Breaking Down Tree Removal: Costs, Considerations and Benefits of Working with Davey

David Horvath, sales arborist from Davey's Lake Bluff office, talks about the many factors of tree removal on client properties, such as costs, site assessments, best practices and the importance of communication. 

In this episode we cover: 

• When preservation isn't possible, removal is the only option (0:58)
• Factors of tree removal that arborists consider (1:25)
• Stag trees and left over wood (3:40)
• Don't wait until your tree is dead to schedule a removal (6:58)
• Tree removal methods and cost (8:58)
• Benefits of working with professional arborists (11:40)
• Davey's tree removal price comes with unmatched safety, care and trust (12:37)
• Removal costs to consider for homeowners (16:34)
• Arborist-to-client communication is key (19:47)
• Concrete-filled trees (22:00)

To find your local Davey office, check out our find a local office page to search by zip code.

To learn more about tree removal and making sure it's done the right way, read our blogs, How Much is the Cost of Tree Removal?,  Is Tree Stump Removal Necessary, Or Is It Better To Grind A Stump?, and 6 Signs It Might Be Time to Remove Your Tree. 

Connect with Davey Tree on social media:
Twitter: @DaveyTree
Facebook: @DaveyTree
Instagram: @daveytree
YouTube: The Davey Tree Expert Company
LinkedIn: The Davey Tree Expert Company 

Connect with Doug Oster at www.dougoster.com. 

Have topics you'd like us to cover on the podcast? Email us at podcasts@davey.com. We want to hear from you!

Transcript

Doug Oster: Welcome to the Davey Tree Expert Company's podcast, Talking Trees. I'm your host, Doug Oster. Each week, our expert arborists share advice on seasonal tree care, how to make your trees thrive, arborists' favorite trees, and much, much more. Tune in every Thursday to learn more, because here at the Talking Trees podcast, we know trees are the answer.

Well, he lives on beautiful Arbor Lane. David Horvath is a sales arborist in Lake Bluff, Illinois, which is a northern suburb of Chicago, for the Davey Tree Expert Company. I say that about David because he has a sign in the back that says Arbor Lane. We talked about it last time he was on. Today, though, we're talking all about when tree removal is the last resort, how much should it cost? David, that seems like a loaded question, because there's a lot of different answers to that, right?

David Horvath: There are a lot of different answers to that. If we've gotten to the point of removal, that means we have ruled out the option of trying to preserve the tree. Of course, as an arborist of Davey Tree, my main objective is preserving a tree. That's always the first route I want to take with a customer. Based on this discussion, that's no longer an option to preserve that tree, so now we're looking at removal. Where do we go from here?

Some of the factors, I guess, that are really important for my customers or homeowners in general to consider when having a tree removed is it's not as simple as, "Hey, if you give me the diameter or the size of the tree, I'll give you a quote for how much it costs." There's a lot of factors that go into removing a tree. For a lot of us, we're working with homeowners to preserve their property, to protect their investment. That's a key objective.

When we look at a removal, we want to see, where is that located? What obstacles are we having to deal with? Are there hazards around that tree that we have to contend with when we're looking at removing that tree? Some of those hazards that a lot of people forget about or overlook, I should say, is do we have electrical wires near the tree? Do we have to coordinate with the electrical provider to perhaps have those lines de-energized so that-- what's really paramount to that is keeping our people safe. We don't want, at the end of the day, anybody injured, and we don't want to damage anything on the customer's property. Again, we've gotten to this point where the risk associated with that tree has outweighed any of the benefits. We're discussing that removal.

Another thing that I think is really important on my properties and when I'm working with the homeowners is that when we're done removing that tree, Doug, we want to make sure that's it. That the customer doesn't have to hire a landscaper to restore their landscape, to repair divots in the lawn because someone decided to drop a tree in the yard, or big chunks of wood. I just don't think that's appropriate for a relationship that we have with our customers. When we're done, the project should be done.

Some of the things that may be a little bit different, I guess, is if a customer opts to not have the resulting stump ground out or removed. That might be the only thing that's left in the landscape that's evidence that the tree is no longer there.

Doug: Well, speaking to that, I have five trees that need to be removed. What's nice is I worked with the arborist from Davey. Each one is going to be a different price and going to be left in a different state. Depending on where it's at, I say, "Can I leave the stag?" How would you explain what a stag is? A giant stump, or how would you say of a stag?

