It’s Time For A Trim

Written by admin on May 10, 2022. Posted in Blog.

Best Time to Prune Trees and Shrubs

Pruning requirements of trees and shrubs will not only vary according to species, it will also depend on the purpose of pruning. If pruning is necessary because branches are dead and the tree or shrub causes a safety hazard, pruning can be performed at any time. However, the overall health of the plant should always be taken into consideration before addressing pruning issues. It is important to know that detrimental diseases can easily be spread if trees and shrubs are pruned at the wrong time of the year. For example, oak trees should only be pruned in the winter months when the trees are dormant to prevent the spread of a common fungal disease called oak wilt.

As a general rule, a light summer pruning can be performed on most deciduous trees and shrubs. Heavier pruning should be performed when the tree is dormant, preferably in late winter before active growth begins. Trees such as maple trees bleed sap heavily and should be pruned in winter while the trees are dormant. Spring flowering shrubs such as lilac and forsythia bloom on the previous season’s growth and should be pruned within two weeks after flowering. Pruning at any other time will reduce or eliminate the flower display.

Most conifers require minimal pruning that will also vary with species. Needled evergreens such as spruce and fir are best pruned in late winter before growth begins. Arborvitae and yew can be pruned during spring and early summer. Pruning of any kind can encourage new growth; therefore, pruning should not be performed late in the season to avoid the risk of cold temperatures damaging tender new growth.

Choosing The Right Tree Service

Written by admin on May 10, 2022. Posted in Blog.

Choosing The Right Tree Service

So you are in need of a tree service. You pick up your phone and Google “Tree services near me” and a long list of tree services appear. Which one do you chose? Here are some tips to help you choose a tree service that is right for you.

Reviews

Reviews say a lot about a company or a product. It allows a personal insight into how a company cares for their customers. It allows the customer to review their services in return. There are Google Business Reviews, Facebook Business Reviews, and Website reviews that one must take into consideration. A great tree service will have consistent high reviews talking about their work ethic, price, and quality of service. Take your time and read the reviews. This will help save your time and money in the long run.

Questions You Need To Ask

So you find a company that you’re interested in and request a quote. A company representative should meet with you in person to inspect the proposed work. This is a great time to find out more information to help you have peace of mind in knowing you’ve made the right choice. Questions you should ask:

How long will it take? This is a simple question that will put the expectation of how fast the service will be provided. A lot of tree services have jobs lined up weeks in advance so there is a chance you will have a wait time before the the work can be completed. Having an estimated timeframe for when the work can begin and how long the job will take will give you a realistic expectation to anticipate. This exclude emergency services. If you ask for a wait time and the tree service does not give you a time frame, this is a red flag. There are a few bad apples out there that will fall through the cracks when it comes to reviews and services. Poor business practices and fake reviews do happen. Knowing what to expect can help prevent your money going to waste on services never completed.

Having an experienced tree service will save you money.

Do you have insurance? The last thing you need is to have a tree fall on your home or automobile and you be left with a bill or an expensive legal battle. Every tree service should be licensed and insured. Here at A&R Tree Service, we provide our insurance with every quote given. Look for the expiration date on the insurance form to insure it is up to date. Making sure they are covered will ensure you will be too.

Can you give me a detailed estimate? Get written estimates from three equal companies to compare prices and understand the scope of the job. Knowing what equipment will be used and how your property will be taken care of is key. One tree service may be a thousand dollars less than another but what equipment are they using? You don’t want massive power equipment driving over your lawn and landscaping causing collateral damage unnecessarily. There are tools and equipment that will minimize damage to your property. Having that peace of mind in knowing that your property is protected goes a long way.

These are just a few questions you can ask to help choose the right tree service for you. If you have any questions about service, feel free to call or email us, here, at A&R Tree Service. Good luck on your search.

Winter Is Here!

Written by admin on May 10, 2022. Posted in Blog.

A&R Tree Service is counting down the days till spring. 65 days to be exact from the writing of this blog. However, there are things that we recommend our clients do during the winter months to help promote heathy growth on their property. Over the next couple blogs we will be covering different pros of the winter months. Today we are covering tree removal.

Tree Removal

This is the perfect time to get a tree removed from your property due to the fact that in the winter months the ground is usually frozen. This allows A&R Tree Service to move heavy equipment across your property causing minimum damage. Which in turn allows ease of access, which saves money for our customers.

There are times though that if the ground is wet. A&R Tree Service crews will wait for the ground to refreeze or dry before coming onto the property. The last thing we want to do is to damage our clients property. Heavy equipment can cause deep ruts in your yard and that’s the last thing any of us want.

