Thinking DIY For Tree Removal In Edmonton? It’s Smart To Think Again

You can’t really blame someone for trying to save a few bucks here and there, given how inflation has increased the cost of nearly everything over the past couple of years. Especially when it comes to things that feel like they have a bigger sticker price—or things that aren’t exactly fun or exciting, like routine home maintenance such as fixing a leaky faucet or installing a new light fixture.

Edmonton homeowners can also be easily tempted to save some money by trying tree removal themselves or have a handy friend do it. On the surface, the DIY (Do It Yourself) approach seems like a practical option. After all, people have been going the DIY route for home improvement for years. Why pay someone to do it when you can do it yourself, possibly with a little help from YouTube?

The fact of the matter is, there are just some things that you should leave to the experts every time, for more than a few reasons. Here are four DIY tree removal risks and headaches to consider, which a professional, certified arborist can spare you from.

Risk of injury or damage to property

While every tree removal situation is different with varying degrees of difficulty, removing a tree is inherently dangerous. Even what looks like a small tree can turn out to be a big problem because the weight of tree branches and trunk sections, once removed, are deceptively heavy and therefore dangerous. Failure to properly assess how to manage these sections during tree removal could have unwanted consequences, like injury—or even death—as a result of free-falling or moving tree sections. Damage to property can also happen if tree sections accidentally crash into your home, garage, shed, fence and even your lawn or yard.

Clean-up itself is a big chore

Tree removal in Edmonton involves a range of simple to complex tasks. Arborists will often trim off smaller branches to give them room to maneuver and remove larger branches, before sectioning and felling the trunk. This creates a debris field with all sizes of branches, wood chips and other castoff. The reality is, when the job of felling the tree is done, you’re not really finished the tree removal task. You have a big chore ahead of you, to break down limbs and branches into pieces small enough for proper disposal—because you likely don’t own a wood chipper. And then there’s the trunk. Even the trunk of a small- to medium-sized tree is a huge undertaking requiring the proper equipment and knowledge for safe disposal. Bottom line, if you choose to try DIY tree removal, you could be looking at clean-up that takes several days’ time. Trained professionals, on the other hand, have the ability to get the clean-up done fast and efficiently, on the very same day.

Taking your precious time

And since we’re on the topic of time, there’s also the aspect of just how much total time a tree removal project takes, from set-up, to removal, to clean-up. Based on years of experience, a professional, certified tree service crew has a tightly dialed-in process for tree removal in Edmonton (which is why they make it look so easy!). A professional crew can handle the whole job in a matter of hours, start to finish, freeing you to do other things with your time.

Counting the true cost

There’s an old saying that “cheap is expensive,” meaning that paying less or a low price for something can result in higher costs in the long run—often for reasons that you missed initially.

This certainly applies to tree removal. In the vast majority of cases, tree removal isn’t just a matter of having a few hours to spare and a set of pruning shears or a saw on hand. Rather, safe tree removal often requires an array of tools that the average person doesn’t own—because they’re just too expensive to own for what is usually a one-time event. This means that when you take the DIY route for tree removal, you can end up stuck, not finishing the job because you don’t have the tools or know how to use them properly or even have the knowledge required for the complexity of the situation. And that means you may find yourself hiring a tree removal professional anyway. Plus, there’s the possibility that you may damage your home or other property when doing tree removal yourself, leading to unplanned repair costs.

From forestry-grade chainsaws to tree-climbing gear to bucket trucks and wood chippers, professional tree service crews have a robust toolkit at their disposal that allows them the flexibility to handle every tree removal scenario in Edmonton.

Consider getting a professional opinion first

Yes, doing it yourself is great from quite a few things but questionable for others. Thinking carefully about what’s involved in tree removal in Edmonton can help you decide whether the DIY approach is going to work for you. If you’re in doubt, don’t hesitate to call us today for a consultation or a free tree removal estimate. With nearly 30 years of experience, we’re one of the oldest locally grown and operated tree care companies in the Edmonton area and have the know-how to help you with tree removal and all your tree care needs.