Danger Ahead! Massive Oak Tree Right Next to Home Removed
“First of all, we loved that big oak tree. It had been there the entire time we lived in the house, about 36 years. It was a good tree.” ~ Phil Wertz, Precision Tree Care & Removal Customer.
On a recent Friday afternoon Phil Wertz got home from work and noticed a massive split in the main trunk of a large oak tree situated right next to his home. The split was big enough to put his hand and arm into.
Despite his affection for this large, beautiful Oak Tree that had been a hallmark of his property for all these decades, Phil immediately knew his home and the lives of his family and pets were in grave danger. Fear and anxiety took over, and he knew what had to be done.
As it so happened, the Precision Tree Crew was doing a job right down the road, so Phil went down to speak to them. The foreman immediately came to the house with Phil to assess the situation. He could tell right away that this was an extremely serious and dangerous situation, so immediately called owner and CEO Brazzi Smith.
Within 15 minutes Brazzi arrived on the scene and made arrangements to put other jobs on hold, finish the current job on Saturday morning, and get a crew back out to the Wertz home the following Monday morning, just 2 days away. While this quick response was more than Phil expected, it still left one big problem: he had to make it through the weekend knowing that he, his wife, their dog, and his home were in extreme danger. Every time the breeze picked up, the anxiety ratcheted up a notch.
According to Mr. Wertz, Brazzi recommended that no one stay in the house until the tree was removed. Phil even commented that Jenny, Precision Office Manager, called to check on them and reiterate the danger, recommending that they stay at a hotel or with family over the weekend. Phil made sure his wife and their dog went to stay with relatives.
The Job
As with every job we do, safety is of utmost importance. Of course that applies to humans first and foremost: our customers, crew, neighbors, and anyone in the surrounding area. But safety also applies to pets and property. The wrong move on a job like this can cause major damage or even completely destroy a house, vehicle, or other structure. We even have to think of the landscape, lawn turf, other trees, etc.
Work began Monday morning, as promised. This was no ordinary job, and required all the skill and specialized equipment that the Crew could muster.
According to Brazzi, the reason this job was so serious had to do with an “improper growth pattern” of the tree – a problem that had been slowly developing and worsening over several decades.
The massive Oak had three co-dominant stems growing from its base. This means two parts of the tree are growing in separate directions and subsequently causes a weak link in the tree. This improper growth pattern puts too much stress on the union. Imagine the tree almost fighting against itself, as these parts of the tree battle to grow in separate directions. This results in a lack of reactive growth, and a “bark ridge” forms, which puts too much stress on the tree as it gets heavier and heavier leading to a potential failure point.
With an issue this severe, putting personnel on the tree is dangerous. Any extra weight on the tree must be avoided at all costs. A climber on the tree could result in disaster. So for this job Precision employed the safest option available: a grapple saw truck. This amazing (and extremely expensive) piece of equipment is 100% remotely operated so no personnel is placed in danger. The truck has multiple arms that extend and can “grab” while it also saws. The debris can be cut and lowered, rather than fall.
Grapple saw Hook Truck
Grapple Saw Hook Removing Limbs
Only the Stump Left
Phil Wertz’ Oak Tree Removed
By about 4PM Monday, the whole problematic side of the tree had been removed, meaning the danger had been averted. What a sigh of relief for the Wertz family! The crew continued working on the rest of the cuts until about 5PM and went home after a successful day.
Tuesday morning they were back on the job, continuing to remove the rest of the massive trunk and hauling off debris. By the end of Tuesday the tree was completely removed all the way down to the stump. All the debris (imagine how many tons of debris!) had been removed and hauled away.
Wednesday morning the crew returned once again – this time to grind the stump, which was completed that day.
This means that an extremely dangerous, complex job was identified, surveyed, estimated, planned out, executed, and cleaned up – fully completed in less than 5 days.
Mr. Wertz acknowledged that the job was a significant financial expense for him, especially as he is set to retire in just a few weeks. However, he also knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the choice was either to invest in the service or lose his home. He appreciated how quick the response was, how important safety was, and how Brazzi and the crew walked him through each step of the process, being completely transparent with him. Therefore, he sleeps well knowing that he was charged a fair price and dealt with honestly.
Would he recommend Precision?
“Absolutely! I’m sure I will need more work done in the future and I will use Precision. I will recommend them to everyone I know. What a nice company and an impressive young man Brazzi is. I wish them nothing but success in the future!”
We couldn’t say it any better ourselves. Thanks Phil, and congrats on your retirement!
Got a complex job in North Florida? You can trust Precision Tree Care and Removal! Give us a call today: (386) 688-5173 or fill out our service contact form or book your appointment online.