Bad Tree Trimming Companies (trimming live oak trees) (San Antonio, Shavano Park: home builder, tornado)

[222muchcoffee]

I just have to rant a bit. I looked out my backyard and saw my neighbor had hired a crew to trim her live oak trees. We live in an area where there is oak wilt, so I wanted to inspect further and talk to the homeowner (a senior citizen).

The owner did not answer my knock on the door, so I walked to the back to talk to the boss. I asked if he was going to dress the cuts /wounds. He said "yes, of course - except at the tops - so they can grow" ... I had to laugh in his face... The sad part is he was "topping" these trees.... which you do not do to beautiful mature oak trees.

The homeowner came out and I explained to her she should stop these guys from ruining her trees. She said her budget was low and she wanted the ball moss out of them, and they said this is the cheapest way to get the ball moss out. I told the lady that she would be better now to just cut her trees down, because they had made them so unhealthy. I felt bad because she began to cry. The trees were just completely stripped of every leaf and all small to medium limbs removed... just trunk and large branches remained!

I talked further with the tree boss, and everything he was spewing out of his mouth was total garbage. I won't keep ranting in detail, but I did finally reach the city arborist division. They came out and gave the lady a citation I think. I wish they would have fined the people doing this about $1000 a tree (there were at least a dozen). These guys were and are total flakes! I don't know if i can post a picture of their work, but will try. They did not have a sign on their vehicle (so I do not think they were licensed). THe guys name was Albert though - drove a red truck for what it is worth. He said his family had been in the business for 30 years.

[optichris]

Wow, that LOOKS terrible, and may damage those trees permanently. They also shouldn't be trimming live oaks this time a year. As someone with a few "heritage" oak trees, I'm HYPER sensitive to both who does upkeep on my trees, as well as who works on the other trees in my area. Whomever did that should be ashamed of themselves. Hopefully those trees recover, and hopefully no wilt comes of it either. What a damn shame.

[Montirob]

That. Is. Horrible!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it a requirement in SA that all oak wounds be dressed?

These trimmers were preying on a senior citizen and probably charged her as much as a licensed arborist.

[pobre]

Wow. they look like they've been ravaged by a fire. Totally ridiculous.

[Rustybolt]

Some of my uninformed neighbors did a similar thing because they were unhappy their bermuda grass wasn't growing because of the shade. Their trees look horrible, are more exposed to disease...and they still just need a different breed of grass.

[222muchcoffee]

I am not sure what the City of San Antonio requires. When I spoke to the city arborist over a year ago, to see if I could cut down a tree, and if I am not mistaken, the city did not have much teeth to how /what you can cut on your own property. I think a developer or home builder falls under different set of rules. If anyone knows the the exact rules or penalties, I would love to read them.

[astrohip]

So sorry to hear this (and see it ). Terrible what they did to those oaks.

I have three legacy live oaks on my property, the oldest being 200+ years old. I use a registered arborist who specializes in Live Oaks. He's not cheap, but these trees are worth it. I have him come about every five years and do some light trimming. But most people won't (can't) spend that kind of money.

In the city, many people trim their Live Oaks to be tall trees, cutting off all the low-spreading branches. I understand why, but it doesn't make it any easier to see.

[MenardMQ]

In Shavano Park, you have to get a city permit to get your trees trimmed, and you can only do so during certain times of the year.

[rynetwo]

FYI those trees are not dead nor are they going to die unless they get an infection. Look at Carousel Court shopping center where the tornado went through last April or late March. They were stripped of everything and have come back nicely.

That said, what they did is the same thing as crepe murder and should never happen!

[tarragon]

This is good to know! We are becoming new residents from the northeast. We are used to trimming trees, etc., I have noticed that a lot of the older homes have lots of trees around them which I assume is great for shade in the summer. I have two oak trees on my property back here in the NE. The acorns are a pain in the foot!