Focusing on the health and safety of your individual plants and trees through diagnosis and treatment, climbing and pruning. A qualified arborist will assist property owners and managers maintain the quality of their landscape assets. Proper tree and shrub management is the difference between a plant being an asset or a liability.
Some trees present unique challenges to the property manager or owner which prefers retention to removal. In these cases, simply pruning the tree may not meet the needs of the manager or reduce the risk presented by the tree to an acceptable threshold. Installation of support systems like cables, braces, lightning protection, mulch beds or companion planting is necessary. We are happy to provide you with detailed preservation plans and strategies to maintain your plants as assets in your landscape.
Our crew is highly experienced, well trained and educated in both the art and science of pruning all manner of woody plants. We have many years of experience pruning trees in both the Okanagan and Calgary, and preserving trees also happens to be one of our favourite jobs!
We prune trees and shrubs to provide a compromise between the inherent tendencies of plants to grow as large as possible in the space they occupy, and the needs and safety of the people who live around them. One of the most requested services in the urban environment is tree reduction. There are ways to do it properly, that coincide with tree physiology and best management practice and there are ways to perform this service that results in the tree being at risk of becoming a liability.
We’d be happy to work with you to decide the service that best suits your needs, and is harmonious, rather than at odds, with science and best management practice.
Tree removal is usually a last resort, but there are situations where it is necessary. An arborist can help you decide whether or not a tree should be removed. Arborists have the skills and equipment to safely and efficiently remove trees. We also make sure the products from the tree are recycled, reclaimed and when possible transformed into usable materials. To this end, FamilyTree Arboriculture has developed relationships with many local craftsmen and sawyers who are able to make use of the wood products which result from tree removal. Your cut trees can also be used to provide heat. Please inform us if you’re interested in having some boards sawn for carpentry projects or your wood split for burning at home or at the campsite.
Sometimes trees in natural or wilderness areas need removal, but once they have been cut below a certain height pose little to no risk to persons or properties. FamilyTree Arboriculture prefers to cut the trunk of these trees to around 5m above ground and cut cavities into these trees in order to facilitate a natural habitat for the myriad of plants, animals and insects which will find suitable niches in these ‘wildlife snags.’ Indeed, if your tree is within the Riparian Zone of any natural water feature, this is the regulation we have to follow. When possible, we recommend retention of the bottom 5m of trunk for the potential habitat that it affords the local flora and fauna.
Stump grinding is an effective method to remove unwanted tree stumps. Some trees, mostly deciduous, will grow vigorous sprouts from their stumps once removed. Prior to stump removal, treating the stumps of these trees with either a synthetic or non-synthetic treatment will prevent sprouting. Ask us about stump treatments prior to grinding if the removed tree is likely to sprout.
The least expensive way for our specialists to perform our services is when they can focus on performing their work without worrying about doing the clean up. Be warned, while we preserve property, landscapes and possessions, we make a big mess when we work on trees. Even large yards can get filled with a sea of branches and wood from removal or pruning activities, so if you’re looking to cut costs, be prepared to deal with a large amount of brush or wood. If this approach would work best for you, we’d be happy to do the dismantling for you!
Sometimes people will contact us with a request to chip and haul away the material from their pruning or removal activities. We are happy to come and chip and haul your tree and shrub waste. This is usually done at an hourly rate plus disposal fee structure. Our time on site can be minimized if the brush is stacked in an organized manner and the piles are limited to branches. We will not chip anything we suspect contains metal, rocks, dirt or anything which may damage our equipment.
We also have a light crane truck which is capable of picking up and hauling logs and wood. We have many contacts in the valley who are happy to take logs for milling and artisanal projects, or to heat their homes.
Give us a call if you have any brush or wood you would like removed from your property, and do so knowing that none of it goes to waste!
One of our favourite jobs is to plant trees and shrubs. Trees are multi-generational organisms which, if properly maintained, have the distinction of being one of the only public utilities whose value increases over time. Shrubs are wonderful accents to a landscape that provide a landscape with many benefits. A presciently planted tree will positively affect the local environment in which it’s planted for decades, perhaps even centuries. It may even save you money on heating and cooling by providing shade and reducing wind. Properly selected shrubs can work as companion plants with trees and other shrubs on your property.
Arborists are uniquely knowledgeable in appropriate shrub, tree and site selection, site preparation, soil remediation, installation methods, and juvenile tree protection. Improperly planted and selected trees will yield poor results for the property manager and the tree, and in some cases may result in tree collapse and the premature death of the tree. We also offer transplanting services, and have had great success in the past. If you would like a professional to assist you in tree selection, planting or transplanting, we would love to plant your trees or shrubs for you!
