Trees are valuable contributors to our health and welfare, but they also present liabilities. Poorly maintained, damaged, or diseased trees can fall or drop limbs causing injury to property and people. The key to minimizing hazards and liabilities is to recognize when a tree becomes hazardous and take proper actions to correct these hazards and reasonably minimize risk of damage and injury.
Assessing tree hazard is an art and a science. To ensure that hazards are recognized and proper actions are taken, it is imperative to retain an experienced, qualified, and competent Arborist who understands tree biology and physiology, tree structure, and decay processes. The arborist must also be skilled at determining how trees grow in the area, the history of care of the tree(s) in question, how construction or other activities may have affected the tree, and how soil and weather conditions may affect the tree’s integrity.
If a tree has risk, it means that there is some possibility that its trunk or branches will break, or the tree will fall and hit something important (the “target”). The target can be a house, an out-building such as a shed or garage, or a frequently used area such as the street, a playground or a parking lot. Storms and high winds are constant reminders of the need to get trees evaluated. August was once known as hurricane season. In the last ten years or so something has changed. Storms are more and more prevalent making nearly every week storm season.
Have your trees inspected by a qualified arborist who will always give you options. If your tree is, in fact, at risk and deemed unsafe in current condition, there are several tree surgery techniques that greatly enhance your tree’s structural integrity prior to simply removing it. Cabling, reduction of crown, thinning, and bracing may be a few options. Your tree is just like any other beloved family member; always get all the facts before making a medical decision Tree inspections are free of cost to the homeowner as well as extremely important to our trees.
Now that your tree is safe, also make sure you’re safe! Protect yourself as well as your property. Always hire a company that has the required insurance and voluntarily proves it. Insist on receiving TWO certificates of insurance prior to work commencing. A homeowner should receive a certificate naming the homeowner and address, along with a minimum of 5 million dollars liability insurance. This protects your property or neighboring properties from damage that could unfortunately occur. Also, request a Workers Compensation certificate and also make sure it clearly states hazardous tree removal. This ensures the company is protecting its employees from physical injury. The harsh reality is that if a homeowner were to hire a company without workers compensation insurance and an employee of that company gets hurt, it’s the homeowner who ends up being responsible for that employee’s medical bills.
Just a few things to keep in mind the next time you’re looking up and admiring one of God’s treasured and mighty creations.
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