Local Tree Companies Suck in my area!

The focus should be looking at what they do that is good or different.
Dismissing others based on what we know is one of my great faults.
You will be suprised daily if you can spin this around.

I ahve a new young apprentice and almost daily his insight
adds to our productivity.

Cheers
 
[ QUOTE ]
The focus should be looking at what they do that is good or different.
Dismissing others based on what we know is one of my great faults.
You will be suprised daily if you can spin this around.

I ahve a new young apprentice and almost daily his insight
adds to our productivity.

Cheers
Really good advice.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Boo..hoo..hoo!

We can't distinguish ourselves from the hacks through our work product, so we need to legislate that folks be forced into buying our crap!

I'm playing the world's smallest violin for you poor darlings so convinced you're being treated unfairly by the public choosing the competition rather than your certified butts.

The best companies need no legislated help or fancy full page adds because most of their work comes from satisfied repeat customers, word of mouth and neighbors who've seen their work product, and are impressed enough to ask for an estimate to do their trees.

Maybe you just ain't as good as you think you are?

jomoco

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Huh? Not sure what you are talking about or who you are referring to Jomoco. I ain't setting the world on fire like some of you high rollers, but I have been playing this game successfully since 1987 with minimal advertising / marketing. Most of my work is via referrals from satisfied repeat clients. No website and a minimalist yellow pages ad. That's it, and happy where I'm at. House is paid for, kids are grown up; life is good.

I think if tree work / arboriculture is ever gonna get regarded in the eyes of Joe Public as a skilled trade, it is going to take government regulation to bring that about. They have much deeper pockets and a longer reach than outfits like TCIA and ISA.
 
You and I share a few things in common Pelorus, though I've been at this game considerably longer than you.

But it's that last paragraph of yours that we part company on, and was the target of my ire. I'm glad to see it struck home.

I let my work product sell itself and always have. The day I need legislation to sell my work for me will be the day I retire permanently from this profession that has been so good to me for so long.

jomoco
 
[ QUOTE ]
http://integritytreecare.org/

This is 'crazyjimmy' from TreeBuzz

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats what I thought. I am pretty sure that he might be a good resource for Ralph to try and contact.

I wasnt sure, so I just put it out there. All I did was google FortWorth Tree Removal.
 
[ QUOTE ]

The day I need legislation to sell my work for me will be the day I retire permanently from this profession that has been so good to me for so long.
jomoco

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you are talking about disliking apples and I am talking about liking oranges. I was not thinking along the lines of "needing legislation to sell work", but about public education / public perception. I think if arboriculture was governed as a "skilled trade" it would benefit both the public and those of us involved in the industry. The-public-at-large remains in the Dark Ages re. what constitutes proper tree care. It's all fine and dandy that the clientele you serve have been evangelized, but the great unwashed masses are outside your sphere of influence.
 
[/ QUOTE ]

I think you are talking about disliking apples and I am talking about liking oranges. I was not thinking along the lines of "needing legislation to sell work", but about public education / public perception. I think if arboriculture was governed as a "skilled trade" it would benefit both the public and those of us involved in the industry. The-public-at-large remains in the Dark Ages re. what constitutes proper tree care. It's all fine and dandy that the clientele you serve have been evangelized, but the great unwashed masses are outside your sphere of influence.

[/ QUOTE ]

So does governed as a skilled trade mean excluding folks who aren't ISA certified from being able to bid or work on certain jobs?

Do you want to legislate a customer's choice of contractors to a limited pool that has jumped through the "proper" hoops in your opinion?

Are these the slippery slopes you're wanting to slide down?

jomoco
 
Look at it this way, Jomoco: If Bob needs his electrical panel changed, or the knob and tube wiring upgraded, he knows he has got to call in a licensed electrician, right? (He can opt to do the work himself, or get his brother's cousin to do the work) The public knows that electrical work is handled by electricians, plumbing by plumbers, and tree work by any hack they can find who owns a pickup truck, a saw, and a ladder. Who will top or butcher their tree for a reasonable fee.

