An arborist’s major functions can be divided into three-care, maintain, and manage trees. If you’re interested in exploring the functions of an arborist, you’re in the right place. In this blog, we are diving deep into an arborist’s function, why certified arborists matter, and where you’ll find trustworthy arborists.
What Is An Arborist, And What Do They Do?
Arborists are trained professionals who maintain tree health, look out for disease, and apply proper management so that the tree thrives, without being an obstacle to anyone. Well, not just these, an arborist’s working area is large, and some important things they do are described here-
Tree Health Assessment
Arborists assess and inspect a tree carefully, and look for any structure issues, pest issues, and overall tree health. They observe if a tree is healthy or needs any steps to keep your tree strong and sustained.
Disease Diagnosis
As trees are living organisms, they also develop diseases over time. As these trees don’t speak for themselves, arborists come to help them. They diagnose and treat the disease tree. Arborists are called tree doctors for this reason.
Tree Pruning
Tree pruning is not just randomly cutting out branches of a tree. It requires more knowledge and delivers minimal damage to the tree, for further growth and stability of the tree. An arborist prunes the branches following scientific methods. Some common types of pruning are-
- Crown thinning
Target: reduce tree density for light penetration
- Crown reduction
Target: Shortens large branches to prevent storm damage and power line safety
- Crown clearing
Target: Dead, diseased branch removal to prevent disease spreading
- Crown raising
Remove lower branches to improve the visibility in streets and sidewalks.
- Structural pruning
Weak branches removal in a young tree to guide a nice, beautiful structure.
Tree Planting
Not just any tree plantation, arborists carefully select the species to plant based on soil quality, climatic conditions of that area, and visual aesthetics. Also, they improvise the best plantation technique, tailored to each species’ growth.
Emergency Tree Removal
Emergency tree removal is needed after storms, cyclones, hailstorms, windy weather, etc, when large trees fall and block the road, damage buildings, or public/private properties. Arborists not only assess the best technique to remove a tree with the least harm to it. Many arborists are trained in such a way to climb the tree. So they work as a tree climber too, in some emergency cases.
Tree Protection
In any government construction project, landscaping, arborists take action to protect the beloved trees from injury. As trees are connected to soil, arborists take soil quality and safeguarding the tree into consideration.
Assisting In A Tree Ownership Dispute
As trees are large species, they can sometimes cross a boundary between two neighbours. It causes disputes due to overhanging branches, hazardous trees, and tree damage claims. An arborist can work as a neutral mitigator. They can also serve as an expert witness.
Tree Transplanting
Arborists can transport a tree from one area to another and transplant it. They remain cautious of root health and damage to the tree in this process. Also, re-planting a large tree needs skills. Think of it as transferring one critical patient into the ICU.
Tree Fertilization
Fretilization may seem a pretty simple task. However, in heritage and rare trees, a random fertilizer may not work. Here, arborists come as a saviour. They analyze the soil nutrients in laboratory conditions to find out what nutrients are lacking.
Certified Arborist Vs Arborist
Not all arborists are certified. Many are called arborists due to their skill and experience in practical work. However, they have no certification or education regarding new techniques and methods of tree health management. So what is are difference between certified and non-certified arborists-
| Criteria | Non-certified arborists | Certifed arborists |
| Certification | No certification needed | ISA(International Society of Arboriculture) certification is required |
| Safety reliance | Lower safety protocol | High safety and safety equipment |
| Expert testimony | Cannot pass as la egal witness | Can serve expert witness |
| In-depth knowledge | No in-depth tree knowledge. Knowledge is learnt from experience | Extensive knowledge on tree health, disease, pruning, etc |
| Risky | If no proper method is learnt, their work is risky and creates more hazards than help | Certified in risk assessment |
Why Should You Hire A Certified Arborist?
Many people overlook the idea of hiring a certified arborist. To them, an arborist is simply a tree worker; why need to hire an expensive one when the cheap option can get the work done? Well, let’s hear a real story from ISA-certified arborist Christopher Moynihan.
He was called as an arborist to assess Crepe Myrtles in a local college. He advised little pruning; however, he was not hired. Instead, the college authority hired a cheap tree worker, who cut down all the branches of those beautiful species. As a result, all the trees died in that year.
From this short horror story, we can learn that not every tree worker can hold the crown of an arborist. They can make things worse if not equipped with machinery and proper knowledge. You should hire a certified arborist because-
- They are well-educated in tree health, pruning, and management
- They are still learning new techniques and methods for improvement
- They have practical safety knowledge
- And lastly, they care enough about trees to become a certified arborist
Why Trust Monkeyman For Your Tree Care?
At MonkeyMan’s Tree Service, Portland, you’ll get a free assessment of your tree, just a call away. Our arborists are ISA certified and have experience of more than 15 years. Our MonkeyMen is awarded the best tree service in Portland for the consecutive 4 years.
We care for trees more than anyone could. Our services include professional arborist consultation, disease diagnosis, stump grinding, tree pruning, and emergency tree removal. Our team is ready to serve you anytime in Portland, OR.
Conclusion
An arborist loves trees and works for trees. They dedicate their life and knowledge to serving tree health, and managing trees in private and public areas. If you want premium tree service, then contact Monkeyman’s tree service, book a free consultation right now.
FAQ
Why should I hire a certified arborist instead of a landscaper?
A certified arborist is an expert in trees, whereas a landscaper is an expert in lawn, garden, etc.
How much does it cost to hire an arborist?
An arborist’s consultation or assessment cost starts from $150 on average; pruning costs $250-$1000, depending on tree size.
When should I call an arborist?
If trees, branches have fallen, block the road, or a decayed tree is spotted, then call an arborist.