If you have a tree leaning or dead branches it’s best to get those removed ASAP regardless of the time of year. A&R Tree Service have seen trees give out under heavy snow fall and winter winds. Trees like these are dangerous to property and life. More people are killed by falling trees/branches a year in the United States than sharks in the entire world. Yes, that’s right, trees are more dangerous than sharks. The hard part about this statistic is that most were preventable deaths with tree/branch removal.

Time to Trim

Written by admin on May 10, 2022. Posted in Blog.

Tree trimming is an important part of maintaining healthy trees. Today we are focusing on why now is the best time to prune your trees.

Pruning

Why do we prune a tree? Having an A&R Tree expert come out to your property to examine your trees will help determine if the tree is healthy or if it needs pruning for preventative measures. Dying, weak, or dead branches are unhealthy for the life and longevity of your trees and should be removed with expert care. This helps ensure that the tree is cut in a proper manner allowing it to heal as well as to prevent property damage if a branch falls.

Now is the time

Now is the time to prune your trees. When a tree is cut, it bleeds sap which draws insects to it. If the insects are carrying disease, it may harm a freshly cut tree. This is why we focus on tree trimming during the winter months. It allows a newly exposed tree to heal without insects around to possibly cause harm.

Tree Terms You Should Know

Written by admin on May 10, 2022. Posted in Blog.

There is so much to know and learn about trees, their life cycle and what they can provide. Whether you’re in charge of tree care at your home, part of a homeowners association, or would simply like to learn more about caring for trees in your area, knowing a bit more about pruning is a great place to start. For pruning beginners and experts alike, here are 15 pruning terms you should know!

Essential Parts of a Tree:

Branch Collar – a defining mark at the base of a branch where it connects to the parent branch or the tree trunk. This dense area provides great support to the branch and indicates where pruning cuts should be made.
Crown – the round, leafy green part at the top of a tree. The crown includes branches, leaves and reproductive structures from the tip of the top down to the bottom branch.
Limbs or Stems – branches of the tree that help transport nutrients between the roots and leaves.
Parent Branch – a large branch from which limbs begin to grow. This could also be a reference to the tree trunk.
Roots – what grows beneath the tree. The roots keep a tree securely in place but also absorb water and nutrients from the surrounding soil.
Tree Trunk – the main wooden axis of the tree where all the branches tend to grow from.

Issues You Might Face:

Decay – the breakdown and degradation of parts of the tree due to bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms.
Girdling – an object, either natural or man-made wrapped completely around the circumference of the tree that restricts the growth of the tree. The item essentially chokes the tree and limits the flow of nutrients.
Wound – any place on a tree where the bark is removed or penetrated. It is often marked by ragged edges.

People You Should Know:

ISA Certified Arborist – an expert in the field of arboriculture. This individual knows how to manage and care for trees, shrubs, vines, and other woody plants in horticulture. A&R Tree Service has an arborist in training and will complete certification soon!

Actions You Might Want To Take:

Clean Out – a deliberate removal of any dead or decaying parts of a plant or tree to promote new and healthy growth in its place.
Crown Raising – cutting away at lower branches in the crown. This is usually done to allow for more room for signs, buildings, vehicles or even people underneath.
Removal – the complete removal of a tree or shrub.
Selective Pruning – Choosing where to cut back on a tree or shrub, including the branches, buds or roots, with a specific goal in mind.
Stump Grinding – the utilization of a powerful tool to grind a tree stump down to the ground. The rotating disc cuts the tree into small chips that can be reused for gardening purposes.

At A&R Tree Experts, we’re passionate about expert and safe tree care. We provide tree pruning services, tree removal services and other valuable assistance such as stump removal or tree planting.

Getting Your Yard Prepped for Fall

Written by admin on May 10, 2022. Posted in Blog.

When looking at a professionally maintained yard or landscape, you may wonder what about it looks so clean and appealing. You may have the same plants, trees, or even the same design, but you still feel something is missing. A&R Tree Service is here to give you the best ideas on how to improve your yard.

A small but important detail in landscaping is edging. Edging creates a border around a tree or garden to keep mulch from migrating off your treescape or flower beds and into your yard. It also provides a barrier for weeds, grass, and other nuisance plants and creates a tidy appearance to your property.

Edging may seem like a complicated process but by breaking it down, you can easily accomplish that pristine look to your yard in no time.

HOW TO CREATE EDGES AROUND YOUR MULCH BEDS (TREES, GARDEN)

There are a few different types of methods and materials you can use to edge your garden or tree. Spade-cut edging is the simplest type of border. It involves using a spade to dig a narrow trench around the outside of the bed or tree you are setting apart. Other types of edging include:

Strip edging: Consists of a shallow barrier anchored beneath the ground with the top part of the edging visible to subtly set apart the grass and section you want to be separated. Strip edging works best for creating curves and comes in plastic and metal varieties.
Masonry edging: Composed of stone, brick, or concrete. Masonry edging is the most expensive type. Stone is attractive and allows you to match new borders with any existing stonework in your yard, while concrete borders come in pre-formed sections of different shapes and styles. This makes concrete an easily installed piece.
Wood edging: Comes in precut sections of alternating heights, either as round logs or flat boards. Wood edging is durable and affordable. The types of wood used for these pieces are mostly cedar, cypress, and redwood, which naturally resist rot.