David: Sometimes I refer to it-- some customers refer to it as a totem pole. It's the big trunk of the tree. If you have a large property, those are really beneficial to leave if you have the opportunity to do so. That's a great, I call them habitat trees, especially for our raptor birds to perch on. A lot of other wildlife critters utilize those trees for habitat. I have seen that as an increasing trend in the market. More and more people are opting to go that route. Sometimes it can be cost-driven as well. If we're able to leave some of that larger trunk wood, it does save on cost to a degree. Not necessarily as much as people hope it reduces the cost, though.

Doug: That's what we talked about. It's in an area in the woodlands where, number one, he told me, he goes, "Yes, you're going to save money. It's not going to hurt anything. It is a positive for the wildlife. In other areas, though, depending on where the tree is situated, the whole thing has to come out. That's just the way it is." I just like the flexibility that you're able to discuss with the arborist. Another thing would be, will I save money if you leave the wood? If it's just in the woods, will I save some money, or how much will I save? That's all part of the discussion.

David: Yes. That's key, is having a discussion with the homeowner. Sometimes people are attracted to, "Oh, it'd be great to have firewood." Usually when I hear that, though, I look around the property to see if there's other old piles of firewood of good intentions. Especially out in the Northeast or Pennsylvania, and it's becoming an increasing problem here, but tick populations.

Sometimes it's not a good idea to leave that so-called firewood around because that creates good habitat for the white-footed mouse, and then we're increasing the incidence of Lyme disease. It's another good consideration, but again, it goes back to having that discussion with your arborist to determine, really, what is the best fit for the homeowner? What is the best fit for that property?

Sometimes, just as you were alluding to, the location of that tree. Is it close to a structure, a neighbor's house, or a fence that long-term, as that decay encompasses that tree, is that a risk we don't want to deal with of that trunk wood or that stag falling on an object or structure?

Doug: One thing I want to broach is that you don't want to wait until the tree is dead. You want to have the tree looked at every six months, once a year, whatever it is, so that it still can be climbed to remove it, because if it can't be climbed, it's going to cost more money.

David: Correct. Yes. If it can't be climbed, we have to get specialized equipment to that tree. That can be really complicated if access is restricted. Sometimes, if we can get a bucket truck or an aerial lift truck to the tree, that makes things easier. Sometimes, maybe the size of the tree or the location, we have to get a crane to it. What is site access? Sometimes, that requires getting permission from a neighboring property. You're working with not just the homeowner, but a neighbor as well. The longer that tree stays dead, the more involved it can be with fungal decay, and it becomes a hazard. Again, paramount to it is keeping our people safe. If we can't climb it, then we have to figure out a way to get that tree down safely. How do we get equipment to that tree?

Doug: I'm speaking from experience, David. had one. I don't know how I missed it. It was big behind the garage. My wife just said, "Did you look at that tree? It's all hollow on the inside." When the arborist took a look at it, it was almost like he was calling 911. It had to be taken down so quickly. This, again, access is the issue, because it's back in the woods behind-- They had to have special equipment to get back there. It took all day to take that tree down, but I'm glad it didn't crush my garage.

David: Right. As you can imagine, that's a big driver in cost. Sometimes, I'll hear, "Well, it's not a very big tree." Size isn't the only factor. As you alluded to, behind the garage, if it's next to a primary electric line, that takes a lot of additional time to get what otherwise appears to be a small tree. If it was in the middle of a field, anybody could technically go out there and drop that tree and get it out of there on the cheap.

Most often, we're working with customers in urban lots, where there are plenty of obstacles that we have to contend with. The more obstacles we contend with, then we have to think of even more additional measures, again, to keep our people safe, to keep the property safe. There's a lot of things that can go wrong really quick, which is a good reason for working with a professional tree care company, knowing that they're not only investing in specialized equipment for access, but they're also investing in their people, to train their people to contend with these high-risk situations to protect themselves and to protect their customers' properties.

Doug: It's an amazing thing to watch, as a homeowner, to see how the logistics of doing this safely and professionally and in a timely manner. You could just sit back on the porch and stay out of the way and be entertained for hours.

David: Yes, and good training can make it oftentimes look really easy. Sometimes people see a well-oiled machine and it sounds like, "Well, I can do that." Yes, it is a result of extensive training of our people. For our people, this is a career. It's not just a job. They take what they do very seriously, and they take protecting our customers' properties very seriously as well.

Doug: Yes, David, when they say, "I can do that," you tell them, "No, you can't." [laughs]

David: Exactly. If you can't take care of it with a handsaw and you're thinking about using a chainsaw, call an arborist. That could go wrong really quick.

