Summary: Here is what you can expect for your trees and yard in 2018. The services we provide make sure your trees and lawn are healthy but to a level that your neighbors are also impressed.
We are looking forward to the 2018 growing season. As we move into April, ArborScape is now the largest locally owned tree service, by volume, in the Denver metro area. Davey Tree has always been owned by a far-off entity in Ohio but both Mountain High Tree and Swingle Tree Service sold out to an out-of-state conglomerate last year making ArborScape the last of the large locally-owned tree services.
In case, you are wondering, we have no plans of being gobbled up by any larger competitors because quite frankly, I have no idea what I would do with myself. I’m just a tree trimmer who happens to own the best tree service in Denver. And I plan to keep at it for a while longer.
While the other guys put their tree operations on auto-pilot, I’m content to offer the hands-on and expert services that I’ve done since I started back in 1996 because obviously, I want your trees and lawn to thrive! And I want your trees to look so good that your neighbors compliment you also.
But also, after all these years, I still like working with trees and lawns and I think I have a tree cycle or two left in me. Which would be at least ten years. While you won’t find me in the trees as often as I used to be, you will find me in the “Who’s Who Honors Edition” in which I was featured for the 2018 edition. I was more proud of that than I thought I’d be. Arborists tend to be pretty modest about most things EXCEPT their ability to climb and trim a tree. Then their ego inflates to presidential proportions! But the Who’s Who mention did talk about dedication to the tree care industry and that was important to me and I felt grateful to be acknowledged.
While the main “moving and shaking” I do, is of tree branches, I’d like to think that I play a small part in how America views and values its urban forests. Secondly, I’m always trying to give good people, who may need a leg-up or a second chance, the opportunity to learn a trade that’s been very good to me and my family.
The designation I’m most proud of though is being a certified master arborist with the American Society of Consulting Arborists. That took literally decades and if fact there is no shortcut to gaining that designation except lots of study and lots of years working with trees.
But I mainly do these things so we can take better care of your trees. That’s what’s in it for you. It’s the basis as I started to write this outlook to what you can expect for your trees in 2018 both in terms of our services and the general weather and abiotic conditions that we plan to address with your tree care plan this year.
As many of my long-term customers may know, the winter really sets up what happens in your yard for the growing season ie summer and up to a few weeks ago it was looking like dryness and drought might make it tough for all the horticultural features in your yard. We’ve had some measurable snow since then and hopefully more to follow but I’d still say that trees are going to need a good drink of water so keep up that winter watering. Jeff’s crew did more winter watering than we’ve ever had and in some cases, clients required a third visit which is pretty unheard of. The point is that it’s a dry and dry winter that can stress trees and make it tough for them to properly bud out and grow in the summer.
A dry winter really affects the root systems of your lawn and trees and even if the spring turns to rain, it’s almost as if the roots need to get used to it being wet again before they start absorbing that water. As of March 15th, the snowpack is at 72% of normal but only 52% of what it was last year. The northern metro area and Boulder are normal to moderately dry but as you move south it gets into more severe drought conditions.
We also start to hear from our customers who we last trimmed their trees in 2013 – 2014 as it’s probably time to clean out some dead and clear roofs, sheds, and other structures. Most of our customers are on three to five-year trimming schedules. The exception is trees on parkways and near intersections which may need to be cleared every other year to stay compliant with right-of-way ordinances.
As far as lawns go, same deal as trees. Pray for snow or start watering early and often. Unlike a lot of licensed lawn spraying companies, we are big believers in lawn aeration which can be helpful with lawns with heavy thatch and loosening up compacted soil. This can promote air, water, and sunlight entering the root system. It can also minimize the chemicals needed to keep your lawn green.
As soon as the ground thaws make sure to mark those sprinkler heads as we’ll want to get out for an aeration and lawn fertilization combo as soon as the ground thaws. We also are taking special orders on our organic lawn fertilization option.
I expect a solid minority of you may be in the process of moving so feel free to send along ArborScape’s info to the new tenants or owners of your property and of course, we’d be glad to do a free estimate, or even an inspection before the deal is signed if you are wondering about any hidden costs, especially with trees that may need to be removed. Tree removal can be a surprise expense for a new owner. 2017 was quite the year for real estate appreciation and I know many of our long-term clients decided to sell and I expect that this will continue in 2018. We can help with yard service continuity if need be.
I preface introducing our tree trimming cost calculator by saying that the younger generation of homeowners really prefers and in some cases demand, these types of online tools for planning their tree work. I must say that it makes it much more efficient to set up work. So I encourage you to use it. We still follow up onsite but it works pretty well, while still being a prototype. So let us know what you think because we’ve gotten great feedback among our initial users but the more people use it the better it will get.
Also for customers who prefer self-service tools, we also accept online payments here.
We’ve expanded our commercial level services doing work for NREL in Golden but we also can make large-scale do-it-yourself projects such as grading for home building and land clearance for fire mitigation easier and fit most budgets. This includes guiding you through proper permitting and safety procedures. We have some equipment which makes this process easier and we’d like to make these services available to current customers first as we begin to expand it.
Last year our marketing team really did a nice job in expanding our social media presence. I really strive to have our company be available for questions and comments in as many places as possible. One of my favorite spots is our Pinterest page which has really grown over the past year and features what I think is the best testimonials of our work; how it looks! You can see our social links on the top right of most of our web pages so if you have questions or want to help your friends find a good tree service, then interact with us on your favorite social network.
Finally, I hesitate to bring up the emerald ash borer. We talk about it, every arborist in Denver talks about it. Even the Denver Post and 9News talk about it. But where is it! (Besides Boulder County).
My friend Rob, who happens to be the city forester of Denver, calls it the “single most destructive urban pest that Denver will ever have in its urban forest….once it gets here.”
Look, I grew up reading the fable the Boy Who Cried, Wolf. Just remember, in that story, the wolf eventually comes!
So you may have tuned out all the “emerald ash borer is coming” fear-mongering. I assure, you that EAB is coming and it’s important to treat ash trees before they infest the tree. While it hasn’t been officially confirmed in Denver, Jeffco, Arapahoe, or Douglas County, it’s important to talk to Jeff and the PHC team about treatment options. Because I’d think you’d be pretty mad at me if the big, bad borer took out your prized ash tree. What I promise is we will give you an accurate outlook on your ash trees and help you identify what trees you’d hate to lose and the ones you absolutely want to keep. From there we can look at options such as planting, promoting general tree health, and specific EAB treatments for the trees you absolutely want to save. We use a resource-focused pest management system with EAB and thankfully have the time to implement it.
Check out our EAB cost calculator to do your own planning.
If you have questions about available discounts, upcoming services, or anything else, don’t hesitate to call us at 303-806-TREE.
Thanks,
David Merriman – General Manager