Four trees we left standing, and why

Four trees on the eastern property line did not come down, and that was our call. A power line ran along one side of them and a gas cylinder sat on the other. They were the hardest and most dangerous trees on the property by a wide margin. We told the homeowner we were not comfortable taking them with the equipment we had, and we did not quote them. A tree that has waited this long can wait longer.

The rest was split into segments so it could be scheduled and paid for one piece at a time.

Two dead trees came first — one in the front yard, one off the back corner of the house. Both were felled and cut into lengths, and the wood and limbs stayed behind because the owner wanted them. A large tree in the front yard had its dead and dying branches taken out at the same time and the crown trimmed back to shape.

The Bradford pears between the house and the garage were topped and reduced. That section was quoted and scheduled on its own because it needed a lift to do properly — the gap between two structures is not a place to be swinging wood off a rope. The branches were left behind at the owner’s request.

Ground protection mats went down wherever the truck and gear crossed the yard.