The Art and Safety of Tree Work, Weather Alert
During the season I have written a few newsletters about tree work. As you may recall, I wrote about creating more light for pools, pruning for balance, checking for rot at the base of trees, and educating on what a widow maker is. Whenever my clients watch us climb, they are amazed at how talented and skilled we are at what we do. Aside from being an art, the training required to be an expert climber takes years; not only to know what to cut, but to adhere to the number one priority which is safety.
I could fill this newsletter with horror stories of inexperienced climbers, their groundsmen, and even homeowners who have paid a dear price because of their inexperience alone. I will spare you those stories.
On average it takes about three years for a climber to reach a level of confidence and correctly prune or take down a tree. Picture a safety pilot doing a safety check on a plane before take off, and that is essentially what a climber has to do. Check the ropes, check the belts, the ladder, the saws. The list goes on and on. The groundsman does safety checks on the chipper, double checks the climber’s checklist. Before the climber goes up, he develops a strategy of how he is going to prune or take down and communicates with the groundsman. And up he goes.
Tree climbing is truly an art. Watching the groundsman and climber work together is like watching a symphony. It looks very natural watching them together, but the disciplines required to work together takes years. I am proud of all the people that we employ, but am especially proud of the way they treat each other.
If there is any advice to give you around hiring a tree climber, check his experience level and most importantly, make sure they are fully insured. Everyone wants to save money, but everyone needs to go home safe to their families, and my clients can feel good about having a true professional on their property.
Weather Alert
Last week I not only gave you my weather prediction but also wrote about having hurricanes for the past two years. At this writing, Tropical Storm Karen is headed for the Gulf Coast. If it stays as predicted we will have a severe rain event. If for some strange reason it flips over Florida, the whole game changes. It would gain much more strength after that. Who knows… Always better to be prepared.
I think we are just going to have an unusual amount of rain. So if you are not coming out this weekend and need something tended to do not hesitate to call.
We will still be aerating but are holding off on any seeding until we are clear from the heavy rains.