What's behind the cost of tree care?

What's behind the cost of tree care?

Equipment & Maintenance

Tree work involves a lot of specialized equipment that can cost anywhere from hundreds of dollars for boots, chainsaws, helmets, harnesses, and ropes to tens of thousands of dollars for chippers and trailers to hundreds of thousands of dollars for cranes and lifts. Even less small items, such as climbing carabiners, can cost upwards of $100. This is because our lives literally depend on our equipment, so it must be high quality, safety tested and certified, and replaced regularly. Thus, equipment costs include not just the initial purchase, but regular maintenance and replacement, as well as fuel for saws, trucks, chippers, stump grinders, and more

Some small trimming jobs can be done from the ground and might only require a pole saw and personal protective equipment, and are thus relatively inexpensive. Other jobs, such as a removal of a large tree from a hard-to-access space, might require a crane to safely life large pieces over homes or other structures, plus a chipper to break down the material and trucks to haul it away - not to mention all the gear for individual climbers and ground workers.

Highly Skilled People

Tree care work is carried out by skilled individuals who are trained in to climb, use chainsaws, load trucks and chippers, and more. It takes years to become an expert arborist, and the cost of tree work reflects the time and energy it takes to provide this type of service.

Time/Labor

Some tree care jobs can rely largely on large equipment and reduce the need for people-hours, but many jobs require multiple people for a day or more. In some cases, it takes a lot of time to set up the ropes for climbing, carefully make the necessary cuts, lower cut limbs to the ground, and load all the material into the chipper. Everyone on a tree crew is really excited to get home at the end of the day, but we take the time needed to get the job done safely and clean up the work area before leaving the property.

Insurance

Insurance premiums are actually a relatively small part of our overall costs, but it's important to have. We prioritize safety, and insurance protects us and the homeowner if anything unexpected happens.