Trees are known as our biggest friends of nature, as they are vital to life on earth. They are both the oldest and the biggest species on this planet. They are not just essential for our lives, food, and accommodation, trees provide us with a wide range of economic, social, environmental, and health benefits. That’s why it’s important to take proper care of the trees around us, especially the ones that are on our properties and under our possession. But we can’t take care of them properly or maintain them in an amateur manner, and we need to go for professionals who can help us with that.
Through professional care or maintenance, trees can have proper growth, as well as remain healthy and aesthetically pleasing. It will also help maximize the benefits that we gain from trees. We all have heard about doctors and surgeons for human beings, but we have hardly heard the same for trees. Trees need surgeons too, who can maintain them in a professional manner and ensure their growth, health, and safety. And these tree surgeons of trees are known as arborists, who can help you professionally when it comes to maintaining your trees.
In this article, we will talk about arborists and what they actually do.
Who is an arborist?
An arborist is a professional when it comes to maintaining, diagnosing, and taking care of trees, along with various other applications in the tree industry. To join this industry as an arborist, they have to complete their AQF level 3 qualifications in arboriculture or horticulture. With the knowledge they gain from studying arboriculture and the experience they gain through working in this industry, they work to preserve the health and maintain the proper growth of trees.
Arboriculture is basically about the management and care of trees, and arborists are different than other workers in the tree industries, as arborists are qualified professionals in this discipline. They get the proper training to follow the best practices of the industry regarding the removal and maintenance of trees, also for arborist inspection. It means they can practice and recommend various strategies regarding tree maintenance to ensure the best possible results for the trees, and they do it while considering the impacts on the community and the ecosystem.
What Does An Arborist Do?
When it comes to dealing with tree-related problems, the first and last call you need to make is to an arborist. Arborists work in all the aspects of the tree industry, as they work for governments, organizations, councils, and even private residents. They work to provide expert insight on the condition of trees and recommend different ways that can be adapted in order to preserve the looks, health, and well-being of the trees. They also provide assistance when it comes to mitigating the hazards of the trees.
The work of an arborist or arboculturalist can be diverse, but it usually involves the maintenance of plants, trees, and shrubs. This maintenance can be done in different ways.
Arborists provide health assessments on trees by assessing them deeply, and it gives an indication of the tree’s condition. It can provide insight into any kind of infestation, damage, or signs of deterioration. It’s important to assess the safety of your trees for their proper maintenance and at the same time, for the safety of your properties and the whole community.
They also work to promote the healthy growth of the trees and improve their overall stability by employing the strategy of lopping and pruning overweight, dying, and dead branches. In order to minimize tree hazards and make them look beautiful or aesthetically pleasing, arborists go for crown reduction, raising, and thinning.
Among other things, arborists also go for stump and tree removal. They are often taken as a last resort, but they are a necessary procedure nevertheless. Trees that have turned old, obstructive, sick, or damaged can pose various threats to your properties, to the passing pedestrians, and to the ecosystem. An arborist is essential to deal with cases like this.
However, apart from all the things mentioned above, arborists take care of some basic tasks. They are-
Tree Planting
Planting trees are no easy task, as it requires a lot of expertise and knowledge to do so properly. It needs proper planning, determining the right location, choosing the right species that will be appropriate for a certain region, etc. The maintenance and care of a newly planted tree are also important, especially during the early stages of development. An arborist can help you with all these.
Tree Pruning
Tree pruning requires specific methods and techniques. It is done for a variety of reasons, such as storm damage, diseases, infections, etc. The tree’s condition can be assessed by a certified arborist, and only they can determine if a tree needs pruning or not.
Tree Trimming
The main reason behind tree trimming is to maintain a tree’s health, proper growth, and aesthetics. An arborist can determine how and when a tree should be trimmed after a thorough assessment.
Tree Removal
Many people think tree removal is an easy task, and it can be performed by any tree service provider or company. While most service providers take tree removal as a primary solution for dealing with trees with damage, an arborist treats it as a last resort. They will see if the tree can be saved at any cost, and go for other solutions if possible. They will not for removal unless there is no other way.
Tree Care and Maintenance
Trees require proper maintenance and care on a regular basis, especially for assessment purposes after the dry and cold seasons and for preventive purposes before winter. Also checking potential damages and taking measures to help the tree recover quickly are also among the job descriptions of an arborist.
Final Words
In order to assess the condition of your trees properly, maintain their health and growth, and remove them when necessary, you must take help from a professional and certified arborist. You should only trust an arborist when it comes to taking care of trees, and performing specific services such as tree trimming, pruning, etc., as they have the necessary qualifications, skills, and experience to do so safely, accurately, and efficiently. Untrained and uncertified workers might cause more problems than good while working on these things and might make mistakes that can lead to the removal of your trees. So, you must take services from a professional arborist to keep your trees safe and sound, as well as your properties, community, and the environment. Otherwise, you might face difficult problems regarding your trees and their well-being.
