Consulting Arborists - Fast Track to Your Peace of Mind
Written by: Nathan Schuettpelz, Consulting Department Manager
Posted: 2019 | Consulting | Fall
Personally, fall is my favorite season. The cooling temperatures; changing colors; and wonderful smells of fall are a great reminder to slow down and enjoy where we are. Most of us are coming out of the hectic summer months, and now is the perfect time for reflection on how this past year has gone. Within our Consulting Department, I am asking what did we do well, and what could we have done better? I would have you ask the same questions of your own season of property management. Have you identified more tasks that could have gone better, or was your overall season a negative experience? I would like to introduce some ideas on how our Consulting Arborists can help you and your business (or home)!
Effective property landscape management begins with knowledge of what you have. This is especially true when you consider the trees growing on the properties you manage. Bouncing around different tree management options can be costly. Having an accurate idea of what kind of trees, the size of those trees, their condition, and how many trees you are responsible for managing can be the difference between suffering under burgeoning budgets or basking in the benefits provided by a healthy tree population.
Why invest in a tree inventory? An accurate tree inventory provides a wealth of information. From the collected tree data, you can project the potential costs of different tree management options. The Emerald Ash Borer continues to make headlines as it continues its’ march West across the country. Unfortunately, southeast Wisconsin has now been left in the wake of destruction from this tiny pest. Landscape management must now focus on multi-year removal plans to address this problem, but it can be difficult and time-consuming to assess entire property tree populations to determine if any trees can still be treated, which trees should be removed now, and which trees can be removed at a later date. As Consulting Arborists at Wachtel Tree Science, it is our job to take the effort to complete this task so that you can make informed decisions for your clients.
In some cases, it is too late, and you must respond to trees that have died and are now a hazard to people and their properties. Detailed records of tree maintenance activities that are collected in an inventory can disprove negligence on behalf of property managers. Effective and informed tree management can allow you to react proactively vs. reactively and save you money! Involving our Consulting Arborists early on in landscape management also provides you security and peace of mind. Within an inventory, we can single out individual trees that require more detailed assessments. For these trees, we can provide a risk assessment using the International Society of Arboriculture Tree Risk Assessment procedures. The resulting report assigns a level of risk to the tree, and mitigation options to reduce overall risk.
At the end of the day, as Consultants, we strive to help. Our expertise, the assessments we perform in the field, and the recommendations we make are for the well-being of trees and the safety of the surrounding environment. Contact the Consulting Arborists at Wachtel Tree Science to get on the fast track to your peace of mind!