for the compliment. I can't really take all of the credit for my views on the "right" thing to do or my work ethic. That goes to the people who trained me and rasised me. I thank them.

You made a good point with your question. What is the right thing to do and if/when should your personal views on your job take the front seat? Tough call for many. For me it may be easier. The people selling the jobs are the ones I look to for advice. That makes it easier to just "suck it up" and get it done.

There are times now and again where I feel that more could've been done to change the clients minds on what should be executed. BUT if I wasn't present when the discussions took place, how can I possibly feel so strongly that I know what is needed to be done?

Let's say a large tree is being pruned near a house. On the work order it says to remove a 10" lead over the house. I may not like that choice once I'm there and climb the tree. I may feel that the limb is sound and healthy enough to leave. The work order is clear and the client reiterates this to me. If I talk to the client and tell them my perspective, they may still want it off. To me, the right thing to do is to remove the limb, and then go back to the seller and ask more about it. I might get a better understanding of what people ask for or I might change what we are selling. Either way, I didn't loose anything from confronting them.

I should also say that I have left a job without starting it. When I went to a job and the client insisted that something was sold that I know is NOT likely, and is NOT proper tree care, I radio in and ask more about it. If the seller agrees with me and the client won't budge, we leave and go to the next one.

I remember being warned about things like this before as well. The seller has said something like, "be careful...this client really wanted the trees topped...". This makes it easier to just leave.
 
Mark,

The irony I find is obviously the trees were shading the house right. If they weren't than the sun still would have hit the solar panels. So if the house is hotter in the summer, than the cooling bills will be more. How's that saving energy? And what about all the other things trees do, as you touched on Mark. Reduced pollutants, increased oxygen, cooling, reduced erosion,run off, etc. Of course those aren't current problems in NJ. I don't get it either.

On the other hand, if someone was going to pay for 80% of my energy bill I think the trees would be gone too.

Who's running this program ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom