Hiring Certified Arborists

Why Would You Hire a Certified Arborist?

Simply put, an arborist is a true professional in the art and science of tree care. He or she has spent at least three years in full-time arboriculture work, has prepared for and taken a comprehensive examination, and has agreed to a code of ethics regarding professional conduct. But when rubber meets the road—or roots meet the soil, per se—what is the difference in service a certified arborist can provide?

ISA Certified Arborist

hiring certified arborists — There can be big risks to your property and family when tree care is not done to the highest standards of a Certified Arborist.

When we talk about a certified arborist, we’re referring to a professional who has qualified as an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist. He or she has had hands-on experience for three years in pruning, cabling and bracing, tree climbing, tree installation and establishment, disease identification, removal, and more. Then, he or she has passed an exam that covers a range of topics on tree maintenance, emergencies, and care. Recertification happens every three years.

Why a certified arborist?

Tree care is complex, and mistakes can be costly. When a winter storm has rolled through and downed a huge old tree across your power line, or your garage is threatened by a weak branch, you want a certified arborist to handle the job. Other situations may be less immediately dangerous but no less important: warding off disease, enhancing your yard, or choosing the right species of tree that will thrive in your space.

The role of a certified arborist

A certified arborist can help you make sound decisions and avoid costly mistakes. For example, a certified arborist will know:

Which trees have invasive root systems and should never be planted near driveways, asphalt, sewer systems, or homes
Which trees should never be planted too close to a home or other structure
How to properly care for trees as they mature and age
When a tree has become infested or diseased, and how to safely remove it
How to coordinate the removal of a high-risk tree or one damaged by a passing storm—so that people and structures nearby are safe

It takes a great deal of knowledge and experience to understand all aspects of a situation—and what a tree (or its owner) may really need.

Choosing a tree service

Ensure you’re entrusting your trees to the best care—choose a tree service that’s led by a certified arborist. As with any other professional service, you’ll also want to consult customer reviews as well as reference the area of service, or the geographical range in which the tree service provides care.

Advanced Tree Care combines top-notch equipment, cutting-edge technology, and well-trained staff to provide emergency tree removal and tree maintenance services. With a presence in nine counties and two states, we work daily to provide unparalleled customer service, safety, and efficiency—as well as the expertise to beautify your landscaping and community. Advanced Tree Care isn’t just our name—it’s also our purpose!

Advanced Tree Care Certified Arborists

You’ve heard us tell you before: proper tree care can be complex. Caring for trees, treating or preventing disease, and safely removing a tree all take a significant amount of knowledge and experience. When considering which company to hire for tree care, you should always choose a service led by a certified arborist. Such a service—like ours—will always deliver superior comprehensive service.

But what does it take to become an arborist? And what does certification really mean? In this article, we take you behind the scenes, so you can truly appreciate what goes into that level of knowledge and care.

Becoming an ISA Certified Arborist

Advanced-Tree-Care-Certified-Arborists — To become a Certified Arborist, he or she must go through extensive training.

First off, when we talk about certification, we’re talking about qualifying as an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist. To qualify, an arborist must have at least three full years of full-time experience in arboriculture. This experience must be hands-on and typically includes:

Tree pruning
Tree cabling and bracing
Tree fertilization
Tree planting, or called installation and establishment of trees
Diagnosis and treatment of tree problems and diseases
And, not least of all, tree climbing

Why so much experience, across so many different aspects of the job? ISA certification means that an arborist is prepared to provide the benefit of his or her maximum expertise to the care of trees across a range of situations: from commercial or municipal properties to residential situations, through all four seasons (in our area), and in routine and emergency situations. That level of professional certification requires contending with every aspect of the job for full preparation.

ISA Certification Exam

Three years’ experience isn’t sufficient alone. After providing evidence of three full years of experience across all those functions, the arborist must study for and take an examination. The topics of the certification exam include questions on:

Soil management
The proper identification and selection of trees
Installation and establishment of trees
Safe work practices
Tree biology
Pruning, cabling, and bracing
Diagnosis and treatment of conditions and diseases
Urban forestry
Tree protection
Tree risk management

After successfully passing the examination, the arborist agrees to a set of ethics that will govern his or her professional behavior. The arborist then receives a certificate with the ISA seal, which designates him or her as an official ISA Certified Arborist.

Certification is valid for three years, and continuing education is required to maintain certification. Before the three years are up, the arborist must become recertified—which happens either through retaking the certification exam or by accruing at least 30 continuing education credits.

Now that you know what becoming an arborist requires, you’ll understand why our professionals can deliver an outstanding level of service for the care of your trees.

