Knowledgebase

Community Arborist #823680

Asked March 28, 2023, 7:17 AM EDT

We have a very large Pin Oak beside our home that we adore but are concerned about it's overall health. We've only lived in the house for 3 years and the tree lost it's leader sometime in the past, and appears to have suffered from poor pruning and storm water management. We trimmed all the deadwood out winter 2021. Are arborists available to provide health assessments that aren't also looking to get hired? Most all arborists we've talked to push cutting the tree down. Even if that is the correct path forward we'd feel a lot better hearing it from a few unbiased arborists. Thanks! Gary

Prince George's County Maryland

Expert Response

Hello Gary,

While many arborists are employed by tree-care companies, some do consult independently and so presumably would have less motivation to recommend an expensive treatment or action if it's not important to salvaging a tree. Their recommendations may also vary depending on what is important to their client as far as tree appearance. As for "getting hired," all arborists no matter if they're self-employed or not will almost certainly charge for a site visit and assessment, since this helps to cover their training costs (which to maintain certification they must continue to receive yearly), any liability insurance they carry, and so forth. We presume you were speaking about tree company fees, though, and indeed, sometimes more procedures are proposed than would really make a difference in long-term tree health or appearance. For example, tree fertilization isn't usually needed and at the very least any such recommendations should take into account the results of a laboratory soil test from sampling within its root zone so certain nutrients are not over-applied if avoidable.

Arborists can't always intervene to halt or reverse tree decline, so it's possible the issues plaguing the oak, if it's in decline, are going to progress. Still, trees can surprise us and rebound sometimes if the issue was temporary or the stress bothering the tree is relieved. The arborist may look for factors like compacted soil, an influx of surplus water (you mentioned stormwater, for instance) that can drown roots, root or trunk damage from mower strikes, girdling roots from over-mulching in the past or from the tree originally being planted too deeply (if not wild), and so on. Although this would of course incur a bit more cost, you can also always seek a second opinion from another consulting arborist, though sometimes their assessments differ based on the expertise and diagnostic experience of the individual.

Miri

Loading ...