Trees grow so slowly. You might notice the gradual changes manifesting over the years, but don’t mistake your tree for an unchanging lawn ornament. These are living things that require consistent care to thrive, and understanding how to choose a tree service near you to care for them is essential to preserving their health.
Tree Care Inc. is an expert tree service in Houston, TX. Below, our arborists outline how to pick someone and the common challenges in pinpointing the best tree service provider.
Why Do You Need a Reputable Tree Care Service, Anyway?
With trees, you might go years without any substantial issues. Why hire a tree care service now? One good reason is that your specimens could grow close to your home or business, vehicles, roadways, and people, and if they do, things can go from bad to worse in the blink of an eye (or a severe storm).
Let’s take a look at how a reputable tree care service can help.
Property Value
Think about how your hairstyle influences other people’s perception of you. Now, apply that idea to the trees growing in your yard. Shabby, unkempt specimens don’t complement an otherwise well-manicured landscape, so they’ll decrease your property value.
Personal Safety
Aesthetics are important, but injury prevention is even more so. When a branch hangs onto its trunk by a thread, it can drop on a person’s head at any moment. It’s not worth the risk.
Damage Prevention
Do the tree limbs hang over your buildings, vehicles, or fences? One strong wind could break them free from the trunk, and your personal property may not be the only structure at stake. Limbs can fall on powerlines, roadways, and other municipal infrastructures, not only causing the awkward situation of a neighborhood power outage due to your tree but also a serious fire hazard.
Ecosystem Protection
Your trees might play an influential role in your area’s local ecosystem. Native trees provide homes, food sources, and infrastructure for wildlife. Some examples include:
- Squirrels store acorns from oak trees to survive the winter.
- Pollinators depend on flowering trees for food in the spring.
- Birds like owls and woodpeckers make their homes inside of tree trunks.
- Animals, birds, and bugs use branch networks to travel.
Knowing how to choose a tree service near you is essential to property management and personal protection, but the benefits of habitat preservation are hard to ignore, too!
How To Choose a Tree Service in Your Area
First and foremost, avoid door-to-door offers from unsolicited tree inquiries. Sales reps who visit homes and businesses without confirmed appointments often look for naive property owners. Choosing a tree care service should mean reaching out to the company yourself – you make the first move.
A reputable tree service provider doesn’t have to rely on high-pressure, in-person tactics to gain a substantial customer base. Below, we cover more about how to choose a tree service in Houston, Texas.
Think Beyond the Price
Everyone wants to save money in this dog-eat-dog world. The economy isn’t always kind to people who need professional services, but a cut-rate tree service is incredibly risky. You get what you pay for, as the saying goes.
Tree service pricing can tell you a lot about the following:
- Equipment quality
- Crew experience
- Arborist accreditation
- Insurance coverage
- Tree service quality
In return for your nice, cheap quote, you could get rude, inexperienced crew members with no certification and inadequate equipment.
Check for Certifications and Insurance
Does the tree service company possess the minimum documents needed to verify their qualifications? Can the company readily give you copies or other proof? Ideally, your potential tree service should have the following elements:
- A certified arborist on staff
- BBB accreditation to demonstrate high standards and ethical business practices
- Liability insurance to cover any tree-related mistakes or accidents
- A business license proving that they can operate in your tree service area
Say, “No way, Jose!” to tree companies that cannot or will not supply these items.
Look At the Tree Service Scope
A qualified tree service might have limited capabilities. That doesn’t necessarily speak to the provider’s reputation or service quality. It might just mean that the crew lacks a tool or some knowledge about particular areas of tree healthcare.
Check the scope of tree care services each candidate provides before settling on a long-term arborist service. If you are looking for short-term solutions, like one-time tree pruning or removal, you can cast your net a bit wider. However, consistent tree maintenance requires additional areas of expertise, such as:
- Stump grinding and removal
- Emergency assistance
- Land clearing for broader property management
Many clients prefer to build long-term relationships with their favorite providers so that they know what to expect from the tree service.
Explore Their Online Footprint
You can find out how a company treats its customers and organizes services by perusing its digital footprint – websites, searches, social media, and profiles on sites like Glassdoor or the Better Business Bureau. You want a tree company with an overall positive service reputation.
Our expert tip is to check the highest, lowest, and most recent ratings and reviews on sites like Yelp, Facebook, and Yellow Pages. This customer service history shares the most recent client experiences so that you get a clearer picture of what’s on offer.
Request and Compare Estimates and Experience
Look for at least three suitable candidates. For example, you may want to check all aspects of the tree service’s digital footprint and request multiple estimates for various services in the Houston area. This will give you an idea about the average service price range and which approach you like best.
In the end, you’ll want to choose the candidate who clicks with you, explains their tree care methods in detail, and gives great value.
Choose Tree Care Inc. for Reliable Tree Services in Houston, Texas
Now that you know how to choose a tree service near you, you can look into some affordable professional tree pruning, removal, and land-clearing services in Houston, Texas. Why not start with an estimate from Tree Care Inc.’s certified arborist? Call 713-234-0914!
