Sally Scalera

Brevard County Horticulture Extension Agent
3695 Lake Drive -- Cocoa FL 32926 -- 321-633-1702

Certified arborists

July 1, 2006

How ironic -- I go to Ft. Myers to attend the Florida Chapter of the ISA’s (International Society of Arboriculture) Trees Florida 2006 Conference where some of the sessions covered trees and storms when, who should pay a visit but, Tropical Storm Alberto. Many of those attending were impressed by the timing. This conference is one of the places where Certified Arborists can go to receive CEUs (Continuing Education Units) to remain certified. For anyone who needs young trees pruned to produce a good structure (very important for live oaks) or to have a mature tree thinned I always recommend using a Certified Arborist. So, if you EVER think that you may want the services of a Certified Arborist, cut this article out and keep it in a safe place so that you can refer to in the future.

A Certified must pass a lengthy and difficult test and once they are certified they must accrue 30 CEUs every four years to remain certified. To find the most current list of Certified Arborists just go to the ISA’s Florida Chapters website at http://www.floridaisa.org/ . In the left hand column, fourth button down, click on “Find an Arborist”. Then, scroll down and search for arborists in a number of ways. My favorite way is to go to the section where you can enter in a zip code and search that way. have found that if you put in a zip code for Cocoa, like 32922, you will get the largest list of Certified Arborists for just Brevard County. You can also enter in a zip code for Titusville, like 32780, and you will find some up in the Titusville area and others outside of the county. If you enter in a zip code for Melbourne too, say 32935, you will have a complete list for the county.

Many professional certification programs require earning CEUs to recertify and this is a great thing because it keeps everyone up to date on the newest information that is available. If a person got certified but never had to attend any more classes then eventually their information would become out-dated since research is always going on.

There are many things that a tree service or non-certified arborist may recommend that is detrimental to the tree (or even palms) and here are just a few of them:

• Don’t let anyone sell you on the idea of topping a tree. Topping is where the large branches and main trunk are cut off leaving large diameter cuts and no foliage left on the tree. here are other names that can be use instead of topping so be on the alert for these also; stubbing, hatracking, heading, topping-off and heading-back. I could write an entire article on how topping harms a tree but to sum it up I can tell you that many of the trees that even survive topping are generally removed within a year. To restore a previously topped tree could take up to five or more years so, the best thing for the tree and your safety is to never top a tree in the first place!
• Don’t let anyone sell you on the idea of “lion’s tailing” your tree. Lion’s tailing is where all of the interior branches and foliage is removed from the tree. Often, too much of the canopy is removed at one time and the tree produces water sprouts to try and make up for the drastic pruning. The problem with this type of pruning is that all of the weight on the branch is now located at the very end which can often result in the failure (breaking) of the branch.
• Now for another warning about palm pruning – do not let anyone remove GREEN fronds from your palms – EVER! The palms need the green fronds to carry on photosynthesis which produces their food. Don’t let anyone scare you about palms and hurricanes since palms rarely fall over in storms and even when a few do here and there they don’t do the amount of damage that large trees are known to do. One last thought – palms never lose green fronds in a hurricane. We only end up picking up the brown ones that are blown off so, leave the green fronds on the palms!

• Ask for certificates of insurance, including proof of liability for personal and property damage and workman’s compensation. Then, contact the insurance company to make sure the policy is current.
• Ask for local references. Take a look at some of the work, and if possible, talk with former clients. Experience, education and a good reputation are signs of a good arborist.
• Never let yourself be rushed by bargains. (“If you sign an agreement today, I can take ten percent off the price.”) Never pay in advance!
• Most reputable tree care companies have all the work they can handle without going door to door. People who aren’t competent arborists may solicit tree work at you door pointing out a condition that needs “immediate attention” or the “tree will die”. If a tree is that close to death there is probably nothing that can be done to save it.
• Good tree work will not be inexpensive by any means. A good arborist must carry several kinds of insurance as well as pay for expensive and specialized equipment. Plus, the Certified Arborist have costs for the continued training and recertification.
• A proper pruning job is one that shouldn’t be noticed after the work has been done! If you walk by a tree and you realized it has been hacked then the chances are almost 100% that whoever pruned it was not a Certified Arborist.