Published 12/17/2020 by Oregon Tree Care
When you picture an arborist, what do you imagine? Someone climbing up a tree? A person hugging a tree?
If you aren’t sure exactly what an arborist does, you’re not alone. In this blog post, we’ll review what an arborist’s job entails, and why it’s so important to the health and longevity of your property (and our environment!).
What is an arborist?
An arborist is a person who specializes in the care of trees. They are highly experienced in planting, maintaining, removing, and caring for trees to keep them healthy and thriving for as long as possible.
A Certified Arborist is someone who has a minimum of 3 years full-time experience in arboriculture (the cultivation of trees and shrubs) and/or a degree in the field of arboriculture. They must also pass the International Society of Arboriculture’s Certified Arborist exam.
What does an arborist do?
Generally, an arborist does whatever they can to help maintain the life and health of a tree. Let’s take a look at more specific job functions of an arborist.
Tree trimming and pruning
There are three main reasons tree trimming and pruning is important for:
- • Keeping the tree healthy and happy
- • Mitigating risk if the structure of the tree or branches has been compromised. This includes if branches are hanging on our nearby your house or powerlines, or if there are dead or dying branches that may fall
- • Aesthetics
Not only does trimming and pruning help improve the look of a tree, but it also helps improve the overall structure of the tree, encouraging healthy branches and weight distribution.
When done improperly however, tree trimming can have negative long term effects on the health of your tree, causing more work and money for you down the road.
That’s why we always recommend working with a professional arborist when it comes to trimming or pruning your trees — they will know the proper approach and technique to keep your tree healthy and happy for as long as possible.
Arborist reports
An arborist report is a report detailing the condition of the tree. This includes its health, areas of damage, disease, threats to the tree or the property, recommendations, and more. It is written and signed by the arborist.
Generally, arborists reports are prepared when a permit is required to either prune or remove a tree. However, you might also need a certified arborist report for:
- • Negotiations when buying or selling a home
- • Lawsuits or legal disputes
- • Insurance claims
- • Creating tree preservation plans before beginning construction or remodeling
If you aren’t sure whether an arborist report is necessary, you’ll need to check your city’s permitting website, as well as the Forestry Department website. Still aren’t sure? Give us a call at (503) 929-9437 and we’ll see how we can help.
Tree removal
Trees are essential to our lives and the ecosystem we live in. That’s why an arborist isn’t likely to recommend removing a tree unless it’s absolutely necessary.
If you have a tree in your yard that appears to be diseased, dying, dead, or that you feel poses a risk, give your local arborist a call to come out and examine it. They will help determine the best course of action for you and your tree.
Before removing a tree, our team at Oregon Tree Care always considers things like:
- • The age and size of the tree
- • The current condition of the tree — is it healthy? Is it stable?
- • The location of the tree and its likelihood of damaging your property or your neighbor’s property
- • The location and health of surrounding trees
- • Whether the tree could impact upcoming construction or renovation projects
After the examination, we’ll discuss your goals and provide recommendations for moving forward. In many cases, it’s possible the tree can be saved by something as simple as trimming its branches! But if not, our team has the skills, experience, and tools required to safely remove the tree.
Tree cabling and bracing
Here in the Pacific Northwest, we’re no strangers to heavy foliage, snow, ice, and the occasional bout of high winds. While these things may be fleetingly inconvenient to us, they can put a lot of stress and even cause damage to trees with poor or weak structure. Other common signs of a tree with weak structure include:
- • Trees with split or cracked limbs
- • Trees with poor branching structure
- • Trees with decayed areas
- • Trees with a poor root system
That’s where tree cabling and bracing comes in. When done correctly, tree bracing and cabling is a great way to keep a tree structurally sound and happy, without needing to remove it or trim branches.
To cable a tree, an arborist drills holes into the trunk or branches of the tree in question. Then, they insert a cable into the drill hole and secure it to create a supportive tension. It is possible to cable a tree too tightly, which can further damage the tree. That’s why it’s important to leave the tree cabling and bracing to a certified arborist.
Tree planting
So you’re thinking about adding a new tree to your yard to increase your property value. You can just plant it anywhere, right? This isn’t recommended. There’s more strategy to planting a tree than it seems — their placement can have a huge impact on the soil, shade, and wind around your property.
If you’re thinking about planting more trees around your property, our arborists can help! Our approach to tree planting includes:
- Inspecting your yard and evaluating the health of the trees and soil currently there
- Walking you through any recommendations for pruning, trimming, etc. for the existing trees on your property
- Working with you to help pick the best trees to plant in your yard and where to put them
- Planting your chosen trees and discussing our recommended care and maintenance plan with you
Even after we’ve planted your new tree, we are still here to answer any questions you have in the future, and would be happy to provide any other tree services you may need. Contact us today to learn more!
Emergency tree services
When you picture a “tree emergency,” what do you picture? A tree fallen over your driveway? A branch hanging precariously over your child’s playhouse? One tree leaning on another tree? These are all correct, but a tree emergency also doesn’t have to be this extreme.
For our team at Oregon Tree Care, any time you are concerned or worried about one of your trees constitutes a tree emergency, and we encourage you to reach out to us at (503) 929-9437! We are happy to provide a free risk assessment.
The sooner you have the tree examined, the better. Emergency tree trimming and removal not only directly contributes to the health of your trees, but the safety of you and your loved ones as well. Our arborists will carefully examine, make recommendations, and then care for your tree.
Why is tree care important?
Regular tree care and maintenance encourage your trees to be as healthy as they can be. This usually translates into longer lives for them, increased production of flowers and fruits, and of course, greater safety for the people, cars, and structures on your property. Healthy trees also provide a wealth of benefits to you and your property by:
- • Improving air quality
- • Reducing erosion
- • Strengthening soil
- • Providing privacy for your property
- • Increasing property value
- • Decreasing the likelihood of crime in your neighborhood, according to some studies
- • Offering a therapeutic, calming effect when you look at them
- • Helping to insulate your home, which can lower your heating and cooling costs
Looking for arborist services? Contact Oregon Tree Care today
Our team of experienced arborists has helped homeowners across the Portland metro area properly and ethically care for their trees. We look forward to helping you too!
Contact us today online or give us a call at (503) 929-9437 to set up a consultation.