Why Aren't All Tree Maintenance Services Included in my Landscape Maintenance Contract? - Sit Down with CEPRA

Clients quite frequently ask this question:

What is and what is not included in the tree maintenance category of my landscape maintenance contract?

The tree management portion of a landscape maintenance contract typically includes basal sucker removal, general light tree elevation for pedestrian and vehicular clearance, and the removal of small-diameter fallen wood and debris. The pruning tools a landscape maintenance team utilizes drastically differ from those of a tree care company. Landscape maintenance tree equipment typically includes hand saws, hand pruners and loppers. Maintenance teams should only remove small limbs and branches up to 2 inches in diameter.

While a landscape maintenance team is highly trained in the services of maintaining your turf grass, ornamentals, and seasonal color, they do not possess the proper equipment, the skillset, expertise, or the industry certifications of a trained ISA Arborist. When unskilled individuals prune trees, they typically remove too much wood, leaving trees permanently disfigured and irreversibly damaged. It's tough to reattach a limb that has been removed from a tree!

In a landscape where trees, depending upon the species, are in their first 8 to 12 years of life, they are of small enough size, easily accessible and require minor cuts and corrections to their canopies. However, more in-depth tree pruning will be necessary as the landscape and trees mature. Your landscape contractor should partner with a prequalified tree care company that follows the International Arborist Association standards for tree pruning. So, as the client, you do not have to manage the work and oversee the quality of pruning. Your landscape account manager would be your single point of contact for all your tree management needs.

The employees of the selected tree company will have been specially trained in the utilization of sizable dangerous equipment and will follow tree industry pruning standards. On-going training with their respected team will be required to maintain their industry certifications. Safety is also of significant concern when employees leave the ground to perform tree services. A tree service company's liability and insurance requirements are vastly different from what a typical landscape maintenance company carries.

Even the smallest amount of tree pruning can generate excessive amounts of debris that a landscape truck and trailer can struggle with safely transporting from the job site. Tree care companies utilize chippers, boom trucks and large vehicles for safe debris removal. These specialized pieces of equipment are large and require a specialized team to maintain the fleet in safe working order.

If your landscape contractor does not partner with a tree company, you need to look for the following to secure a reputable tree management provider:

Arbor care and landscape maintenance are distinctly different professions requiring specific equipment, training, and skill sets. With the vast number of variables and scopes of work present in arbor care, it would not be efficient to lump these services in with a landscape maintenance contract. Typically, a community should work with either their landscape maintenance partner or an arborist to develop a multi-year plan to establish a comprehensive tree management plan.