What's on your mind? TCI Magazine wants to know

Reach said:
Yes, this! More than 80% of the tree services in our area operate illegitimately. Most do not have any employees on the books, they simply pay everyone as a contractor. Or worse, they just pay everybody in cash. Several run CDL class trucks with unqualified drivers, and they run this way every day of the year without repercussions.

It would be great to call out these companies and to find a way for those of us who operate correctly to truly stand out instead of trying to fight with these illegitimate or illegally operating companies day in and day out, and losing out frequently because they are cheaper than we are.
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Shit grinds my gears
 
It definitely all comes back to enforcement. Enforcement is gonna make everything more expensive for everyone involved. Now for those already playing by the rules, the cost increase will be less, relatively speaking, as they already do pay for insurance and licensing. The trick is convincing people to vote for funding more government oversight over matters that many people don't understand or even care to understand. I'd bet that most people know even less about tree work than they do electrical work.
 
southsoundtree said:
The best thing you can do is advertise your legitimacy.

I tell people all the time to check their contractors L/I/B through the (work day) daily- updated State website.
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That is very hard to do, when there is nothing we can really advertise that stands out. Sure, we can announce that we are insured, qualified, and experienced, but that's what all of the local hacks advertise. Half the companies around that claim to have certified arborists on staff don't, so that doesn't help either. And the general public doesn't realize that a topped tree right in an advertisement is a bad thing, around here topping is still very common so people get excited and hire the companies that do it because their work "looks good"!
 
Reach said:
That is very hard to do, when there is nothing we can really advertise that stands out. Sure, we can announce that we are insured, qualified, and experienced, but that's what all of the local hacks advertise. Half the companies around that claim to have certified arborists on staff don't, so that doesn't help either. And the general public doesn't realize that a topped tree right in an advertisement is a bad thing, around here topping is still very common so people get excited and hire the companies that do it because their work "looks good"!
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"they did a great job cleaning up!"

Was just explaining this to a new helper...we could leave the trees in perfect condition - amazing pruning work that blows away of every arborist's mind, but not do a good job raking up and the client will tell their neighbor "I'd never hire them again, they left a mess behind". Or top the trees and leave a pristine yard "everything looked so nice when they were done"
 
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ATH said:
"they did a great job cleaning up!"

Was just explaining this to a new helper...we could leave the trees in perfect condition - amazing pruning work that blows the way of every arborist's mind, but not do a good job raking up and the client will 0tell their neighbor "I'd never hire them again, they left a mess behind". Or top the trees and leave a pristine yard "everything looked so nice when they were done"
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That's funny, because I was explaining the exact same thing to a new hire on Friday. Telling him how we provide a superior level of service, but the only way the customer knows it is because we leave the lawn looking nice, show up in nice clean trucks, and crisp uniforms. They don't have a clue what proper tree care looks like, but they sure do know what a clean truck and a nice lawn look like.
 
Articles by Chris Girrard are always useful and insightful.

Lawrence Schultz YouTube video series what i am doing and why are interesting.

Some stuff about tree felling. Tension and compression wood. Hinge Wood flexing or breaking. Different options of facecut and hinge amount. Wedging. Etc


Articles on using some of the new products on the market. Not just the ad or showcasing it.

Maybe a legal section on laws that have an effect on the arborculture industry.

Breaking down ANSI standards



Just some thoughts
 
Mick Dempsey! said:
Natural crotch rigging and climber lowering branches using stubs.

Let’s not pretend it doesn’t happen, why not discuss techniques?
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I’d bet Notch would lobby pretty hard against this. Personally I think every tree person should learn how to natty rig. Just like the taught line hitch and hip thrusting, outdated and time consuming but may save your bacon one day.
 
They could bring in different experts to review the bmp's, share their take on the topic at hand, and open up a q and a to allow for specific questions to be asked and answered.

It could become an ongoing segment if done right. It would take some of those "where should I make this pruning cut?" Or "what sized cable and brace should we use on xyz?" type questions could get answered by the panel of volunteer "experts".

Could be expanded into ansi/OSHA, compliance, shifting regulations. Or keep it simple with bmp guidance and review.
 
flushcut said:
I’d bet Notch would lobby pretty hard against this. Personally I think every tree person should learn how to natty rig. Just like the taught line hitch and hip thrusting, outdated and time consuming but may save your bacon one day.
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I disagree that they are outdated and time consuming. They are complements to modern techniques to be used as appropriate.

Some jobs/ rec climbs are hike-in. Light can be right.

A taut line or Blake"s on a standing end is way faster than someone going to the truck and sending up gear.

Often, I can do something the 'hard' way much faster than waiting on a gadget, so less work in a way.

I would not be limited to these old standbys.
 
southsoundtree said:
I disagree that they are outdated and time consuming. They are complements to modern techniques to be used as appropriate.

Some jobs/ rec climbs are hike-in. Light can be right.

A taut line or Blake"s on a standing end is way faster than someone going to the truck and sending up gear.

Often, I can do something the 'hard' way much faster than waiting on a gadget, so less work in a way.

I would not be limited to these old standbys.
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From a production standpoint I’ll stick with time consuming. Lol But your sentiment is basically my point as to why it’s a good thing to know. Knowing the simplicity of just a rope makes for a valuable skill no doubt.
 
flushcut said:
From a production standpoint I’ll stick with time consuming. Lol But your sentiment is basically my point as to why it’s a good thing to know. Knowing the simplicity of just a rope makes for a valuable skill no doubt.
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on a long enough timeline, the argument for working smarter-not-harder gets stronger, but as long as my body lets me, I'll opt in for some harder work fairly regularly
 
flushcut said:
I’d bet Notch would lobby pretty hard against this. Personally I think every tree person should learn how to natty rig. Just like the taught line hitch and hip thrusting, outdated and time consuming but may save your bacon one day.
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I use a Prussik every day, it ain’t how quick you get there, it’s the decisions you make when you’re there that determine if a job goes quickly or not.
 
More of a general thing, but I appreciate the few articles which actually get into the nitty gritty and assume the reader is a well versed professional. Edit out 3 paragraphs of fluff and over explanations (have a couple references so people can read more if needed) and use that freed up space for in depth info. Basically not every article has to be readable/understood by every reader.
 
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