Many Houston business owners rely on contractors to help their business run smoothly and ensure that their company facilities are in excellent condition. Businesses depend on contractors for HVAC needs, plumbing issues, electrical repairs, and tree and landscape maintenance. However, hiring amateur tree trimmers and day laborers can cause major problems for business owners. In today’s blog post, we’ll look at three ways amateur tree crews can cause trouble for business owners by threatening their safety, livelihood, and standing within the community.
Improper Tree Removal
A local business owner recently found himself in trouble with the city of Houston over his decision to have several mature trees removed from his commercial property during the middle of the night. Although these trees were on his commercial lot, they were growing on a right-of-way belonging to the city of Houston, so the business owner had no right to have them removed by his amateur tree crew. Damaging or removing trees on city property or a city right-of-way can result in civil lawsuits, massive fines, and outrage from the surrounding community. The amateur tree crew simply performed the tree removal without any regard for obtaining city approval, whereas a professional tree contractor like LMC would know that removing trees on a city right-of-way without proper approval and permits is illegal.
Excessive Tree Pruning
When amateur tree crews excessively prune or trim back trees, this can cause lasting tree damage, leaving trees vulnerable to harmful tree diseases and insect infestations. Careless tree pruning can create a financial nightmare for business owners since they may have to spend much more money on tree cabling and bracing, tree removal, or tree replacement. These added expenses can eliminate any potential savings made by choosing amateur and unprofessional tree crews over professional tree contractors. In addition, poor workmanship by amateur tree crews or day laborers can lead to the loss of valuable shade and aesthetic value from mature trees.
Unsafe Tree Trimming Practices
Unsafe tree trimming practices or a lack of proper personal protective gear by amateur workers can lead to property damage, personal injury or liability issues for property owners. When amateur tree crews lop off tree limbs without safety cables or proper training, they are much more likely to be injured or cause property damage because limbs and branches will land in haphazard and dangerous ways. Liability issues are also increased for business owners that choose amateur tree crews or day laborers, because they are much more likely to become injured on the worksite without proper insurance coverage for themselves.
LMC offers Houston-area businesses safe, reliable, cost-effective and skilled tree and landscape services performed by Certified Arborists and Landscape Professionals. LMC is pleased to offer a full range of top-quality landscape and tree maintenance services, including commercial landscape management, tree pruning, tree planting, tree removal, cabling and bracing, irrigation installation and repair, weed control services, emergency tree services, and landscape budgeting and tree mapping. Our team complies with all OSHA and ANSI A300 tree maintenance standards for optimal safety. Contact LMC today for more information, or go online to request a free consultation!