Lil help pricing for trimming/raising canopy on 4 large live oaks

[KrayzKajun]

Property owner wants to remove all dead inner branches and raise the canopy to 14' inorder to accomodate for big trucks passing under the trees. They originally wanted me to chip the small stuff and put around the base of the trees. I figure tht to be a big pain since we have to do the job on a Sunday morning due to vehicle traffic. So im thinking trim all the trees and stack debris in one area with skidsteer , then haul it off with my 23yd dump trailer. I dont want rip the guy off due to great chance of alot more work. Ive never priced multiple trees this size before. Any help is appreciated. 90% of the trimming can be done from the ground. Thanks in advance fellas. Here are some pics.

 

[SquirrelMan]

"I dont want rip the guy off due to great chance of alot more work." So you rip off customers that you dont plan on seeing again... :msp_sneaky:

Its really too much to take off those trees. I would only take off the limbs as far that are definitely going to get hit by a passing vehicle.. not all the way around the canopy. It would be a shame to put those trees into decline by hacking them.

 

[Goose IBEW]

I would only take off the limbs as far that are definitely going to get hit by a passing vehicle.. not all the way around the canopy.

Well put.

 

[beastmaster]

Looks like they have been,'' trucked pruned'', for a while. You could problably gain a few more feet by lightly thinning back some of the over hang by doing small, less then 1/2 in cuts. It'll only be a matter of time tell the owner has some yo yo cut out a big branch. A experienced arborist could find a compermise. Just dead wooding them will suprise you how much they'll lighten up.
Big mature Oaks don't always handle big branches being cut out of them well. It can be the start of a series of things that'll lead to the demise of the tree.

 

[KrayzKajun]

i spent a good 2hrs Wednesday really going over the trees. i came across one large branch tht needs to be removed due to damage from a truck. i have a really great mentor who is going to coach me on trimming large trees. he helped save these treees during the construction phase 14yrs ago. he has since retired and does consulting only. he has helped transplant trees at Disney World etc.. i appreciate all the advice. i used to be ready to just cut any tree down. now that i have an appreciation for the true beauty and respect of trees, ive learned more on proper pruning to save trees.

 

[beastmaster]

i spent a good 2hrs Wednesday really going over the trees. i came across one large branch tht needs to be removed due to damage from a truck. i have a really great mentor who is going to coach me on trimming large trees. he helped save these treees during the construction phase 14yrs ago. he has since retired and does consulting only. he has helped transplant trees at Disney World etc.. i appreciate all the advice. i used to be ready to just cut any tree down. now that i have an appreciation for the true beauty and respect of trees, ive learned more on proper pruning to save trees.

On Oak trees, some times if a large limb needs to be removed, from the trunk, it a good idea to leave a stub. A Proper cut at the branch collar on a 6 in or bigger limb on a mature Oak, may not callus over, allowing pathogens and rot easy access to the main trunk. Leaving a stub, cut off at a node so it'll sprout, This will slow down or prevent access to the trunk. I know it goes against current practices and looks like crap, but it can add another 100 years to the life of the tree.

 

[Stayalert]

On Oak trees, some times if a large limb needs to be removed, from the trunk, it a good idea to leave a stub. A Proper cut at the branch collar on a 6 in or bigger limb on a mature Oak, may not callus over, allowing pathogens and rot easy access to the main trunk. Leaving a stub, cut off at a node so it'll sprout, This will slow down or prevent access to the trunk. I know it goes against current practices and looks like crap, but it can add another 100 years to the life of the tree.

thanks for this. Its posts like this keep me (a person with a thing or 1000 to learn) coming back to this site and reading, reading, reading, reading , and well you get the point....reading....