Quitting the Removal Game!!

[mphillips]

We’ve reached a point in our small company where 90% of our revenue is tree care and preservation work such as pruning, soil work (root flare excavation, vert mulching, rad trenching, nutrition etc), disease treatment and prevention, PHC programs, structural support hardware instillation, and consultations, reports, etc. We operate in North Texas where the average property has maybe two or three trees on it, and every lawn care and landscape company does tree removal. Our trees are not that big and not that difficult to remove for the most part. We’re seriously thinking of no longer offering tree removal, stump grinding, and planting as it seems to be more and more of an inconvenience and the profit margins suck compared to the rest of our services. We have several clients who use us for all things tree related except when a removal is warranted. Thoughts?

 

[oldoakman]

Seems like you have found a niche that has not been adequately filled in your area. If it was me, I would fill it. I do the same thing on a very limited part time basis. I prefer preservation to removal any day of the week, and we have essentially no one local that provides the level of quality that I do. I select my clients based on their trees, not their bank account. Those who want the best care usually have adequate bank accounts. Good luck.

 

[Basswood]

This is the route I’d like to go when I eventually go on my own. I’d like to focus on preservation and pruning.

 

[mphillips]

Seems like you have found a niche that has not been adequately filled in your area. If it was me, I would fill it. I do the same thing on a very limited part time basis. I prefer preservation to removal any day of the week, and we have essentially no one local that provides the level of quality that I do. I select my clients based on their trees, not their bank account. Those who want the best care usually have adequate bank accounts. Good luck.

Thank you for the response. We feel the same way regarding the niche services that we provide. We’ve unintentionally gained a reputation in our area for tree care and preservation and I feel like it’s time to double down on what we’re good at and what’s needed in our area and sub out or refer the rest.

 

[ATH]

We hardly do any removals - only if they are part of a larger project or a loyal client just to keep them happy.

Planting...lower margin for sure. I've been creeping those prices up. I almost would prefer not, but honestly one other company actually plants them right (and we've talked about it - they see it the same way) ... everyone else is consistently too deep.

 

[mphillips]

This is the route I’d like to go when I eventually go on my own. I’d like to focus on preservation and pruning.

If you’re service area will support it I think it’s a smart move. I see less and less young people getting into arboriculture. Especially when it comes to the plant health care side of things. Which I would include proper pruning and structural support as part of tree care. I’m 36 and I think I’m the youngest certified arborist in my county. As time goes on you’ll have less and less competition due to the lack of qualified people entering the field.

 

[Brocky]

... everyone else is consistently too deep.

You have to plant them deeper so the mulch volcano doesn’t touch the bottom branches.

 

[mphillips]

We hardly do any removals - only if they are part of a larger project or a loyal client just to keep them happy.

Planting...lower margin for sure. I've been creeping those prices up. I almost would prefer not, but honestly one other company actually plants them right (and we've talked about it - they see it the same way) ... everyone else is consistently too deep.

That’s the same boat we’re in when removals come up. We’ve been subbing them out to a buddy’s company who is more set up for it and they like doing them. We’re just at a point where we need to make a decision to make it a hard and fast rule and be done with it.

We go back and forth on the planting issue do to the fact that we fix and treat a lot of poorly planted trees in newly devolved areas and feel obligated to offer planting as a service, even though we charge close to double the average price for it. The tree farm we purchase from is 1.5 hours away but has exceptional stock. These trees are all already developmentally pruned, root flares exposed and haven’t been in the container too long. But after purchasing, pick up and delivery, and installation we feel that our prices have to either be really high to charge for our time, or we loose money that day in order to keep the price down. We’re looking at just finding a reputable landscape company that can plant correctly but so far no luck.

 

[Basswood]

If you’re service area will support it I think it’s a smart move. I see less and less young people getting into arboriculture. Especially when it comes to the plant health care side of things. Which I would include proper pruning and structural support as part of tree care. I’m 36 and I think I’m the youngest certified arborist in my county. As time goes on you’ll have less and less competition due to the lack of qualified people entering the field.

My market can definitely handle it. There’s a lot of money around, larger trees and the clientele values their landscapes. Not enough guys know how to properly prune, why or apply other skills (like PHC, or cabling, etc)

totally agree about the young people. I’ve been in the industry since age 15, PHC by 19/20 and I just got ISA cert this year at age 30. I’m finishing up a Hort/landscape design degree this year. The few other young people I see I try to fan the flames if they show interest as best I can. I do pretty well with side projects and have been getting more involved with the community as my own entity.

do you feel that removals were an integral part to getting to wear you are now or do you think you could have focused on preservation/pruning from the get go?

 

[mphillips]

My market can definitely handle it. There’s a lot of money around, larger trees and the clientele values their landscapes. Not enough guys know how to properly prune, why or apply other skills (like PHC, or cabling, etc)

totally agree about the young people. I’ve been in the industry since age 15, PHC by 19/20 and I just got ISA cert this year at age 30. I’m finishing up a Hort/landscape design degree this year. The few other young people I see I try to fan the flames if they show interest as best I can. I do pretty well with side projects and have been getting more involved with the community as my own entity.

do you feel that removals were an integral part to getting to wear you are now or do you think you could have focused on preservation/pruning from the get go?

Good to hear!! I’d keep moving that direction.

That is a good question. I feel like the removals were a means to an end. It kept work coming in and it did help to build our client base somewhat. I think it helped make us want to go the direction we are and have been going simply because you either have to have the iron to smash through removals and have the market that will support it. Which we don’t. And the margins suck plus it’s back breaking work, especially during a Texas summer. Or you have to have a big crew, which I have zero desire to manage. I think after doing a certain amount of removals (different amount for each person) I was just over it. Not for what I could charge and the risks involved. I guess I’m glad we used to do them so I’m not temped to do them now. But I don’t think it helped or hurt us on the path we took to get to where we are now.