On any given day in the greater Houston area, there are hundreds of amateur, mom and pop tree crews offering cut-rate services for tree trimming and tree removal. They promise quick tree trimming for a low cost, but accepting their offer often comes at a high price for commercial property owners. While choosing cheap, quick tree crews might seem like a smart financial decision for property owners, the reality is that these unsafe tree crews can put both owners and their trees in danger and can cost much more money in the future. Today’s blog post looks at three specific ways amateur tree crews can put owners, property, and even their wallets at risk.
Dangerous Techniques
One easy way to identify an unsafe, amateur tree crew is by taking a look at their appearance when they trim limbs or cut down trees. Unsafe tree crews will forgo OSHA required safety gear and will simply wear street clothes and baseball caps for personal protection instead of helmets, safety glasses, and gloves. In addition, they regularly fail to use proper tree trimming and tree removal techniques, which can lead to dangerous accidents, injuries, and property damages. This might include standing on tree limbs while pruning without safety harnesses, the use of unstable ladders to reach high limbs, or chopping down heavy limbs without securing them first with ropes. Unsecured limbs can crash down onto people, property, or utility lines, causing severe injuries, substantial property damages, and even power outages.
Tree Damages
Poor tree trimming techniques can leave trees wounded and damaged, both stunting future growth and making them far more susceptible to invasive insects and tree diseases. Amateur tree crews usually lop off large sections of the tree, leaving exposed and gaping wounds in the tree trunk, which increase the length of time the tree needs to recover from tree trimming. In addition, excessive tree trimming can also lower the tree’s aesthetic value and decrease the curb appeal of the commercial property.
Liability Issues
Finally, a commercial property owner may face liability issues because of poor workmanship or safety issues due to using unsafe, amateur tree crews. Many amateur tree crews, especially the ones that solicit business door to door after a storm, lack proper commercial insurance coverage or licenses for their work. Hiring an uninsured tree crew can leave commercial property owners vulnerable to liability claims if the amateur tree crew causes injury or property damage to a neighbor or passerby.
Commercial property owners have invested their time and money into their land, and hiring amateur tree crews can threaten these important investments. Rather than entrust trees to amateur, untrained, and unsafe tree crews, it is always smarter to choose the tree care experts of LMC Services. LMC’s team of Certified Arborists and Landscape Professionals excel at providing top-quality tree services with the highest levels of safety, efficiency, and professionalism. Contact LMC today about our full range of commercial tree care services, including Tree Pruning, Tree Removal, Tree Planting, Cabling and Bracing, Deep Root Fertilization, Root Flare Excavation, and Soil Analysis and Aeration. Go online to request a free consultation!
