Tree Care: Save Money and Increase Your Property Value
Your trees look beautiful and can increase property value by as much as 20%. Thus tree care solutions should be considered before tree removal if possible.
Your trees are more valuable than you may realize.
Trees increase property value by as much as 20%, depending on location, maturity, species, and quantity of trees. Not only that, trees reduce energy bills by providing shade, absorb pollutants in the air and water, reduce soil erosion, clean carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, lessen noise pollution, and offer a number of other benefits.
The sheer breadth of these benefits, as documented by the U.S. Department of Energy, USDA Forest Service, municipalities, ArborDay, as well as countless other organizations, is incredible. There is little doubt that your trees are a source of real value, in terms of both actual money and improved quality of life.
With this in mind, why would anybody want to cut down his or her trees instead of trying to preserve them?
To be fair, there are many instances when a tree does need to be removed, usually because it is dead or located in a threatening position. But often times dying, diseased, and damaged trees can be saved. Unfortunately, many tree service providers present removal as the first option when instead it should only be considered as the last option.
Our industry is overcrowded with companies that can fell and trim trees.
The majority of tree service companies, however, do not have the expertise with which to identify, diagnose, and treat tree disorders. As a result, removal and trimming are the only two solutions they are able to offer. Yet in the world of tree care, there are many other options such as:
- Fertilization
- Soil improvement
- Integrated pest management
- Disease treatments
- Cabling and bracing
- Root collar excavation
- Soil decompaction
- Lightning protection systems
- Tree inspections and monitoring
These services, along with several others, collectively fall under the category of “tree care.”
Tree care experts know a great deal about tree physiology, diseases, root systems, pests, abiotic factors, as well as the surrounding environment. With this additional knowledge, they have the ability to do more than simply remove a tree and are able to recommend many solutions to a variety of tree issues. To borrow an over-used analogy format, tree care experts are to physicians as tree removal specialists are to morticians. Both a physician and mortician each serve a necessary purpose, but to become a physician requires much more knowledge and training than it does to become a mortician.
Tree care experts know a great deal about tree physiology, diseases, root systems, pests, abiotic factors, as well as the surrounding environment.
At this point, the only remaining question is cost.
Surely tree care must be expensive, given the expertise involved? As a matter of fact, this is usually not the case. Tree removal is generally the more expensive option. By taking a look at various surveys and cost analyses performed by USDA Forest Services, municipalities, and the private sector, it is estimated that the average cost to remove a tree is somewhere around $350-$700.
In comparison, common tree care solutions can be performed for less.
Excavating root collars, applying pest controls, treating trees for disease, and fertilization are all services that generally range from $150 to $400 per tree, depending on the exact scope of the work. To give a concrete example, the average cost to treat a maple tree afflicted by gloomy scale is around $120. To remove that same tree will likely surpass the $400 mark. Not only is removal more expensive, but there are other disadvantages as well:
- Your tree will be gone, which means you will lose its full value. Tree care, on the other hand, helps maintain and enhance this valuable asset.
- There is a great deal of risk to both the tree service staff and your property during the tree removal process. This process involves using high-powered chainsaws and equipment to remove a tremendously heavy and unpredictable object. Tree care, on the other hand, involves considerably less risk.
- The tree service must bring heavy equipment onto your property. Tree care crews are generally very small and cause less damage to your property, if any at all.
The value proposition is clear: to save money, enhance your property value, and increase your quality of life, tree care solutions should always be the first option whenever it comes to any tree service project.