EDGING AROUND FLOWER & GARDEN BEDS

The most common form of edging around a flower and garden bed is the spade-cut version. To do this, follow these edging steps:

You should face the garden bed and use the spade to slice into turf repeatedly until you’ve outlined the entire bed
Once you’ve contoured the edging’s shape to your desire, face away from the bed and slice into the turf at an angle to sever the grass.
Remove the clods and dispose or compost them. This creates a v-shaped trench that slows migration of grassroots into the bed and prevents mulch migration.
If desired, you can also add wood, metal, concrete, or plastic edging for extra support and decoration.

The biggest disadvantage of digging the trench is having to periodically re-dig it. If you decide to add wood, metal, concrete, or plastic to your edging, there are a few disadvantages to those as well. Steel and concrete are the most expensive, and concrete is a permanent option that can settle and crack over time. Plastic can be unreliable—it’s difficult to install and can lift out off the ground easily, causing grass and weeds to come through the edging.

Deciding on which method or material to use for your edging is dependent on your lawn goals and willingness to maintain the edge.

HOW TO EDGE & MULCH AROUND A TREE

Mulching around a tree has several benefits. The mulch insulates the soil and provides a buffer from heat and cold. It retains water to help roots stay moist and keeps weeds out to avoid root competition. Mulch also may decrease soil compaction over time and reduces lawnmower damage. With so many benefits, it only makes sense to ensure your mulch stays in place around the tree. Here are the steps for mulching around a tree:

Edging and mulching around a tree starts with shoveling patches of grass (make sure you don’t scrape tree roots!) within a 3-foot area for a tree up to 10 feet tall and up to 2-4 inches deep
If a section is hard to dig, don’t force it! It could be a small root lying under that portion of turf
Once the grass is removed, apply 2-4 inches of mulch all the way around the tree to the drip line, making sure to leave some space around the trunk.
The dripline of a tree is the edge of the canopy where water would runoff. To measure the dripline, measure the diameter of the tree’s crown.

WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN EDGING IN YOUR LANDSCAPE

There are three common mistakes people make while edging a landscape. In order to be successful in your project, make sure you avoid these missteps:

Preparation: To avoid unexpected or last-minute changes to design, walk around your yard with a notebook and pencil to sketch out your desired configuration. Keep growing space in mind to avoid the edge getting covered by mature growth or shrubs while making your sketch.
Budgeting: Most edging materials are sold by the foot. Measure the distance you want to edge using the foot-to-foot technique to get an approximate measurement and help set a price point.
Soil preparation: Prepare supporting edge soil against unwelcome grass and weed growth through your weed deterrent of choice.

5 Reasons to Consider a Professional Demolition Team

Written by admin on May 10, 2022. Posted in Blog.

5 REASONS YOU NEED A PROFESSIONAL DEMOLITION CLEANUP

Though it might be hard to believe, the truth is some commercial demolition contractors do not provide demolition cleanup services. A surprisingly high number of these contractors provide demolition services and think nothing of leaving a mess behind. You, the client, should not be tasked with cleaning up the mess after demolition at your property. Our team is proud to provide comprehensive demolition cleanup services that leave your property looking great after the inherently destructive process that is demolition. Below, we’ll explore five reasons you should work with a demolitions crew that handles cleanup for you. Understand the Importance of Professional Demolition Cleanup: Site Utility The last thing you should have to worry about is cleaning up a mess after demolition is performed at your property. If cleanup is not performed after demolition, the space where the work was performed will not be able to be used for other purposes. You simply cannot build something new atop a mess in the aftermath of demolition. The bottom line is your property’s utility will be either limited or non-existent if it is not properly cleaned after demolition is performed.

Peace of Mind
Take a moment to think about how nice it would be to have a freshly cleaned space following demolition. Once the demolition project is complete, you will have a space available for whatever purpose you have in mind without worrying about the time, effort, and money necessary for a comprehensive cleanup. This is your opportunity to implement new updates, make enhancements to the property, and shape it in the manner you see fit rather than being stuck with a massive garbage pile.

