A Guide to Getting Your Residential Trees Inspected
A Guide to Getting Your Residential Trees Inspected
For those of you living in residential areas, having healthy, beautiful trees is a great way to keep your home and neighborhood looking idea.
Having your trees routinely inspected can help you accomplish this. Let’s discuss what goes into a tree inspection and why they are important to have.
What Goes Into a Tree Inspection?
So what is a tree inspection? What can you expect when you ask for one from your local professional tree care company?
A tree inspection is also known as a tree risk assessment or an evaluation. It allows a professional to review your trees to identify any problem areas or dangers that may hurt you and/or your property.
If the tree is diseased, broken, or otherwise damaged, the tree care professional can then recommend further action to take. A lot of ailments can be remedied, but if the tree is sick or broken beyond repair, it may have to be taken down. Other diseases/pests can be fixed with pruning, mulching, pesticides, etc.
You can get all of the trees in your landscaping evaluated, it’s most important to consider the ones near your home, power lines, and other liabilities.
When Do You Need a Tree Inspection?
Now that you know what a tree inspection entails, when should you consider getting one?
Renovating/Building a Home
Municipalities will typically require a certified arborist to review your renovation/building plans before they’ll give you a permit to continue. The tree care professionals will present a list of things that you and/or other builders need to do to keep your trees alive through the construction. This includes marking the tree’s critical root zones to prevent damage, etc.
Ideally, you should have an arborist come out to your property as soon as possible. As soon as you begin planning, hiring a tree care company should be on your mind. Having this step done may even influence some of your building decisions.
Buying a Home
Before closing on a new home, you will want to hire a certified arborist to look at the trees on the property. Their response can help you decide whether or not it’s the home you truly want.
Their inspection for your new potential home will include:
– Looking out for hazardous branches that need pruning/removal
– Finding pests/diseases
– Making sure the trees and their roots aren’t too close to the house
– Finding out whether the roots are in the way of the foundation/driveway
Having too many of these issues could cause further problems down the road. It’s important to know what you are getting into when buying a home.
When You Notice an Issue
Lastly, you should of course contact your local tree care professionals if you notice an obvious issue.
A really bad disease or pest outbreak could mean the death of a tree, or the collapse of one. If you let something noticeable go without being fixed, it could cause injury to you and your property as well.
How Often Should Your Residential Trees Get Inspected?
Obviously you should call a certified arborist immediately if you notice an issue, but how often should you have your trees inspected otherwise?
You should consider having your trees professionally inspected every 3 years, or as frequently as your local arborist recommends. Also, if you have severe storms, consider having them looked at as well.
Once you have found the best arborist for you, talk to them about having your trees looked at. This will open up a dialogue and allow them to recommend the best options for your landscape.
If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, consider contacting Arborist Now for your tree inspection needs.
