FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I don’t charge for estimates, nor do I charge for referrals to other service providers who I think might more effectively meet your needs.

I use both methods for giving estimates.  Which method I employ depends upon the amount of work to be done and the degree of difficulty or danger that the job entails.  I like to be transparent about how I charge for my services to avoid any surprises or misunderstandings.

No I’m not. I’m a long time dues paying member of the International Society of Arboriculture but I am not a Certified ISA Arborist. I have experience working with a few who operate in the area and can provide you with referrals, or you could try the website of the local ISA chapter at: www.pnwisa.org.

No, I do not.

There are exceptions of course, but a great deal of research has conclusively demonstrated that how we prune our trees is far more important than when we prune them.

Compost, compost, compost!  Also, composted manure or a mixture of both.  If you have good healthy soil you’ll have strong, healthy trees and plants that are more robust & vigorous and better able to resist disease and attacking pests.  Build up your soil, regularly, with rich composted organic material.  Mulch and decorative bark are attractive dressings for bed, but that material is not readily usable by your plants.  Consider using compost instead.

As the composted organic matter gets watered into the soil, it provides almost immediate nutritive value to every living thing in your garden.  Compost Tea would be another good option.

Here are just a few of the many web sites available on this and other related subjects: 

www.seattletilth.org
www.howtocompost.org
www.earth911.org
www.cedar-grove.com

Time to call in a professional. Many, but not all, ISA Certified Arborists offer diagnosis and treatment services. Below you’ll find links to three companies I’m familiar with, there are many more in your area that with a little effort you can connect with. A good place to start your search for professional help is at www.treesolutions.com, www.inharmony.com, www.hendrikus.com.

As with any profession, there are talented, highly skilled tree care professionals, tree butchers, and everything in between.  Top quality pruning professionals that I know in this region get the majority of their new clients through word-of-mouth referrals.  I’ve been in business, in Seattle, since January 2001 and have built a client base and reputation that continue to serve me well. If you hire me to prune your trees I can promise you this:  I will be the person who shows up to do the work we’ve agreed on, on the day that we’ve agreed on and for the price we’ve agreed on.

Many Laceleaf Maples are grafted onto up-right Maple tree rooting stock. When the site of the graft -  the joining or uniting seam - fails, shoots of the root stock species emerge as pictured here: vertical green shoots jutting up through the canopy of a Red Japanese Laceleaf Maple. These should be removed as often as they emerge, otherwise they divert growth energy and detract from the beauty of the more desirable of the two trees. If you catch these shoots early, they’re young and soft and easily rub off. If left to develop they’ll need to be cut off.