A&R Demo Team goes to the extent of planning the cleanup process at the time the demolition plans commence. Our strategic plan for cleanup is completed prior to demolition, providing you with a truly invaluable peace of mind. We prepare the area accordingly to eliminate the potential for collateral damage and minimize the extent of the cleanup project. In fact, our team even plans by adding netting and tarps for extra protection and to also help collect debris scattered during the demolition process. If the demolition will result in the generation of dirt, dust, or other particles, we will take the necessary preventative measures to limit that mess as much as possible. As an example, we sometimes spray water around demo sites to help contain particles, so they do not spread throughout the site or beyond.

Professional Demolition Cleanup is Efficient
Our demolition services providers sweat the small stuff. Demolition cleanup is a large component of our services as we go out of our way to consider the client’s perspective. Our team performs highly efficient demolition cleanups as we have handled similar projects hundreds of times before. Our experience expedites the cleanup process without sacrificing the quality of our service. Furthermore, our prior cleanup projects have helped us select the best tools for comprehensive and efficient cleanups that expedite the completion of your demolition project. Lean on us for demolition and subsequent cleaning and you will rest easy knowing our professionals have all the tools and equipment necessary for a timely yet through clean that eliminates debris in surprisingly little time. Many of the same machines and tools used for the actual demolition are also used for cleaning the area. From bulldozers to dump trucks, excavators and beyond, we have all the machines necessary to perform a truly comprehensive cleaning of your property after demolition takes place. As an example, excavators make it that much easier to transport trees and other large objects knocked over during the demolition process. Dump trucks haul the debris away with unparalleled efficiency. In the end, our tools and machines empower us to clean demolition sites in a fraction of the time it would take you, the property owner, to do all the work on your own. Keep in mind, we have an entire team of employees to contribute to the cleaning while you might not have a helping hand.

SAFTEY
The last thing you, your employees, customers, and visitors to your property need is to step on a stray nail or a sharp piece of debris and suffer an injury. A cleanup following the demolition makes the property that much safer, providing you and others on-site with the confidence necessary to traverse the space without worrying about suffering a painful and potentially costly injury. In fact, our team closely adheres to health and safety guidelines.

Let the A&R Demo Team do the Work, So You Don’t Have To
Even if you enjoy cleaning, you should not have to clean up a worksite in the aftermath of demolition. Demolition is messy, sending materials in all directions. The bottom line is you should not have to spend any amount of time cleaning up in the aftermath of demolition. Let our professionals do the work on your behalf and you will be liberated to focus on your work, your family and enjoying life rather than cleaning a space where demolition recently occurred. We know exactly how to use demolition equipment and cleaning machines in the most efficient and safe manner possible, ultimately minimizing the level of debris scattered and subsequently collected. In short, there is no reason for this to be a DIY (do it yourself) job when our team is here to do all the dirty work for you.

Contact A&R Demolition Services Today
Our demolition service providers are professional in every sense of the word. Let us perform your demolition and you won’t have to spend time worrying about the cleanup. Reach out to us today to schedule service at your property.

What’s The Best Live Tree For Christmas?

Written by admin on December 4, 2021. Posted in Blog.

Here at A&R Tree service we know our trees and that comes to Christmas Trees as well. Bells are ringing and Christmas carols can be heard everywhere. Ready or not Christmas is upon us. That means that it’s time to chose a Christmas Tree. A&R Tree Service are the tree experts and we have compiled a short list of live Christmas trees that we recommend for our community. So let’s get started! We are doing best first and working our way down.

1. Fraser Fir

Up close twig end of a red fir in the spring.

The Fraser Fir is first on our list because of the amazing qualities that this tree brings to your home. The tree has sturdy and full branches making this tree perfect for ornaments. The needles are on the softer side so one doesn’t have to worry about being pricked painfully. The tree will fill your home with the smell of Fraser Fir creating the ambiance of Christmas in the home. Fraser Firs have high needle retention making clean up after the Christmas season easier than ever!

2. Balsam Fir

The Balsam Fir comes in second for our choice and here’s why. The tree is absolutely beautiful. However, the branches are thinner and tend to not hold heavy ornaments well. The good part about this tree is the SMELL. Your home will smell like Christmas Tree! We don’t know about you but A&R Tree Service loves that smell. As long as you keep the tree watered the need retention is excellent.

3. Blue Spruce

The Blue Spruce is our least recommended tree. The needles tend to be sharp which makes moving a pain. We gave this tree a try last year and the kids had the hardest time putting up ornaments as the needles tended to poke them. The limbs are sturdy and can hold heavy ornaments. However, the smell is very minimal. Which if you don’t want that smell then this tree is for you if you can stand the needles. The needle retention is also does well. Just keep the tree watered and you will be fine.

So this is our short list of trees that we recommend. It still comes down to preference though. We like the smell of a Christmas tree but there are others who prefer not to have it at all. Which is understandable. A&R Tree Service wishes you the very best of Holidays this year.