Bring On the Storm: How to prepare your trees for freezing weather

Trees: beautiful, picturesque … deadly?

Well, not usually, but trees have been known to drop limbs, crack down the middle, or fall over. This can cause damage to cars and property, and even injure people and animals. If a tree limb hurts someone else or their property on your land, you could even be liable. Not to mention that leaving your tree at the mercy of cold weather could result in damage to it, or even tree death.

That’s why it’s important to make sure you’ve got your botanical beauties well in check. Here are three tips to make sure you do just that this winter.

  1. Look for Disease or Damage

One of the best things you can do to keep your trees healthy and prevent damage to them or property is to remove dead, rotten, or diseased limbs. These are more likely to grow brittle in cold weather or break under the strain of ice or high winds. Removing all unhealthy branches greatly reduces this chance, so use this guide to pruning out dead or diseased wood this winter.

  1. Check Cables or Braces

Many trees rely on some form of support to hold up overlarge branches or limbs to keep them from tipping over, or to support them while they grow. When these anchoring devices become too tight, however, winter can bring danger in the form of brittleness. If trees are too tightly contained or become iced over, they can snap, potentially ricocheting and hurting someone. Similarly, high winds can create too much stress, resulting in the same thing.

  1. Don’t Wait on Storm Cleanup

Storm cleanup is critical after a rainstorm, hailstorm, or other weather event. Leaving trees partially damaged is a bad idea, because unstable limbs can fall off or even split trees down the middle. Avoid this by getting professional cleanup as soon as possible after a storm.

Premier Tree Solutions can help. We specialize in a number of arboreal areas, including tree removal, tree trimming and pruning, storm damage reparation and cleanup, branch clearing and debris removal, stump removal and grinding, Bobcat work and more. If you need tree-related help this winter, either cleaning up after a tree incident or taking preventative measures to ensure cold weather doesn’t affect your yard, give us a shout. Let us know how we can help today at 404-252-6448 or contact us here.

What Questions Should You Ask Every Tree Removal Company Before Hiring?

Tree removal can be a dangerous business. Not only can it lead to property damage, improper procedures can even mean the loss of life for workers or others in the area if they aren’t careful. That’s why it’s important to get the right tree team. These three questions will help you select the best team to complete the job.

1. Are You Licensed and Insured?

If tree removal professionals don’t have licenses, this indicates that they are not properly educated and equipped to be removing your trees, so you shouldn’t hire them. Insurance is even more important – if your tree care specialists don’t carry it, you will be liable for any damage that occurs on your property. Unfortunately, if you have not made every effort to ascertain their license and insurance status, it will be very hard for you to make a case disputing this. Always ask for proof of both.

2. Can You Provide a List of References?

Any company worth their salt should be able to provide references for you that will show their credibility. In fact, most will immediately produce a list of three or so people you can call to learn more about their work and their approach to business.

Note that these should be quality references. A company whose only reference is the office manager’s grandmother isn’t doing too well; you should take a pass on them. Opt for companies that can demonstrate experience in the business by providing several references. Even if the company is new, you can trust them as long as they’ve done good work and can prove it.

3. Can You Get a Detailed Proposal?

A good tree care specialist should be able to scope out a job and provide you a professional, detailed written description of your desired scope of work and an associated cost so you know exactly what you would be buying. If the proposal is non-descriptive and you just base your decision on price, then you could be left with an unexpected mess. KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS INCLUDED AND WHAT IS NOT – GET IT IN WRITING.

Premier Tree Solutions is a growing tree removal business based in Atlanta, Georgia, specializing in a number of tree-related areas. We provide tree removal and trimming, storm damage and cleanup, branch clearing and debris removal, stump removal and grinding, and Bobcat work. Let us know if we can help you today. Contact Premier Tree Solutions today at 404-252-6448 or online here.

Shop Smart: Check For Insurance When Choosing An Arborist

Trimming, pruning, or even cutting down trees is an important part of yard maintenance, and many of these chores can’t be done on your own. When you need help with those tall oaks and pine trees, your first instinct is likely to head to a professional tree service, which is definitely a smart move.

Want to know an even smarter move? Checking the tree service’s insurance. When it comes to potentially dangerous situations like tree care, you want to make sure you’re going with reputable, qualified, and insured arborists. Here’s how to spot a good company with good insurance.

Prevent Foreseeable Accidents

A lot of accidents can be prevented if you take the time upfront to ensure you’re working with tree specialists who are qualified and are knowledgeable about safety protocols. However, sometimes accidents are unavoidable. When that happens, you want to make sure you haven’t made the even bigger accident of forgetting to check an arborist’s insurance.

Why? Because if accidents or injuries happen on your property and the arborist isn’t insured, you may become liable. If you don’t want to pay for damages or medical expenses, you should check that your tree care specialist has both liability and worker’s compensation insurance, without any exceptions.

Ask for Proof of Insurance

The easiest way to determine whether your tree care specialist is insured is simply to ask. They will be able to tell you what kind of insurance they have and what it covers. Note that if you hire a company from another state, you have to make sure they also cover work in your state.

Know that asking about insurance shouldn’t be awkward, and doesn’t imply that you don’t trust the arborist. In fact, a good tree care company will be glad you asked, because they can demonstrate how they can be trusted. On the other hand, a less-than-splendid company will probably turn sour if you ask for insurance. They might show you false or lapsed proof of insurance, which is another issue to look out for.

Call and Confirm

The only way to make sure your arborist truly is insured is to call their insurance provider. A tree care company can provide you with the number to do so, after which the insurance company will send you the requested proofs of insurance. In some cases, liability and workers compensation insurance are covered by separate companies, so you will need call both to be certain.

Need tree help that is also properly insured? Contact Premier Tree Solutions today at 404-252-6448 or online here.

Be Your Own Tree Hero This Fall! Let Proactive Trimming Save The Day

Most tree owners have heard that pruning is a chore to be done during the spring or summer months. While this is true, fall is a great time to prune as well. Once leaves drop, it’s easier to see where the tree has structural weaknesses. It is also a time to see if the tree needs branches or limbs removed to minimize damage in winter weather. Let’s take a quick look at fall pruning guidelines.

Why Prune Proactively?

The truth is that while bad weather can damage trees no matter what you do to prevent it, proactive pruning can minimize the potential damage. Reducing the number of open wounds in cold weather helps the tree remain strong and healthy until warm weather returns.

Colorado State University advises to always look for limbs that form narrow “V” crotches when you prune. This is where damages is likely to occur. You should also remove any branches that look dead or previously damaged because they are most likely to break during storms. This will preserve your trees against snow, ice, and high winds.

When to Perform Fall Trims

You can prune in fall at any time you need to remove dead, damaged or diseased branches. While this does pose a small chance of weakening the tree, it’s a good to remove limbs before they get ripped off in storms, creating jagged wounds that are much more dangerous for trees.

Annual Pruning Vs. Winter Protection

You should note that pruning in fall does still expose the tree to cold, pests, fungus, and disease at a time when its defenses are low. Confine your pruning efforts to removing limbs or branches that pose a danger to people, property, or the tree itself. Perform your annual pruning for shape at the end of the dormancy period, just before the tree breaks bud in spring.

Call in an Expert

While there are some pruning chores homeowners can do without endangering themselves or the tree, certified arborists are trained and outfitted for the big jobs. If you need help, call Premier Tree Solutions. We’re a growing tree removal business based in Atlanta, Georgia, and we specialize in pruning, tree removal, storm cleanup, storm damage repair, branch clearing, and stump grinding. Let us know how we can help today at 404-252-6448 or contact us here.