The big bad government making arboriculture a skilled trade would give it brand recognition, whereas most people likely don't have a clue what an arborist is. Anybody can call themselves an arborist. Can't pull that stunt with other skilled trades (except mebbe carpentry, lol)
 
Now we get to the crux of the matter.

You want to legislate away the humble pickup truck hacker's ability to make a buck.

Limit the customer's ability to hire whoever they choose to prune/remove trees on their private property.

Home of the free my azz!

You should move to London if you want that kind of legislated BS my friend.

jomoco
 
[ QUOTE ]
(except mebbe carpentry, lol)

[/ QUOTE ]

Except if you suck people can generally tell that right away and you don't get much biz or be the wannabe carpenter very long.

If you suck as a tree guy you may get killed or end up mutilating trees without knowing it.

Back to the question(?): I bet there are a dozen good tree cos in the metroplex along with the hundred or so mediocre ones and the thousand fly-by-nighters. Depends what you're looking for; a full time job, subbing, training, sell your product (bull rigger looks cool BTW, did you design it?).

You just gotta keep asking around 'til you find what you need, it's out there.
 
Anarchy is a good theory so is communism. Then greed appears and the people being treated unfairly form a gang and make some rules.

Your really making me think about this Jomoco.
 
[ QUOTE ]


[/ QUOTE ]

I think you are talking about disliking apples and I am talking about liking oranges. I was not thinking along the lines of "needing legislation to sell work", but about public education / public perception. I think if arboriculture was governed as a "skilled trade" it would benefit both the public and those of us involved in the industry. The-public-at-large remains in the Dark Ages re. what constitutes proper tree care. It's all fine and dandy that the clientele you serve have been evangelized, but the great unwashed masses are outside your sphere of influence.

[/ QUOTE ]

So does governed as a skilled trade mean excluding folks who aren't ISA certified from being able to bid or work on certain jobs?

Do you want to legislate a customer's choice of contractors to a limited pool that has jumped through the "proper" hoops in your opinion?

Are these the slippery slopes you're wanting to slide down?

jomoco

[/ QUOTE ]


Governing a skilled trade means owning the name 'arborist'. It means educating the public as to what an arborist does and can do. Any person can bid the job still. If the customer is educated or cares they can choose the arborist or other uncertified worker.
I spent two years training as a massage therapist. After passing the certification exam I am a 'registered massage therapist'. Legislation protects the words massage therapist. My customers can chose me or someone who is a body worker. Still free choice but it protects the people that chose to do the education and those who choose the educated.

That's how I see it.
 
Also the governing body is run and paid for by the membership. It doesn't cost the taxpayer anything.
Like doctors, chiropractors, physiotherapists, etc.
 
Okay, let's pretend I'm Hank. A retired marine who's fond of flat top butch haircuts not only for himself, but for his shrubs and trees as well. He hires pickup truck Pedro to top the snot out of every tree on his property for 500 bucks.

Then his neighbor next door, a highly educated community minded busybody, gets so appalled with what Hank has done to his trees, that he, we'll call him Poindexter, hires an ISA board certified master arborist to prune his trees to class one standards for 2500 bucks.

Then hurricane Jezabel comes along and blows half of Poindexter's trees down, a few of them onto his house, requiring him to pay emergency rates to the same ISA certified company to come out and clean things up for another 2500 bucks.

Meanwhile Hank next door shakes his head and thanks god that he lives in the land of the free where he can prepare for the unexpected and weather the storms at a moderate cost.

jomoco
 
To obtain a pesticides license I had to:

have 3 years experience working under a licensed company or 1 year experience and a related college degree:

pass a certification exam ($15):

pass a licensing exam ($250):

buy a pesticides charter ($440):

Renew charter every 2 years ($440):

I get audited by the state annually to be sure I am keeping proper records:

I actually wish the exams were more difficult to weed out even more.

I flip flop on where I stand on the topic, but giving people the right to be stupid has an effect on the surrounding population. I've watched the urban forest in my community get molested to the extreme.
 
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