Doug: You've got that right. I've seen it happen, as we all have, when you're young and stupid, and somebody tells you, "No, you can do it," and it's like, "I'm glad we got out of that one alive. I'm calling Davey."

David: Yes. Working with a professional, some of the other added benefits is a professional for that community is very familiar with the permit process that is typically found in most communities. It's pretty rare in this area that you can simply just take a tree down. You have to go through your municipality, and you have to get that tree okayed by that municipality to be removed. If you shortcut that, there can be some really serious fines associated with removing a tree that doesn't have a permit to do so.

Doug: I know, from doing this podcast, that every different area has a different rule and different fees and different permits. As you said, that's imperative to get taken care of when you're getting a tree taken down.

David: Absolutely. That is very important. I think also, keeping in mind, as a homeowner, it is a good idea to get multiple quotes. Something to keep in mind is-- oftentimes we hear, "I don't understand, you're $1,000 or $1,500 more." Usually the return question is, "I don't understand, how can they possibly be $1,000 or $1,500 less? What are they doing? What attractive shortcuts are they taking to do that for such a reduced fee?"

Again, a lot can go wrong. If we are pricing it to have our people rushed, that's where serious accidents happen. I like to tell my customers, if we're trying to negotiate, is, "That's the price I feel it takes my team to do that job safely and not feel rushed." I don't want my guys to feel rushed. When you frame it like that, I haven't found somebody yet that wants the removal rushed on their property when they have obstacles, or a pool deck, something underneath that they care about.

Doug: David, it's not because I work for Davey doing this podcast, but I don't want any other bids, to tell you the truth. I've got to know my arborist and all the other arborists that work in my area from Davey, because they're on the radio show, they were doing the podcast together. I trust them. That's what makes the difference. I can trust them. I've got my own thing, where I want it to be done as cheaply as possible, and my arborist knows that, and we'll talk about it.

It's the same thing that you just said, like, "We want this done right. We want it done safely, and it's going to take this much time. This is my job to tell you that." Then I throw, "Well, what if I left the stag? What if we leave the wood? Do I really save that much by that, or can you take the wood?" Just working through all that, but to me, the number one thing is just trust. I don't want another company coming in here and underselling somebody, and then me wondering, like you said, how could they get that done that quickly? I want it done right, and I want it done safely. I feel that that's being done in all the years, and even way before I worked for Davey.

David: Sure.

Doug: I used Davey because I lived over there close to the headquarters. I lived next to Kent, Ohio, just by coincidence, and that's what we did. We just used Davey, and it's always worked out well for me.

David: Having that relationship is important. Accidents do happen. Boy, I tell you, if an accident's going to happen, I'm glad that it's with somebody that I have a relationship with. I know they're going to make me whole, I know they're going to take care of it. If something does go wrong, we're going to make sure that our customer is taken care of, that if we damage a fence, there's not going to be an argument. There's not going to be this, "Well, that fence was in bad condition." No, we're going to fix it. We're going to make it right. Again, that goal is, when we're done, everything's done.

If it does require replacing a fence section, then so be it. We're going to do it without argument because we want this to be a good experience. That's just a part of having a good relationship with the professional that you're working with.

Doug: Is there any way for me as a homeowner to get a guesstimate before you come and look at it and say, "Well, I think that's going to cost this. Let's see what he says"? Actually, that's what I always do. Then, the arborist I work with, his name is Vince, usually he comes in lower than what I'm thinking of and I'm like, "Ooh, okay." Then I report to the boss, talk to my wife, like, "Oh, it's only going to be this much." I guessed it was going to be $2,000 more. Then it sounds like a bargain, so everybody's happy.

David: Instead of focusing so much on the cost, I think something that might be easier for a homeowner to look at is what is around that tree. Actually, start to look at the cost of some of those items if the tree fails and it destroys, maybe it's a really nice pergola. Starting to put things into perspective, or it's next to a garage where you have a collectible car stored inside. Look at the cost of those items. All of a sudden, that job itself, the price is no longer a big factor.

When you start pinching pennies to protect something that is very valuable, you have to start backing up and really question your priority. I think for a homeowner to just assess the situation, call out the arborist, have a discussion. If that price comes in higher than what your gut was expecting, discuss it. Ask, "Hey, what are the factors that contribute to this cost?" It's not that you're questioning the arborist's quote, you're just asking a question. Again, that's just having that relationship.

