New to the Site, Yosemite area

[SummerfieldTreeandLand]

Hello,
Im new to the site, Ive been working around the Mariposa/Yosemite California area on and off again for a cumulative 15 years. Im here because my experience has been on the job experience, and I've learned from a lot of seasoned professionals but not received formal certifications. I've been taking on my own jobs for about 8 years, and have been operating unlicensed and uninsured fairly successfully. This is a huge bother to me. I really want to be licensed and insured, to be able to hire and provide insurance for employees as well as provide training and certification opportunities. I believe it will greatly improve the services I can provide to current and prospective clients.
Unfortunately the process of navigating and securing the licenses and insurance Im hoping to maintain has become an obstacle to me, as it's very confusing. It's also a bit daunting, the way some of the requirements are portrayed in some of the applications. Im a single full time parent, that has harbored my success in my work ethic and honesty. Ideally I would like to move my business up to the next level and do my part to provide more resources and opportunities to my community which is facing the "beetle bug & drought epidemic"

Certificates and licenses I have been looking at are:

California contractors license- D49, C27, C61
Californias LTO (Licensed Timber Operator)
And forestry tree faller Classification/certification

I've read a bit into ISA as well and am unclear as to what benefits come with obtaining their certifications. So any feedback on that would be greatly appreciated.

Anyone else here from around my area in California, or operating elsewhere in California with stories experience or advice is greatly appreciated as well.

Thanks,
Kyle

 

[Woos31]

Welcome to the site Kyle, there's a small little magnifying glass under your alerts icon top right of the AS home screen..............that is the search function and you could possibly enter inquiries in the search function and find where others talked about such things. Quite often if searched, most all questions have been asked and conversations of such exist and can be sifted through to find what you need. There's a lot of good folks here to gleen knowledge from and check out the "good morning check in" thread as well, many many good folks on there to get to know. Although a single parent with a business I imagine time is little for yackin with us knuckleheads lol but good on you for makin all that work sir. Take care and safe cuttin

 

[jefflovstrom]

There is no easy way,
you must pay,
Jeff, AS poet

 

[SummerfieldTreeandLand]

Welcome to the site Kyle, there's a small little magnifying glass under your alerts icon top right of the AS home screen..............that is the search function and you could possibly enter inquiries in the search function and find where others talked about such things. Quite often if searched, most all questions have been asked and conversations of such exist and can be sifted through to find what you need. There's a lot of good folks here to gleen knowledge from and check out the "good morning check in" thread as well, many many good folks on there to get to know. Although a single parent with a business I imagine time is little for yackin with us knuckleheads lol but good on you for makin all that work sir. Take care and safe cuttin

Thanks for the reply and suggestions, I've searched out a couple different things and am hopeful that the progress of my business will bring the certs along. Youre right about me having limited time, energy, money etc. Ill check in as I can and hopefully gain from and contribute to this forum along the way. Never know what youre going to come across in this line of work... for example I had the priviledge of working on what was at the time the third largest registered bull pine in California on record. Prior to that I had no knowledge that they were kept track of in such a fashion.

Thinking a lot about knots, and how much paperwork everythings going to take over time. thanks for the replies... and yeah, when the time comes to study I will, practice I will, pay I will, and work I will

 

[Woos31]

Thanks for the reply and suggestions, I've searched out a couple different things and am hopeful that the progress of my business will bring the certs along. Youre right about me having limited time, energy, money etc. Ill check in as I can and hopefully gain from and contribute to this forum along the way. Never know what youre going to come across in this line of work... for example I had the priviledge of working on what was at the time the third largest registered bull pine in California on record. Prior to that I had no knowledge that they were kept track of in such a fashion.

Thinking a lot about knots, and how much paperwork everythings going to take over time. thanks for the replies... and yeah, when the time comes to study I will, practice I will, pay I will, and work I will

Oh that's neat, I didn't know they tracked trees like that either but that's neat you got to do that. I'd be scared it would die if I touched it haha. Well sir sounds like you got yerself lined out and like you say things will line up how and when they're supposed to, and anymore a guy can't hardly do anything without being cer-tificated, and reg-isterated, and edge-emicated without somebody sanding your birthday off of ya if something maybe got a little sideways, sheet metal creased, or some glass broke. Best of luck with everything and if I can help with anything (which is marginal at best lol) don't hesitate to ask pard, safe cuttin and enjoy them young-uns

 

[SummerfieldTreeandLand]

Oh that's neat, I didn't know they tracked trees like that either but that's neat you got to do that. I'd be scared it would die if I touched it haha. Well sir sounds like you got yerself lined out and like you say things will line up how and when they're supposed to, and anymore a guy can't hardly do anything without being cer-tificated, and reg-isterated, and edge-emicated without somebody sanding your birthday off of ya if something maybe got a little sideways, sheet metal creased, or some glass broke. Best of luck with everything and if I can help with anything (which is marginal at best lol) don't hesitate to ask pard, safe cuttin and enjoy them young-uns

Yeah,, Im just scratching my head wondering how I just took out 21 pines for a thousand bucks, and the neighbor has one he wants to pay 400 to have removed... the one for 400 being easier than any of the 21. 8 of the 21 leaning by a house... scratch scratch.

I thought it was pretty cool too... and I thought that bull pine we worked on wasnt really that big. But I did do a bunch of work with redwoords and firs in Nor Cal Trinity, Mendocino and Humboldt... which I classify as big (6' dbh).

Little trees... we turned one into teeter totter and got to play for a minute.

Been a lot of wondering what to do with all this wood. I could very well have about a thousand 20 foot sections by February ...... sigh. Im an altruistic person, sad to see the property owners lose out on the value of the trees, often times taken advantage of by service providers that are just interested in their turn arounds. Ill be making some furniture at least, do some outdoor projects. Hopefully get that LTO and maybe make some money back on all Im shelling out to do what I do .

Anyone else love what they do?

 

[BC WetCoast]

21 trees for $1000?????!!!!! And you guys are worried about the Mexicans.

For us, $1000 gets you about 5.5 hours for a 2 man crew.

 

[jefflovstrom]

LOL, yeah, hard lesson,
Jeff

 

[Woos31]

Maybe a hard lesson but you gotta learn some stuff the hard way too, if you don't know any better then sometimes you get had, just part of er. Seeing trees that close to a dwelling makes me antsy like being in fire snags during a wind storm! All paranoid. Wish I did love my job which it sounds as you do very much, but with 4 hungry young-uns I gotta play the full bennys county road maintenance game, running equipment comes natural to me as I've done it all my life except I got saw had and wood chips in my veins being the first generation of my family that wasn't a timber feller. I make due for my family and that's what it's all about, however I ALWAYS have the itchy to go do what I love albiet starve in the process. Funny how that's always the alternative.................starve to death, have nothing but love what you do for work more than anything, or be unhappy as hell make due and just float along with everyone else lol. Oh and yes them bass-tard beetles are everywhere here in Oregon too, that and all the burnt up trees that we haven't 'figured out' how to salvage yet