Experienced arborists can help you keep your trees vigorous for many more decades

My good friend, the late Benny Simpson, was once describing growing up in the Texas Panhandle.

Benny was one of Texas’ most noted tree experts, and trees were a love of his from the time he was a child until the day that he died. He once told me, “When I was a kid on Sunday afternoons, my dad would take me down to the river to see the tree.”

We all need to have that same level of appreciation for trees here in Texas. They shade us and they protect us. They make our recreational spaces enjoyable many months of the year.

And, as if all that weren’t enough, a properly chosen, placed and cared for shade tree can be worth thousands of dollars in the resale value of a Texas home. That’s been especially noticeable in the frenzied housing market of the past couple of years.

It only stands to reason then, that you’d want to protect that investment by hiring only highly qualified professionals to work on your trees. How do you find such a company?

I’ve been in this business for more than 50 years here in the Metroplex. I’ve seen great companies, and I’ve seen some that weren’t all that great.

Ways to find a good tree service company

• Start with a company that’s been in business for a long time. Experience suggests success and happy customers.
• Get referrals from local nurserymen. They’ll know the companies that do the best work in your part of town.
• Talk to your friends and neighbors, especially those who have trees that have been cared for attentively. Don’t bother asking if a friend’s trees have been butchered or topped.
• Talk to the companies themselves and find one with which you are comfortable. This will be a business relationship, and you need to feel comfortable about how they will answer your questions.
• Ask for a list of five or six of their clients and ask how their work has been performed. Check them out on the online ratings sites.
• Above all, look for International Society of Arboriculture “Certified Arborists.” Those are the people who have studied the craft and proven their skills at a high professional level.

Most firms offer an option of annual or semi-annual visits by their representatives to check on the health and vigor of your prized shade trees. They will know the warning signals of trees in distress, and they’ll keep you apprised of any changes in your trees’ conditions.

Those local certified arborists will also know of any particular problems that may have entered the picture in recent months. Perhaps it’s a rapid buildup of bagworms that need to be addressed quickly, or perhaps it’s something even more sinister such as Seiridium canker on a Leyland cypress or extreme cold damage from February 2021 to live oaks or lacebark elms.

Arborists watch root flares to be sure a tree hasn’t been planted too deeply. That can lead to long-term stress and eventual tree loss. They’ll be on the lookout for roots that might be growing atop one another or pressing into the trunk. They’ll know what to do if you have roots that are starting to expand up out of the soil to the danger of sidewalks, driveways or even the foundation itself.

Trees are mortal beings, and like all the rest of the animals and plants on our planet, they have life expectancies. As trees begin to mature, the arborist may point out branches that are starting to weaken. He or she may suggest selective pruning to remove weakened branches that could fall and cause harm.

If large branches overhang your house, consider having your tree service specialist cable branches to support one another. It’s a highly skilled science involving tree climbing, plant physiology and physics, and that’s yet another reason to be sure you have someone who is certified.

When the time comes to take a tree down or to remove a large limb, you’ll want a firm that has the equipment and know-how. I had a huge native American elm in our landscape removed a few years ago. That tree was 48 inches in diameter, and I knew it was hollow. Outer branches were dying back, and it was only a matter of time until it might fall, taking out much of our backyard in the process. Almost as a challenge to themselves, they drew an “X” on the ground beside the huge trunk and promised me that every piece of that tree would be lowered to that exact spot. And I watched for six hours as they did exactly what they had said. A 60-foot tree dropped onto one spot the size of a card table.

When it comes to having tree work done, don’t yield to door-knocking people with pickups. They flood the streets after storms. Do your homework beforehand and invest in the best. Fine arborists can help keep your trees alive and vigorous for many more decades.

You can hear Neil Sperry on KLIF 570AM on Saturday afternoons 1-3 pm and on WBAP 820AM Sunday mornings 8-10 am. Join him at www.neilsperry.com and follow him on Facebook.