This summer when chief arborist Frank Clancy visited a summer camp program to teach children about trees and how to be good to plants, one boy said, "You're like a tree doctor right?" Frank replied, "Yes, I'm a tree doctor. I try to always make the tree better before I chop it down, even if we need to remove a section or limb, I do everything I can to make it better first, my goal is to save the tree."
How does someone become a "tree doctor"? Arborists are required to have a State of Connecticut Arborist license. This is achieved by attending schools for horticulutre, agriculture or arboriculture to gain book and field knowledge. There is a written exam followed by a tree identification test and an oral exam. Depending on the time of year that the tree identification portion is given, the candidate may be identifying trees in full bloom with leaves on it or in the dead of winter bare looking. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven is the place where this field test typically occurs.
Why should you use an arborist instead of your landscaper who may appear to have the same equipment on their truck (ie chain saw, pruning sheers, etc)? Arborists are required to be licensed, insured and to display their license number on their vehicles. An arborist will walk your property looking for all issues and problems, not just the one you called them about. They are able to spray or inject the trees to keep them healthy, trim or remove a tree the proper way known as tree surgery, are up to date on tree laws like not moving dead wood outside of the county you live in but most importantly they can save you money.
How can an arborist save me money? They can teach you how to have a better overall property and diagnose the problem or issue the correct way the first time. A mature tree can drink over 200 gallons of water a day and often times homeowners will think the grass near a tree is browning out because of disease. That's not the case though, the time, energy and money that is put into buying chemicals at the big box stores to fix this brown grass near trees is a result of the tree out drinking the underground water and chemicals are not required. That's one small example of a savings both for the homeowner and for the environment.
Frank Clancy is a State of Connecticut licensed Arborist with over 15 years experience and has been called "The Lorax" in the media. As chief arborist of GreenSprays he brings the same dedication and leadership that he did while tending to his celebrity clientele for the past decade. Visiting schools to teach children and volunteering at arboriculture events is how he spends his down time. Frank can be reached at: frank@greensprays.com.
