It's Raining Landscapers!

The title of this article brings humor to a subject that is truly not funny, and may even prove fatal.

Arborists are tree care professionals with years of practical experience and extensive education that makes them experts in their fields. Having credentials alone is not enough to allow you to practice legally in most jurisdictions. State and Provincial licences prevent the lay person from pruning or treating tree diseases in most locals.

Furthermore working with trees can be extremely dangerous. Workers compensation plans are aware of the risk involved and charge higher premiums to tree care companies as a result. As a comparison landscapers typically pay 6% to 10% of every dollar in wages to their compensation plans. Tree care professionals are required to pay 30% of every dollar in wages to be properly covered for workers compensation. Liability and damage insurance are also much higher for legitimate tree care companies. Knowing these risks professionals make sure they have in house safety programs for tree climbers and tree care workers.

The International Society of Arboriculture offers training for all levels of tree care workers from the person on the ground to the most experienced climber. Professional tree care companies use these programs to insure worker safety and maintain there ability to get affordable insurance.

When you consider that statistical research has proven that in an accidental fall situation 50% of all people falling from 6 feet will die, training and proper insurance are a necessity.

Aside from the noted safety issues Arborists are tree care professionals that have the most up to date information on tree care. This ensures that you are getting todays best practices and treatments for your home's valuable assets, your landscape trees.

I work with professional landscapers everyday. Many of them have great knowledge of plants and shrubs. The best ones know their limits and know when to call in tree care professionals to complement their work on the landscape. The experienced professionals know that when your working off the ground you need to be licensed and insured. Some have learned this the hard way after damaging property or injuring themselves or their workers.

You may think you are saving a few cents hiring uninsured unqualified companies or workers. When they injure themselves on your property and seek legal redress, you won't be hiring a lawyer from the temp agency.

I have included a collage of a news item and hand bill advertisements that one commonly sees. This guy was lucky. I didn't include a different news item of a landscaper that was taking down a large tree with unskilled help. The worker was pulling the tree over with a rope he had wrapped around his arm. The tree fell the wrong way violently pulling the worker into an adjacent tree, his baseball cap offered no protection as his head was slammed against the tree. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the local hospital. A high price was paid by this worker for his lack of experience.

For your tree care contact a tree care professional, an ISA certified arborist.