Tree Pruning Improves Curb Appeal

Make a Good First Impression

Whether you are selling your home, renovating it, or simply looking to make a good first impression, your landscaping is key to your curb appeal. Landscaping is one of the first things potential buyers or visitors notice about your home. A home with a lush lawn, carefully chosen flowers and shrubs, and beautiful trees reflects a level of care and attention.

Your trees are a major part of your landscape—in a typical home, up to 15% of the landscape. As its largest flora, trees are often a focal point. Haven’t you ever remarked on a friend’s majestic oak, or slowed to admire a redbud or magnolia in bloom as you drive by? Ensure you provide proper care and maintenance for the trees on your property to boost your curb appeal.

If you’re selling your home this summer, you’ll want to show potential buyers your property is loved. Consider engaging a professional service led by a certified arborist—like Advanced Tree Care—to help you care for your trees.

Examine your trees

Check trees for hazardous limbs before you put your house on the market. Dead or dying limbs or weak branches can pose serious injury to both people and property, such as cars parked on the street.

Remove dead trees and branches

Dead branches—especially those too close to the house, garage, patio, or driveway—should be removed. Any weak or dead branches that overhang the sidewalk should also be considered for removal. If a tree on your property has died, it’s important that you remove it with the help of a professional tree service.

Clean up debris

Cleaning up fallen branches improves your property’s appearance, so plan to comb your yard before you put your home on the market and after each storm. You might also consider hiring a tree service to remove dead stumps on your property.

Prune trees and shrubs

Ornamental trees and young trees may need pruning to present a pleasing shape to visitors. Consult with us to see how we canensure your property looks its best.

Even if you’re not considering selling your home, improving its curb appeal can make you—and your family—feel better about your home. Have you ever dressed up your dining room with a vase of fresh flowers? Repainted a room for a fresh look? Caring for your property can help you elevate your outside as much as your inside.

And, if you’ve just purchased a new home, and you’re looking to instantly improve its curb appeal, engaging a tree care service may provide just what you’re looking for.

Summer Tree Pruning Chicago

Decrease Summer Watering Stress with Tree Pruning

Summer is a wonderful season, especially here in Chicago. It’s our reward after months and months of winter. But the heat of high summer can be extreme. As temps soar, you can head for the air-conditioned house—but your trees can’t. They have to endure what Mother Nature has in store for them. As a homeowner, though, you can offset some of summer’s stress on your trees with pruning and maintenance.

Summer Watering Stressors

When temperatures rise—and they often top 90 in July and August—shade, ornamental, and fruit trees all suffer. The increase in heat prompts the plant to divert resources to its leaves. Why? You can slather on the sunscreen, but a tree can’t. Moving resources to its leaves is one way to reduce or prevent scorching.

Trees are also particularly sensitive to the water table in the ground. If we go through a period with little or no rain, the water table changes. As a result, soil moisture decreases. Put simply, your trees are thirsty, and there is less water for them to access to drink.

In addition, other plants around your trees are competing for resources in the summer. Spring and summer are intense periods of growth and reproduction for plants. All that flowering and fruit-bearing and growing puts a lot of demand on plants’ resources. The grass, shrubs, flowers, ornamental grasses, berry bushes, and vegetables in a yard are all competing for water. If water becomes scarce, trees—as well as other plants—will be stressed.

Finally, summer—as you know well—is construction season in our area. If you’re undertaking a home improvement project on your property, you could be introducing stress to your trees’ root systems. Damage to the extensive root systems from digging and construction could compromise your trees’ ability to reach essential moisture.

Summer Pruning and Care to Reduce Stress

arborist_tree_pruning — The summer can be very harsh on your trees, but with a professional pruning and maintenance, you can keep them healthy all year round.

So what can you do to offset these stressors? First—and most importantly—you should hire a professional tree service led by a certified arborist, such as Advanced Tree Care. Summer is not a normal season for tree pruning, so it’s important that you entrust this work to an expert.

Summer pruning can help protect your trees from stress by ensuring that all of the tree’s resources go into healthy, undamaged limbs. An experienced tree service will be able to ensure your trees are properly cared for all year long. When you hire Advanced Tree Care, our staff will:

Examine your trees for signs of stress as well as broken, dead, or otherwise damaged limbs
Carefully prune any trees requiring it during the summer season, giving them what they need to thrive as well as potentially protecting them from storm damage
Prune or shape trees that may be encroaching upon each other’s space
Recommend an optimal watering schedule to keep your trees healthy
Recommend further maintenance or treatment for pests to promote health