When I called Oak Arbor Care to have my trees trimmed during the dormant season, I could hardly…read morebelieve my ears when I was able to schedule a trimming within a week. Yesterday, as promised, "Curtis" arrived (15 minutes early!), ready to get to work.
He started on my two dead aspen in my backyard, shinnying up the one good aspen, then, chunk by chunk, taking down the two dead trees. I watched for a few minutes because I find it interesting to see a professional at work. I left for a minute to start lunch, and by the time I came back the two trees were just about down. He had chainsawed 'em in the time it took for me to get lunch going, and was beginning to haul the wood from my lower back area, through the snow, around the house and into a chipper. I mean, talk about efficiency!
About the time he was cleaning up, his partner and owner, "Jake Chestnut" arrived from another job. He climbed the other tree in need of trimming, an ash, in about two minutes, through the use of a rope and pulley system. Again, fascinating to watch. Jake selectively cut the limbs I had asked for him to take out that were covering my fireplace chimney. With Curtis' help he lowered the limbs piece by piece to the ground where Curtis cut them up. Together they ran them through the chipper. Afterward, Curtis raked the snow (!) to clear off the debris left from the cutting and hauled it up to the truck. Then the two of them chipped everything up and, with their blower, cleaned the area up, including the driveway and side yard. From beginning to end it hardly took two hours.
Jake then came in to settle up with me. He charged me exactly what he said he would, and gave me the promised ten percent discount for cash. He'd told me this earlier so I was prepared. Who doesn't like a discount? I enjoy visiting my new bank anyway, so I did just that.
My trees, while looking a little bare at the moment, will benefit in the long run from this professional trimming. Jake, a certified arborist for many years (I think he told me twelve) also told me about a possible problem I could have with some pines that I wasn't aware of. He told me how my trees could die in six months if they became infected with this particular insect. I need to contact him again about exactly what to look for. Without his having told me this though, my trees, which I planted over twenty years ago, could disappear that quickly without my even noticing. Bottom line is to contact a several arborist with good reviews, and walk through your yard with them. Then, LISTEN to what they say. It could save your trees!
