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Ballard Tree Service has maintained a well-earned reputation for superior knowledge in
the field of arboriculture as a member of both the National Arborist Association and the International Society of Arboriculture,
but what is an arborist?
An arborist (or tree surgeon) is a professional in the practice of arboriculture, the management
and maintenance of trees. Work may also include care of shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants. An arborist is distinct
from a forester, or from a logger. Those professions may have much in common, but the scope of work is different. Arborists
frequently focus on health and safety of individual trees, or wooded landscapes, rather than managing forests or harvesting
wood.
Arborists who climb (as not all do) can use a variety of techniques to ascend into a tree. The least invasive,
and most popular technique used is to ascend on rope. When personal safety is an issue, or the tree is being removed, arborists
may use 'hooks', ('gaffs', 'spurs') attached to their boots with straps to ascend and work.
An arborist's work may
involve very large and complex trees, or ecological communities and their abiotic components in the context of the landscape
ecosystem. These may require monitoring and treatment to ensure they are healthy, safe, and suitable to property owners or
community standards. This work may include some or all of the following: planting; transplanting; pruning; structural support;
preventing, or diagnosing and treating phytopathology or parasitism; preventing or interrupting grazing or predation; installing
lightning protection; and removing vegetation deemed as hazardous, an invasive species, a disease vector, or a weed. Arborists
may also plan, consult, write reports and give legal testimony. While some aspects of this work are done on the ground or
in an office, much of it is done by arborists who climb the trees with ropes, harnesses and other equipment. Lifts and bucket
trucks may be used also. The work of all arborists is not the same. Some may just perform consulting; others may perform climbing,
pruning and planting.
So what does it mean to be a certified arborist and how does this certification benefit you as
a customer? While certification cannot guarantee superior performance, the arborists we employ have attained a level of achievement
and education in the field of tree care that ensures a greater ability to preserve and enhance the beauty of your trees, view
and property as a whole.
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