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The Five Biggest Risks of Hiring Amateur Tree Crews

Residential property owners know that in order to keep trees healthy and beautiful, they require routine tree maintenance. Unfortunately, many property owners make the mistake of hiring amateur tree crews or day laborers to handle their tree care needs. Although these types of amateur crews might seem to save property owners money by offering lower bids, the risks they pose can greatly outweigh any rewards or cost savings. In today’s blog post, we’ll look at the five biggest risks of hiring amateur tree crews to work on your residential property.

Unsafe Tree Care Practices

One of the biggest risks of using an amateur tree crew or day laborers is that they are extremely unsafe when caring for trees. Instead of using OSHA-required and industry-standard harnesses or bucket trucks, they rely on ladders for tree trimming and tree removal, which are extremely unstable and are often the leading cause of falls and injuries. In addition, they typically skip using safety goggles, safety vests, or other personal protective gear during tree work, which are violations of federal workplace safety guidelines. Careless tree care practices, as well as the poor conditions of a work crew’s tools, equipment, and service vehicle, can be indicative of the quality of the work they perform.

Perform Substandard Work

Amateur tree crews either disregard or are unaware of industry standards for tree care, pruning, tree planting, disease treatment, or safe tree removal. As a result, amateur tree crews and day laborers can harm trees through excessive pruning, or leaving tree diseases or insect infestations untreated. In addition, they are much more likely to not fully complete the project, or leave the trees in worse condition than they were before. Poor-quality work now can lead to tree distress or even tree death over time, resulting in costly removal and replacement costs for residential property owners.

Liability Issues

Day laborers, as well as most amateur tree crews, lack the proper business insurance to protect against lawsuits and workplace accidents. Tree care is one of the most dangerous professions in the U.S., so not having Workers Compensation Insurance, General Liability, or other business insurance can result in property owners being held liable for accidents occurring on their property. Common tree care accidents include slips and falls, chainsaw injuries, electrocutions, or personal injuries or property damage from falling tree debris.

Lack of Background Checks

Residential property owners that choose amateur tree crews have no way of knowing if the workers on their property have been vetted to confirm their legal work status or a clean criminal history. Property owners might put themselves or their property at risk by allowing unvetted individuals to work freely on their property. A thorough criminal and background check should be completed for anyone working on your property.

Harm Property Values and Community Standing

A butchered tree or unattractive tree care job can devastate property values for a residential property. This is especially true for properties on the real estate market. A single over pruned tree can become a negative focal point for the entire property, especially since it can take years for the tree to recover. Also, when amateur tree crews do not care well for trees, it can leave a negative impression on the surrounding neighborhood. A home can easily suffer from poor first impressions by visitors and passersby all because of substandard and unattractive tree maintenance.

Ultimately, it is a much safer immediate and long-term investment to entrust tree care to Certified Arborists and professional tree care companies. Embark Services is proud to offer top-quality tree care services for residential property owners. Our full range of professional tree care services include Tree Pruning, Tree Planting, Deep Root Fertilization, Soil Aeration and Analysis, Tree Removal, and Cabling and Bracing Services. Contact Embark Services today for more information, or go online to request a free consultation!