Former tree hugger? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #1 05-26-2016, 07:26 AM

When we bought the lot for our house some 26 years ago a big attraction was it was a lot close to downtown, one acre and loaded with trees. There had been a large house here but it burned I surmise, and the lot had sat empty for at least 50 years or so so some of the trees were pretty large, but also mixed in with decent trees are a bunch of those infernal locust.

About a year ago a large one dropped a branch onto my house and did some damage to the roof. Last night same tree dropped another one on my deck. I heard a thump and the rattling of the slate which is on two walls adjacent to the deck.

I got up with some concern and went outside to see how bad it was. The base of the big branch is still attached to the tree about 30' up and the tops of the branches are resting on my deck and deck furniture. When I first went out the small branches were still breaking and every so often the branch would shift down a bit.

There is a branch above my rabbit, Theodore's, home but he is unscathed.

I had some young men here yesterday the the Mrs. found on Craigslist who say they are tree removers but I doubt they are the right men for this tricky job.

My trusted yard/tree removal guy has stopped returning my calls, I suspect because his business is failing due to his lack of business organizational skills, IE doing work but not billing the customer for it.

I know a couple others but both have done work for me with less than 100% satisfaction. (Dropping trees on your customer's house, another tree you are not supposed to be removing, a car or deck all seem like no no's).

So this morning I am searching for tree removers with a bucket truck.

I sent my insurance agent an email asking for a recommendation.

I hate just calling the first one that comes up on Google.

i also have three large (from 12" to nearly 2' diameter) elm trees that have come up dead or dying, all within 25' of my house.

So at present I am experiencing the downside of living in an urban woods.

catmandoo62 · #2 05-26-2016, 08:36 AM

trees.love em for the shade.hate em for the damage they do when they lose branches.when i went to build my shop there was a cottonwood tree i swear was 150 ft tall right where i wanted to build.i talked to my neighbor and he said the previous 2 owners of the property also wanted to put up a shop but the cost to drop the tree turned em off.
well if they just would have talked to the power company like i did,they could have got it dropped for free.as it was hanging over the power line from the road to my meter so it was their responsibiity.so if you have a power wire say under that tree talk to the power company they have crews they sub contract with to do just this.and should be free.they will also trim back trees that are within 10 ft of power lines.

E150GT · #3 05-26-2016, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catmandoo62

trees.love em for the shade.hate em for the damage they do when they lose branches.when i went to build my shop there was a cottonwood tree i swear was 150 ft tall right where i wanted to build.i talked to my neighbor and he said the previous 2 owners of the property also wanted to put up a shop but the cost to drop the tree turned em off.
well if they just would have talked to the power company like i did,they could have got it dropped for free.as it was hanging over the power line from the road to my meter so it was their responsibiity.so if you have a power wire say under that tree talk to the power company they have crews they sub contract with to do just this.and should be free.they will also trim back trees that are within 10 ft of power lines.

I need to look into this.

t walgamuth · #4 05-26-2016, 09:26 AM

No wires near this one. I had another recently that overhung a wire. I tried to get the power company to look at it but they would not call me back or respond to email at their emergency number.

Maki · #5 05-26-2016, 10:12 AM

I'd seek out a certified arborist. Looks like the Indiana Arborist Association has an online directory -- Bellinger's Tree Care and Arbor Care Tree & Landscaping are listed in Lafayette.

OM617YOTA · #6 05-26-2016, 11:45 AM

I feel your pain, Monday I have an arborist coming out to take out three cottonwoods that are wedged between my shop and the neighbor's property. Two are dead, the third is on it's way. Even just having them get the trees on the ground and chip up the brush and leave the wood for me to deal with, it's still going to be $3k.

Look around online, reviews are great. I made sure I was present for each of the four companies I had bid the job, lots of good info by talking to the person who bid the job. Also a good indicator of the company, one company was discounted due to the sloppy and unprofessional manner of the company owner, even though their bid was low. Check BBB rating, verify insurance and CCB #, etc. Talk to your neighbors and get referrals.

Anyone want to buy some firewood?

link · #7 05-26-2016, 12:46 PM

I’ve hired 6 different people/groups to remove trees on a number of occasions. All but one has come from Craig’s list.

The first question to a prospect should be if they are licensed businesses and have a bond or insurance in the event of a problem they cause. The 2nd question should be a request for proof of their bond/insurance. The next should be if they use a wood chipper or truck to haul everything away. They should have both.

When in doubt go with the people who contract to the power/phone line folks. They typically are highly reliable if at a premium cost.

Always put your instructions for their work in writing and walk them through what you want them to do.

As an aside I’m somewhere in the middle of a large tree removal project. This past winter there were 5 30’ to 40’ tall alders that came to rest on my mountain house’s roof, which was a fraction of 30+ trees that fell due to heavy snow fall over about a week. In total I will be removing and cutting up around 60-80 alders. I’ve completed 7 so far. Getting the ones off the roof without damage was a fun exercise in clever engineering.

It will take most of the summer and fall to complete the bigger project but what an awesome workout and when completed the house will get some afternoon sun for the first time in about 10 years, and i'll be burning alder in the fireplace for at least several years...

sunedog · #8 05-26-2016, 01:34 PM

You need to hire this guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJXPXTaVlMY

t walgamuth · #9 05-26-2016, 01:38 PM

Im pressive! My trees are far from straight.

engatwork · #10 05-26-2016, 05:14 PM

I can do that

. I have to drop big trees around here all the time after they get hit by lightening. Best advice I can give is to only run a Stihl chain saw and always keep the blade sharp.

OM617YOTA · #11 05-26-2016, 05:33 PM

Or hire these guys:

(strong language warning)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFssg5YHSh4

JB3 · #12 05-26-2016, 05:45 PM

Ive had good results with tree companies well reviewed on yelp.

I have no problem dropping a tree, have it go a direction i want is a different matter. Recently i dropped a 100 foot damaged tree and a massive poison ivy vine woven into it managed to redirect it with inches to spare between my lawn tractor and garage.

Now i confine myself to riskless fall areas for tree dropping.

Are any of these black locust? Those are the worst in my opinion

t walgamuth · #13 05-26-2016, 07:48 PM

Maybe.

JB3 · #14 05-27-2016, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Maybe.

I had a company take down about 15 locust trees that were fully mature and the weakness of them was very scary to watch.

They cut one low only to have it break into 4 or 5 huge chunks as it fell just from its own weight. After that they started sectioning them in about 15 foot sections to control the fall.

they are unbelievably weak with shallow root systems, ive been trying to eradicate them for about 2 years now slowly.

t walgamuth · #15 05-27-2016, 11:54 PM

My favorite tree trimmer came by about 1145 this morning. I spoke with him a bit and went to eat lunch. By 100 pm he had taken the branch off the deck without damaging anything (amazing!) stacked the branches in the yard and was gone.

Unfortunately there are still three other elm trees which probably should come down, along with this one.