mostly firewood

[charlie knighton]

i was taking my walk the other day, when i saw this guy (Bobby S.) rappelling around this oak tree doing some trim work, since i needing to get maple limbs from over power lines and over roof, i set up an appointment, this guy is good, the guys with the bucket trucks and 6 helpers are nice but kind of expensive, these single guys with not a whole lot of equipment is what i look for

[Marty Eargle]

While it's a dangerous and difficult job, I've found that a lot of the tree trimmers around here are charging ridiculous rates. A friend of the family was recently quoted $1300 to remove a big, leaning Poplar tree that was one wind storm from taking out part of his house. Sure, it's worth it in the end if your house gets wrecked...luckily we know someone who works magic with robes and chainsaws for much cheaper.

I've used up a lot of firewood in my shop this year. A few chunks for spalting tests and even a few ornaments for Christmas. Always handy to have wood around that doesn't hurt if you mess it up.

[Baxter Smith]

Some of that looks big enough to be turnable! I got a dozen pieces of beech from a tree trimmer last spring. Cost me a case of beer and a beech bowl. Good luck finding more!

[Kathy Marshall]

Looks like there's some decent sized pieces there and enough smaller stuff to keep you warm while you turn the bigger stuff!

[Sid Matheny]

Never hire a tree trimmer that is not bonded and insured. Things can go bad in a hurry.


Sid

[charlie knighton]

Bobby is an arborist insured and bonded. he gave me some tips on shrubbery.

[Ray Chalenski]

Bobby is an arborist insured and bonded. he gave me some tips on shrubbery.

Charlie, did he tell you that or did he have an insurance certificate sent to you? My partner and I own a full service tree care company.Our rates may appear high to some but when you factor in all the costs involved in our rates, ie. workman's comp.,liablity insurance,fuel, maintenance,equipment costs, etc. we are pretty reasonable. Any reputable professional company, no matter where they are, are competing against anywhere from 4 to 8 other reputable companies for a prospective customers business.And our overhead costs are generally comparable. Price gouging is not an option.Our pricing for a job is based on how much time it will take to do a particular job safely and efficiently and professionally.
Now this not to say that Bobby is not qualified, but I've seen many pickup truck tree experts over the years and you get what you pay for.
Bottom line is no matter what service you need done to yourself,home,or property hire a licensed professional.
Ray

[charlie knighton]

workman's comp.,liablity insurance,fuel, maintenance,equipment costs, etc. we are pretty reasonable.

Ray i understand your cost. i only needed maybe 6 large limbs taken down. those limbs were over power lines to the house and limbs that were over the roof. i was not trimming the whole tree. i was doing all cleanup of debris, it took me mainly yesterday afternoon and 8 until 2 today. i burned most of the small stuff in the driveway.. here is the thing, Bobby does the arborist thing in season, he has the climbing ability and equipment, and has a shredder but the job was priced with me cleaning it up. because he does not have bucket truck, 3 or 4 helpers he can do the small tree trimmings at a whole less price than most tree companies can. he is not set up to take whole trees down and process, which i am sure you can do. i do have some mites that have turned my boxwood a shade lighter that he is coming back and spraying once we get some hot weather.

[Ray Chalenski]

Charlie, I'm sorry but I need to vent a little more. Aperson working alone climbing a tree is a potentionally dangerous and dumn choice. What if, God forbid, he became incapacitated up in the tree? Would you have been able to safely perform the rescue? If the pictures above are from your place then a small job like that would cost anywhere from $200.00 to $400.00 which would also include cleanup.That could save you the time it took you to clean it up. None of my crews work alone. So why pay us to have our groundmen stand around while the trimming is taking place. I don't know what the regs are by you but up here we cannot work within 10' of any electrical lines.This also includes working anywhere above such lines. This is mandated by OSHA. A ladder against a tree while branches are being cut above is another accident waiting to happen.I assume he wasn't standing on the ladder but if a branch hits the ladder it could dislodge it and possibly land on house,wires,shrubs,etc. and cause damage. Lastly, again I'm don't know what the laws are by you but I have to be licensed by the D.E.P. to apply pesticides commercially.There are licensing fees and a whole another rider on our insurance for that. Is Bobby licensed for this or is he just going to the BORG to buy chemicals? If so you can do this application yourself. You can discover a wealth of information from your local agricultural extension agency about how to care for your property.
I'm not here to tell you how to spend your money and Bobby could be a good climber but as is the case at times he and you got lucky nothing went wrong.I've been in the busines a long time and I've seen and heard of a lot of preventable accidents and just plain accidents.It's been said before:
SAFETY IS NO ACCIDENT

Sorry for being longwinded.
Ray