September 26, 2018 When it comes to pruning and tree care, who are you going to hire? There are a number of reasons that professional arborists become certified. When you hire someone to care for your trees, you will want to ensure they took the time to learn their trade through the pursuit of certified qualifications. As a home or business owner, it’s tempting to tighten your budget by treating tree care as a DIY task. The problem with that is, pruning and removal are skills that even professional arborists take a considerable amount of time to fully master. At Front Range Arborists, our certified team members are constantly pursuing further education. Many dangers exist when caring for trees. Your safety is too important to risk in the pursuit of saving money. Even tree care professionals face a higher risk of injury than many professionals in jobs such as law enforcement or emergency services, which are generally considered inherently dangerous. Advanced Knowledge Pruning is a precision task that requires thorough knowledge of tree anatomy. If there is a chance of getting it wrong, you are better off not pruning at all. We see a lot of trees that die unnecessarily due to improper pruning. Watching a video of pruning will not give you the required skills to prune a tree correctly. As strange as it may sound, a professional arborist treats every tree as an individual. He or she can tell which limbs are weak and need to be removed. Detecting diseased limbs is also important in preserving the health of a tree. A certified arborist will use training cuts to help each tree grow in a way that is more attractive and strengthens the tree. There is an important difference in how each tree should be trimmed. An arborist may choose to carry out minor pruning or take a more aggressive approach to keep a tree healthy and disease-free. These tasks are often dangerous, but a certified arborist understands how to mitigate many of the risks involved. Tree Care Risks When the average person looks at a tree that needs to be pruned, they think a ladder and saw are all that is needed to get the job done. However, it is that logic that results in serious injury or fatalities. Falls and cuts are not the only risks involved. If you get too close to power lines, it will not end well. If you don’t believe these risks are real, perhaps the statistics provided by ArborGlobal.com will help change your mind. The potential for professional arborists having an accident is 1:120. Out of those accidents, 6 out of every 100 arborists will die. Per 100,000 workers per year, 35 will die. The fatality rate for all industries is 4 deaths out of every 100,000 per year, which is a significantly lower number than fatalities for arborists. With those statistics in mind, the risk is greatly increased for a person who does not have the required training to care for trees safely. Hiring a certified arborist makes sense once you consider the dangers involved in caring for tall trees. Equipment & Training It is worth saying again that a ladder and saw are not enough to match the equipment and training that arborists use in caring for trees. At Front Range Arborists, we use cranes and other equipment to safely care for tall trees. When there is a risk from power lines and other hazards, a certified arborist employs safety equipment while pruning. A certified arborist will observe ANSI Z133 and OSHA standards when working with any trees on your property. Not only are we focused on staying safe, our team is always conscious of keeping clients and their property out of harm’s way. When these standards are reviewed and updated every five years, professional arborists will pursue any necessary training to adapt to the updates. Professional Guarantees When you hire a certified arborist, you should expect that you and your property are covered by liability insurance. Large branches that have not been cared for correctly may end up crashing through your or a neighbor’s roof. Although this type of event is unlikely to happen with a reliable arborist, it helps to know your assets are protected if the worst happens. Liability insurance that offers you protection is a welcome safeguard. Always check that your arborist is not only certified but holds liability insurance before you agree to hire the company. Front Range Arborists values ethical practices and delivers the highest quality of service to every client. Call Front Range Arborists today if you would like a free estimate on our services. We are here to ensure your trees stay healthy and strong by only employing certified and trained arborists. Find out more about how Front Range Arborists can help provide services to residential, commercial, and municipal institutions with all of our Tree Services: Tree Pruning Stump and Tree Removal Shrub Pruning Fire Mitigation Fertilization Winter Watering Pest Control Tree Preservation
