We often hear from people after they’ve had a bad experience of with another tree care service. These bad experiences can range from over charging to seriously damaging valuable trees. Below you’ll find a few signs (both bad and good) to be on the look out for when seeking tree care services.

These are bad signs:

1. Reputable Arborist will not knock door to door soliciting business. Avoid those companies that show up at your doorstep offering to prune, trim, or cut down trees. A knock on your door is a sign for customer beware!
2. Never allow a non-insured arborist to do work on your property.  If you hire an uninsured arborist, you can be held liable for any damages or injuries that occur while they are on the job.
3. Don’t allow an arborist to do work for you until you confirm they have a drug and alcohol policy in place that is regulated by state and federal guidelines. This will help insure you have alert, safe, and healthy workers on your property.
4. Do not allow a person to scare or intimidate you into doing work. If they refuse to accept your refusal of their tree services and continue to knock or ring your door bell, call the non-emergency 911 number to ask for someone to come out and get the person off of your property. Sadly, in the Quincy and Adams County area there have been a lot of unprofessional tree services since the June 2011 storm. Brumbaugh Tree Service has worked with the Quincy Police at the senior center to advise people about this very serious issue.
5. Never pay a person until job is complete and inspected by you.

These are good signs:

1. Look for an International Certified Arborist, not only a tree service. You can go to International Society of Arboriculture, www.isa_arbor.com, to confirm that arborist certification and licensing number is valid.
2. Request a copy of the International Certified Arborist Company’s insurances. Make sure they are fully insured. Make sure they have property/ personal liability insurance, automobile/ equipment insurance, & workman’s compensation insurance. Reputable Arborist will be happy to supply you with a copy of proof of their insurance.
3. Look for International Certified Arborist that are members of other professional organizations, like the International Society of Arboriculture or Illinois Department of Arboriculture. These affiliations with organizations demonstrate a willingness to stay up-to-date on the latest techniques and information.
4. Always have an International Certified Arborist evaluate your trees and give you an estimate first. When examining the bids, look at all specifications and credentials as well as the work to be done to determine which bidding company will provide the best service. Do NOT always select the lowest bid. The of owner of Brumbaugh Tree Service, Larry W. Brumbaugh, will be happy to answer any tree question you have, he will evaluate your trees for free, and he will give you a free estimate.
5. If you are going to start a new construction, like building a house or business, the first thing you need to do is call an International Certified Arborist to have them evaluate your property and mark your healthy trees to ensure the construction crew does not harm healthy trees. Larry W. Brumbaugh will evaluate your trees free of charge.