Then as a homeowner, if you have a large property, like yourself, you sound like you've had several removals, along the way, you develop this sense of what something might cost. For people that have never had a tree removed, and until a professional puts eyes on it, there is really no way to estimate that cost. If you've never had it removed, again, if you don't have that relationship, it does make sense getting a couple of quotes.

Always keep it in mind that you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Hire a professional. That is paramount. Don't go with the lowest bid because you really do want to start asking yourself, "How are they able to do it for such a low cost?" Because that's not a good feeling when the tree's gone, but now you have to contact another professional to restore your property. Oftentimes, it ends up costing you the same amount of money as you'd just called the right professional, such as Davey Tree, to get it done right the first time.

Doug: Right. When we walk through and look at the trees, Vince is always telling me, "Well, it's probably going to have to be three guys, they're going to be here for this many hours." He's figured it all out. One of the things I like is that Vince and I will walk around and look at the trees. He'll tell me, "Well, this is probably going to be three guys, probably all day." Even though he bids it, sometimes it'll come in cheaper, he'll get it done a little quicker, which is always a relief. Just that you know that they would do that. You've got your quote, why wouldn't they just charge you for it? We have a long-term relationship, and when it does come in a little cheaper, it's like, they have my back.

David: Personally, it's a great feeling when sometimes you quote it and you get there and you're setting up the guys, and a different set of eyes can see things completely different. They come up with an alternate plan that saves time and it saves the customer money. To be able to contact the customer, to let them know before they get the invoice, that, "Hey, it's going to be a little bit less money," it's a great feeling.

It's a good feeling, but something that Davey, at least I never do, if it runs over, that quoted cost that you got, it's not going to be more than that. To me, it's always a win-win for the customer. To me, that quote protects you from it being excessively high. I think the only circumstances sometimes where we run into overages is if we're cutting down a tree and that thing is filled with concrete and we're not able to get that trunk all the way down to the ground.

What happens there is a phone call, a discussion with the homeowner of, "Hey, we can only take it down this far. We're stopping. What do you want to do?" That's where we start discussing additional costs. That's very infrequent, I have to say. We're really good about figuring out ways to even deal with concrete. Every once in a while, we get a curveball in there where it is a completely unforeseen contingency and it does require further communication.

David: Literally filled with concrete, a tree?

Doug: Filled with concrete. I had one about a month ago, and there were no cavities or anything on the outside. It was about a two-and-a-half-foot diameter white oak. The tree had been stone dead, but the lower six feet of the trunk was filled with concrete. It even went into the ground below that root crown of the tree. Based on the amount of growth around that concrete, that concrete was likely put in there 50, 60 years ago.

Sometimes you get a little glimpse of a cavity and you can see the concrete. A good arborist, we're always looking for that so that we can price that into the job. That can be a good situation, like you were referring to, of, "Hey, we were able to get it done in less time and now we can give some money back." This one, there was no indication that there was concrete in the tree.

David: Well, we've covered how much it should cost, but I have to ask, why is someone putting concrete in a tree? I've never heard of this.

Doug: That was the old adage of that's how you take care of decay or cavities in trees, you fill them with concrete. That's going to stop the spread of the decay. Since then, we now know that it's a horrible idea. Putting concrete in a cavity is going to hold moisture, it's going to further the progression of the decay. We have run into some pretty ornate concrete jobs, if you want to call them, where people have trawled in brick lines. There is a school in the community here where someone laid brick on the inside of the cavity. There's mortar joints inside this cavity. That took some skill to do that. Unfortunately, it's going to take additional skill to contend with that as well.

David: Well, David, I've been doing this podcast for quite a while and that's a brand new one on me. You taught me something new. Appreciate your time, as always. That was great to talk to you.

Doug: Likewise.

David: A really good discussion on how to navigate what it is going to cost when a tree does have to be removed. Thanks again.

Doug: You are very welcome. My pleasure, Doug.

David: I enjoyed that conversation. I hope you did too. Now, fellow tree lovers, tune in every Thursday to this Talking Trees podcast from the Davey Tree Expert Company. I'm your host, Doug Oster. Do me a big favor, as always, I want you to subscribe to the podcast so you'll never miss an episode.

What should we be covering on this podcast? I need to know. There's two ways to tell us. Send us an email to podcasts@davey.com. That's P-O-D-C-A-S-T-S at D-A-V-E-Y dot com. You can also click the link at the end of our show notes to text us a fan mail message. Your ideas could be on a future podcast, and we would love to hear from you. As always, we'd like to remind you on the Talking Trees podcast, trees are the answer.

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