Hire a Pro to Care for Your Trees
Just who or what is an arborist, anyway?
An arborist is someone who is qualified to practice arboriculture, which is the application of standards and techniques developed to improve the condition of shade, ornamental, and fruit trees. Practices may include pruning, cabling, bracing, fertilization, aeration, and the control of insects and diseases. An arborist is knowledgeable about the growth habits and preferred site locations and conditions of healthy trees and is able to diagnose problems that may affect tree health.
And why should I hire one?
Where can I find an arborist? www.isa-arbor.com/findArborist/findarborist.aspx and http://www.isa-msa.org/MSA_Certified_Arborists.htm
When shopping around for an arborist, ask the following questions:
Are you an ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) Certified Arborist?
What professional organizations are you a member of?
Are you licensed in my city?
Ask for proof of insurance, both liability and workers’ compensation insurance.
What services do you provide?
Ask for references, as well as the locations of trees worked on recently. Then, call the references and go and look at the trees the arborist pruned recently.
Before you hire an arborist:
Be sure the arborist understands what you want done and why.
Be sure you understand what the arborist plans to do and why.
Get more than one estimate; don’t always accept the low bid.
Get a written estimate and know the total price, including sales tax.
Know when the work will start and when it will be completed.
Know who is responsible for cleanup and have it included in the estimate.
Find out what it will cost (hourly rate) if you want to have additional work done.
Remember, good arborists will only perform accepted practices.
Be wary of individuals who go door-to-door.
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