Time to kill

[lhampton]

Slow economy + "winter"(or what passes for it in Texas) + Oakwilt = no backlog = a lot of time on our hands

I knew there was a reason I hated word problems in math class.

We are about to enter the time when our State Forest Service and the folks at A&M say to avoid pruning Live Oaks and Red Oaks. What do you guys do to keep busy. In the past we have been able to book non-Oak work for this period. We couldn't do that this year as we have barely had enough coming in to keep us busy now.

Any ideas out there?

Louie Hampton

 

[Treeman14]

Never stop learning

I'm taking advantage of the slow time to go back to school. I want to be able to put some letters after my name.

 

[DDM]

Brett, I could put some letters after your name.......

 

[Treeman14]

OK, David. I don't even want to know which letters.



Since its slow, I also had time today to take a group of homeschoolers to a local park as part of their science class. We ID'd trees and plants, found a bunch of animal tracks, spotted some wildlife, and just ran around and got dirty. Had lots of fun and perhaps sowed the seeds for a future arborist.

 

[treeclimber165]

I'm using this slow period to expand my horizons and meet other climbers. I'm heading out tomorrow to go play in a big tree with Monkeypuzzle and Mike Cross in Tallahassee, then heading to Atlanta to meet TreeCo Dan and play in some more trees Sunday. Then I'm heading to Greenville, SC to play at DDM Dave's for a few days. I'm sure I'll learn something, and get to put faces with some of the names here.

I've been fairly lucky this year due to all the networking I did earlier in the year. I worked 5 days this week for 3 different companies, staying busy even though most companies are slow. I'll probably have work waiting for me when I get home Thursday night.
God looks out for fools, drunks and treeclimbers. :angel:

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

When i was working for Chemlawn I would open past client files and coldcall for estimates, offer winte discounts and all that jazz.

 

[Yellowdog]

where you located

I don't see many slowdowns on oak trimming where we are. Cedar is a popular trim item. It isn't much fun but the trees look good when they are finished and cedars don't get oak wilt!

There is always work for cedar cutters... though it isn't very glamorous it's what I do almost day in and day out.

 

[TREETX]

I prune anyway. The nitidulid beetle is such an X factor. It is Dr. Appel's way of saying "I don't know".

Squirrels go from tree to tree and wound oaks. So do 15' trash trucks on a weekly basis all over town. How about limbs wounding themselve against a roof?? They want us to belive that cutting at a certain time during this beetle's life cycle is wrong?? Cut, pain, and go on.

Is is a company policy to hold off?? Or is it a customer thing?? I have some customers that want to hold off and others that don't care. As long as I am not near a center, I don't care.

The guys in Aggieland and at TFS don't spend much time doing the work, touching the trees. Academia does not meet reality. There are so many different strains of the fungus they really don't acknowledge that.

I have been doing some injection work lately, I get so sick of all of the misconceptions and expectations homeowners have from speaking to TFS personnel (part of the A&M system).

 

[budroe69moni]

i started doing some volenteer work
at the local botanical gardens for 3 hrs
every friday am. the gardens' horticulturist
was psyched to have a certified arborist
help out. great contacts and great referals
by the staff at the garden. what a great
way to get your name out while climbing
some crazy specimens and helping out the
community!!!!! can't wait to big shot my
line up and over some of the 100 year old
royal palms......wait a minute......i need a
longer rope
good luck bro,
budroe

 

[ORclimber]

That's brilliant Budroe. You generate a ton of goodwill, possibly future referals, keep your skills sharp and get a tax right off.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Originally posted by TREETX
I prune anyway. The nitidulid beetle is such an X factor. It is Dr. Appel's way of saying "I don't know".

Is is a company policy to hold off?? Or is it a customer thing??

Over here it is a company thing.

Im told some studies have found that flies feeding on fungal mats can be vectors when they fly over to fresh wounds. Dont know if they put someone in the tree to make a cut and watch flies or are hypothosizing.

If you can afford to put the work off, IMO it is good practice. I know people who will not work Gleditsia when Nectria is fruiting.

 

[lhampton]

We are in Dallas, and it's a company thing. We have been contacting past clients and doing follow-ups. We have done some targeted mailings, and are trying to do build some work in areas away from Oak Wilt centers. So far, little response.

The guys I know that are keeping busy are doing so by doing some small landscape installation/maintenance jobs cool: kind of like the lawnscrapers doing tree work, in reverse) We are a division of Lambert's which is best known for doing high end landscape design, installation and maintenance. The folks up in the other divisions don't want us to go out and get our shovels dirty, its an image thing
They are concerned that we may not be able to live up to their standards.

Their standards: http://commerce.infosrc.com/docdelivery/alca/Uploads/2002ExtJudges.doc

I can find plenty to keep ME busy, finding work for four crews is the problem.

Louie Hampton

 

[Crispin Hoar]

slow time

Ihampton, you could come up to Canada and help me plow snow. Since Jan. 1 I have worked an extra 200 hrs over my ussual 40 hr. weeks. Today I had to spread some salt on the roads and didn't get to climb anything before dark. Tomorrow I hope to be able to get at the tree work backlog before the snow that is pradicted comes.

 

[Jumper]

Originally posted by treeclimber165
.
God looks out for fools, drunks and treeclimbers. :angel:

You forgot parachutists, but maybe they fall in to the "fool" or "drunk" category.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Yep, calling a parachutist a fool is redundant.

 

[treeist]

Try to enjoy the time you have off and experience new things. I lived in Mexico for awhile and it really made me alot more laid back about money and work. I am equally happy to work or not.

 

[treeclimber165]

I've only worked 1½ days since getting home from SC last Wednesday night. But I was asked to go help this afternoon on a job getting a fallen free out of a creek. The 70 ton crane will be there about noon. No access between the houses for a Bobcat. Hope I don't get my feet wet.

 

[treeist]

Now that sounds like work

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

It's 11:30 and still in the single digets.

 

[treeist]

Its nice and sunny 45 degrees here in the Rogue valley, home of the mighty Rogue river: