Who here enjoys the money and playing with their toys while removing a tree, the crunch of dropping a big one on the street, or the cognitive thinking of roping one down limbs versus the tedium of looking for sucker growth and deadwood?
How many enjoy removals more than the tedious nature of pruning?
- Thread starter DLCRL
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
I would take a day of pruining over a removal anytime. Much rather be hired to care for a tree than kill it. Also, its generally repeat business instead of a one shot deal. Then there's the aspect of not having to compete with uninsured and unliscensed removal hacks. Most of the guys that do pruining in this area are arborists, well, yeah most of them.
Pruning and PHC. More money and easier on the body.
Given your definition of pruning, it's obvious you don't do much. There's more to it than just remove watersprouts and deadwood. Maybe it's just the unsophisticated and backward nature of the area you operate. (See your former comment about lack of classy restaurants)
I'm within the Minneapolis area but not actually living in that city. Deadwood and suckers is just a general definition, there's crossing and rubbing limbs, limbs that grow too heavy and thick so they're a potential hazard for splitting at the crotch. Branches on elms that are flagging so like cancer you remove a major portion in the hopes that disease doesn't reach the healthy wood.
RYNOMAGNUM
ArboristSite Operative
+1 for "KILL THE TREE"!!!
....I'm just a redneck sociopath with tree issues though....lol
....I'm just a redneck sociopath with tree issues though....lol
I'd much rather walk away from a home leaving it looking better than when we got there, versus leaving a few stumps behind. Removals are part of the business, but not why I love this work. And, as was said before, it's more lucrative and easier to set yourself apart from the hacks.
There are a ton of builders in the world but you need demolition experts as well, great removalists are not hacks, some of us just don't enjoy the tedium of crawling, scrambling all over a tree for maybe a quarter of what we'd make to remove it. I'm also a hell of asset when there's storm damage, which is a completely different animal.
RYNOMAGNUM
ArboristSite Operative
Exactly.
You asked what we enjoy. I've climbed in ten states, worked everything from hurricanes to ice storms. A true arborist is well rounded. But at the end of the day, I much prefer tree care to tree removal.
KenJax Tree
Terraphobic
Most of us can climb without spurs so we do more than removals
no need to crawl or scramble when you know what you're doing.It's a figure of speech I spend most of my time walking through the canopy because I tie in high, But I'd much rather remove a large branch than have to tediously prune all the detriments to it. I'd put my ability to scale most trees up against a guy setting a line w/throw bag and foot locking to the top any day.Most of us can climb without spurs so we do more than removals
I got into this because I enjoy climbing trees, I climbed all kinds of trees when I was a kid age 5 to 17 just for fun no safety equipment 30, 40 even 50 feet up not once in my youth did it depend on my ability to granny shoot a beanbag through a Y 50 feet up. Built forts in them hauling sheets of plywood up w/a rope. Hanging ropes so I can swing from one tree to another, I do this because it's fun, athletic and at this point in the game extremely lucrative.
mike515
ArboristSite Operative
I'll take pruning. I can't even guess how many times I've talked people into keeping trees that they thought (or were told) were dangerous or ugly beyond all hope. I usually tell them to give me a little time with it...if they don't like it, they can still have it removed. Then they see it when I'm done and say "Wow!! I had no idea that tree could ever look like that!" I love that! It's usually at that point that they realize I was right the whole time and the other guys just wanted the payday to remove it. That gets me more work later from them and others who they talk to about us.
I have a good number of customers who don't even ask for a price anymore. They just call me and say "Hey...you remember that tree...etc, etc.....well put it on the list and give me a call when you're close to doing it". They don't even bother getting a price from me...much less anyone else. It's because they trust me.
I have a good number of customers who don't even ask for a price anymore. They just call me and say "Hey...you remember that tree...etc, etc.....well put it on the list and give me a call when you're close to doing it". They don't even bother getting a price from me...much less anyone else. It's because they trust me.
Bet you can top em like nobodies business too.
That wasn't forr you mike.
I usually talk them out of that, it's a lot of work ugly results, sometimes it's harder than removing it, once in a while you get older customer who says I had it done years ago, now they want reduce the height again, I'm like it's your tree, your money. Unless they're really specific I try to drop crotch them, but you know what it's like if they want it a certain height.
mike515
ArboristSite Operative
I won't top trees for any amount of money. Even if they've been topped before. You can't pay me enough to put my name on that tree. I've pissed of a few old guys but I just tell them they are going to have to call someone else.
It's only a golden goose if its a rarity, if everyone has one, then eggs become worth very little. If companies want specialize in tree care I'll be happy to specialize in removals.
