A Guide to Choosing a Tree Surgeon: Reading this Could Save you Hassle AND Money

Unfortunately there are a lot of people out there tendering ‘tree services’ who aren’t actually qualified to carry out the services they are offering. The worrying thing is, it can be extremely dangerous to hire someone to undertake tree work if they are not sufficiently qualified, experienced and knowledgeable.

Imagine a scenario where you engage a company to cut down a tree or remove high branches. There are overhead cables nearby, and access is limited because there’s a high wall right near the tree. They’ve not had the training to deal with things like this, so they approach it haphazardly as they go, with no plan, and definitely no risk assessment. Branches fall from the tree onto a parked car. Another damages a neighbour’s shed. You turn to the tree company for a way to resolve the problems, and then you find they don’t hold adequate insurance. When it comes to making a claim, you don’t have a leg to stand on.

Cowboy traders can cost you in more ways than one, and that includes cowboy tree surgeons.

The trouble is, anyone can call themselves a tree services company, take out an advert in a local paper or put leaflets through doors. So how can you tell the good from the bad? It’s vital you do, because it could mean the difference between a job done well and safely, and a raft of costly problems. Here are some points to follow when choosing a bona fide tree surgeon or arborist who will serve you well and within the standards of quality, care and safety that should always be demanded.

Step 1: What to Avoid

General services traders: you’ll probably see a leaflet drop through the letterbox. These people offer everything from gutter cleaning to patio laying, gardening and fence repairs, plus of course, tree services. Anyone offering such a varied array of services is certainly not a specialist: in fact, these people are ‘Jacks of all trades’. Would you hire a general handyman to install a new gas boiler? No. So why even consider taking on a general trader to undertake such a specialist job as cutting back or removing a tree?

Tree surgery, like gas boiler fitting, or any professional trade for that matter, calls for a raft of experience, qualifications, knowledge, specialist equipment, certifications, insurance cover, health and safety and working at height knowhow, and much more. It costs a lot of money and takes A LOT of years to get to a level of competence that can assure customers safety and quality. It’s taken us a decade.

We don’t lay patios. We don’t repair fences. And we definitely don’t clean out gutters. Just like a boiler engineer won’t lay a floor or hang a shelf. So rule number one is: don’t entertain multi-purpose service providers, because they won’t have the specialist expertise required for the job.

We don’t clean gutters. We’re tree surgeons. Avoid Jacks of all trades if you want a job done properly.

Tree companies that offer ‘topping and lopping’: these are NOT accredited tree surgery services. Anyone can take the top off a tree or lop a bit off. But anyone won’t know the potential damage they are doing to the health of the tree. Neither will they be aware of the risks they are taking with falling branches.

No landline telephone number: if there’s only a mobile number, there’s no traceability. Mobiles can be switched off or worse, discarded. Think about what you’ll do if there is a problem. With a landline number, you’ve got that reassurance.

No address: if there’s no advertised physical address (i.e. not a PO box), alarm bells should start ringing. Even if there is an address, you should check it actually exists. Anyone can make up an address and it’s even been known for advertisers on some of the well-known online directories to get away with faking their addresses. Look for an address, and look it up to check it exists.

Poor quality leaflets: black and white, spelling mistakes, wonky printing – you’ve no doubt had a few land on the doormat. If the quality of the leaflet is anything to go by, how on earth can you trust the company to deliver a quality tree service? Avoid at all costs!

Cash demands: any company that demands cash in advance is not to be trusted. We never ask for cash up front. There’s no need: we don’t need to buy materials to complete the job, so why would we? If there is a requirement to hire specialist machinery such as a manual elevated work platform in order to access a hard to reach tree, then there may be a request for a deposit, but you will have the opportunity to pay by card for full reassurance, and you’ll be provided with a receipt. Otherwise, only pay once you are totally satisfied with the work that has been completed.

Step 2: What to Look for

Qualifications: there are numerous qualifications that tree surgeons must hold in order to be officially permitted to undertake certain works. As a minimum, a tree surgeon should hold four NPTC units as follows:

• CS30: Chainsaw maintenance and use on the ground to cross cut branches
• CS31: Felling of small trees
• CS38: Climb a tree and preform aerial rescue
• CS39: Operate a chainsaw from a rope and harness

Other units will be required for specific tasks such as aerial tree rigging and felling and processing trees over a certain height. Then there are LANTRA qualifications, City & Guilds and separate wood chipper and stump grinder certifications. The more certificates the tree surgeon can present, the better.

Just one of the many certifications you should be demanding when hiring a tree surgeon.

References: Google a tree surgeon and you should find plenty of reviews. Don’t just go by testimonials on a website as these can easily be faked. Ask the tree surgeon to put you in touch with previous customers so you can check first hand whether the service provided was trustworthy and of a good standard.

Written quote: never accept a verbal estimate for your job. Make sure you get everything in writing on headed paper so that you have a record of what you have agreed to pay for the job. Check what is included: waste disposal, VAT, any equipment hire, etc. Be clear on what you are paying for.

Trading Standards approval: the Trading Standards Buy with Confidence Scheme strictly vets companies to ensure they provide high quality services at fair rates. Look for the badge of approval for added peace of mind.

Insurance: ask for a copy of the company’s insurance certificate and enquire about their claims history. A clean record will prove commitment to undertaking risk assessments and a strong working knowledge of health and safety.

Experience: you need to demand several years’ experience if you want to be sure your tree surgeon will be able to deal with any scenario they come up against. This can be verified by running a company check or doing some background research on the business.

You need to demand several years’ experience if you want to be sure your tree surgeon will be able to deal with any scenario they come up against.

British Standards: look for BS 3998 which is the accepted quality standard for tree work. A company accredited to this standard is guaranteed to deliver superior levels of service.

Knowledgeable advice: never be afraid to ask as many questions as you need to. Making enquiries as to, for example, how the work will affect the tree and how the project will be approached in order to avoid damaging any surrounding obstacles such as fences or sheds, may help you catch out a cowboy.

We hope this advice will help you in your search for a suitable tree surgeon to carry out your tree work in a safe fashion. Following these guidelines could save you in more ways than one, so please always be vigilant when making your choice. After all, you wouldn’t hire a boiler fitter who wasn’t Gas Safe Registered, would you?

Safe4site Gold Accredited Tree Surgeons in Essex, East London & North Kent

Billericay Tree Felling & Tree Removal Services