Whether your trees are important to you or you’re trying to avoid insurance headaches, a qualified arborist is the ONLY way to go.
A qualified arborist is trained in both theory and practical, using rigging and tree removal processes to avoid damage, with the right training and experience to ensure your trees are pruned and maintained in accordance with modern arboricultural standards (which is better for your safety AND your wallet).
A qualified arborist will have an understanding of tree health, biology and dynamics which assists you in deciding which branches may or may not pose a threat.
They will understand soil biology (botany) and have knowledge of pest and disease. All of these things combined assist you in making smart decisions relating to your trees.
A qualified arborist will have the professional training and qualifications to care for trees and avoid damage or unsightly results.
To use a ‘cowboy or chopper’ when talking trees may seem a cheap or viable option. However, this can have long-term implications. Hiring a professional and competent company such as Stott & Co Tree Experts will ensure that your trees are in good hands.
Always talk to a qualified arborist before making decisions regarding your trees.
All varieties of trees have different pruning requirements. It’s an often misconceived idea that trees should be pruned during the winter months while the trees lie in a dormant state.
In more recent years, we’ve come to realise there is no correct time of year to prune many species of trees. Some species (e.g. Oak, Maple, Flowering Cherry) should be pruned in the height of summer in order to prevent the harbor of pest and disease, whilst others can be pruned multiple times per year.
Like clipping your nails, provided pruning is kept regular and minor, in most instances, any time of year is suitable.
Tree work can be very risky and dangerous. A good arborist company such as Stott & Co Tree Experts should have Public Liability Insurance and be able to produce an Insurance Certificate as proof.
We require a 50% deposit to confirm a date on acceptance of our quote.
Full payment is required within 7 days of the work being completed.
We appreciate it when full payment is made within 7 days of the work being completed. We work hard to share with you exceptional knowledge and to provide outstanding service, and we’d like to be paid for our efforts.
We only accept direct debit.
Some trees in Taranaki require a council resource consent prior to removal to avoid fines and prosecution.
We will assist you to identify whether resource consent is required and can assist you in obtaining one from the Council. We can also provide high-quality arboricultural assessments to support your proposal.
This can be difficult to answer however, understanding specific species and their growth increments (wood rings and annual shoots) along with site-specific factors (e.g. water/nutrient availability, previous damage, etc.) will allow a rough guide to age and Nick can make a guestimate.
Yes, of course you can!
We use our ‘yankin-gankin green machine’ chipper to process branches up to 8 inches. We’ll then leave you a tidy pile to spread out wherever you see fit.
Most mulch is great for your garden so if you want to keep it, it’s a great option and not only for keeping the costs lower. Nick will advise whether the mulch is of good variety or not.
Important tip: If using fresh mulch (not aged), this is only good for weed control. Fresh mulch around trees and plants can cause damage as it is still too acidic and will burn roots and stems/trunks.
Wood will be left in manageable logs unless otherwise discussed. This is a cheaper option, especially if you need wood for winter, or you are going to give it away.
Just let us know what you’d like to do when we quote so we can be as accurate with our competitive costing as possible.
We recommend against tree owners doing this unless you are a qualified arborist yourself as tree trimming is an extremely high-risk job and things can go wrong quickly.
Just like us, trees breathe. They do this through their leaves (stomata), roots and trunk/branches (lenticels).
Therefore, when we place grass clippings or mulch at the base of a tree, it is IMPORTANT to ensure the base/trunk is free of material (e.g. grass/mulch) and that we don’t place too much upon the tree roots in one go.
We recommend no more than between 100-150mm of mulch to be placed at the base of any tree (to be within the adaption/tolerance levels of most species) and kept away from the main trunk.
You only need to do a quick search on YouTube to find some horrifying examples of trees gone wrong! Do some basic checks when looking at who to employ to complete your job.
- Do they carry Public Liability insurance and to what level of cover? Is that enough?
- Is the arborist on site qualified? If so, with what?
- Do they sound like they know what they’re talking about?
- Are they a member of the NZArb Association?
- Are they are a registered tree services company?
- Can they carefully explain how they plan to remove the tree?
- Do a Google search and check their reviews out on their website, Facebook, Google My Business and Builders Crack pages – what do their previous customers say about them? When was their most recent review posted?