New England tree work

Rogue_Arbor

Rogue_Arbor

Location
Portland, Or
I'm thinking of making a move. I've been doing trees for about 8 years in Southern Oregon. We have some great trees here. Nice diversity and some pretty big ones. Even so, I'm ready for a change...
I'm thinking New England somewhere. I've spent some time in Rhode Island and Mass and there seems to be some great old trees out there. I'm wondering if you those of you from the area can tell me anything about the area. Is work year-round? If you could choose any part or any town in New England to do trees, where would you go?

Thanks!
 
There are lots of big old trees in New England, but it depends where you live. The lower NE states run the gamut from strip-mall havens to 200 year old estates with trees to go along with them. Western Mass and the greater Boston area are home to lots of well preserved trees, RI has some really nice areas as well, but not nearly as many reputable tree companies or informed consumers as aforementioned areas in MA.

I think as you go further North, and there are more rural and forested areas, house lots tend to get bigger, and people live more with the forest than the other way around, hence there is less need for fine-tuned arboriculture. Hopefully some other NE folks will chime in and make more sense than I do.

-Tom
 
I live in Newport, Rhode Island. It's a small town on an island, and is known for it's plush cliff-side estates and mansions. There are many old trees here (mostly beech, tulip, and oak, for the largest), especially on these estates. I have worked alot of these multi million dollar places with some really nice lanscapes and trees. Winter work is significantly less, as alot of these mansions are just "summer cottages" (must be nice, huh?)We still get some work from us locals, but alot comes from the rich yuppies. We manage by cutting and splitting the wood we've accumulated over the busy season. Usually get at least a few jobs throughout the week, but usually after December it's a ghost town....lots of days at the yard cutting and splitting, loading... etc

Winter's can be pretty bleak here, but its a total about-face in the summer. It's a real beautiful city...
 
Here' a little secret from a born Yank, Southern Maine...don't let any Mainers know I told you so.
shh.gif
 
if you have the skills, you will do alright. you know that. if you do not have the skills you will still do alright as a short timer groundman. lots of metro boston residential work year round. utility work where ever. good luck
 
I'm born and raise south coastal MA. currently I have a small company in southern RI..Ri is the smallest state in the country there are 600 people with arborist licenses (A STATE REQUIREMENT ) and probably half as many doing and advertising tree work with no regulation happening..then the big removal firms come in doing work for cheap money and ruining the industry for the smaller guys. Massachusetts is a little better as far as saturation of companies and of course we have Boston, worcester (the ALB area) and western ma toward vermont (a little more rural).

Maine NH and Vermont are rural and as it seems the more rural you get the more someone knows someone with a chain saw that can "drop that baby on a dime"..CT is a mix of rural and new york border towns..some of the most densily populated states in the country are in new england. just move in hang a shingle show your skills and you should be ok. good luck
 
[ QUOTE ]
there are 600 people with arborist licenses (A STATE REQUIREMENT ) and probably half as many doing and advertising tree work with no regulation happening..then the big removal firms come in doing work for cheap money and ruining the industry for the smaller guys.

[/ QUOTE ]

Will you please join me when I make a push for a RI Arborists' Association??? I couldn't agree more with these sentiments!!!

-Tom
 
I'd avoid western mass if you can. My parents live there and there doesn't seem to be much desire to properly take care of the trees. Lots of topping and just generally poor looking trees. Not much for landscape diversity either. Yews, yews, and more yews.

I'd try to hang around a large metropolitan area for the options it offers.
 
Ask Raven, there are some massive trees out in western mass. Iirc the state champ elm is in Pittsfield along with some huge white pines in the Greylock state park system. The area isn't great for economy ever since GE pulled most of their company out of Pittsfield, its been a slow decline. Oh and be prepared for a lot of snow.
 
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