Caring for Trees: When to Hire an Arborist

Trees provide huge benefits by increasing property values, beautifying neighborhoods, purifying air, soaking up stormwater, and saving energy in the summer’s heat by providing shade over homes, buildings, and parking lots. But as living parts of our neighborhoods, trees need regular inspections to ensure they remain healthy.

Once a year, check your trees to ensure they have healthy growth such as twigs and leaves and ensure there is not excessive dieback in the tree’s crown, the progressive death of branches starting at the top or elsewhere. It is normal to have some dead branches in a tree’s crown as the tree matures. If there is an excessive amount of dead branches this would be of concern. Of course, inspect your tree’s leaves periodically to see if any insects may be affecting them. Also look for decay in the trunk, which sometimes is found in holes or cracks in the bark, or deformed or loose bark growth and conks growing on the trunk. If you see any of these signs of disease, a Maryland licensed tree expert or an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist can help.

In the state of Maryland commercial tree companies are required to hold a tree expert license issued by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This requirement has been a state law since 1945. This applies to tree care companies who perform tree work such as diagnosis, treatment, pruning, cabling, and removal. The license holder must pass a test given by Maryland DNR and maintain continuing education credits. They must also display their LTE license # on trucks, proposals, contracts, advertisements, and provide proof of insurance, follow State sanctioned standards and ethics as defined in its COMAR, and adhere to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI A300) standards for tree care.

Another credential that commercial tree care company arborists may have is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist certification. The ISA is an organization whose mission is to create worldwide awareness of tree health, including providing recognition for skilled tree care professionals via its certification program. ISA certified arborists also must pass a comprehensive test which demonstrates they have attained significant knowledge in tree biology, diagnosis, maintenance practices, and safety, and must maintain continuing education credits. If you hire a tree care professional who is both a Maryland licensed tree expert and an ISA-certified arborist, that person should be knowledgeable about tree care and provide professional service.

The ISA also has a professional tree risk assessment qualification program to train arborists on the topic of assessing tree conditions. This program includes a training program and exam. There are also other related natural resource management organization programs with professional recognitions such as a pesticide applicators license issued by MD Dept. of Agriculture, and a professional forester license issued by the Maryland State Board of Foresters. Some arborists also have these credentials as well as professional landscape credentials and memberships in organizations like the Maryland Arborists Association.

As you search for local help, be sure it’s from a professional arborist with credentials. You can check professional credentials in Maryland at Licensed Tree Experts Search. One can also search the ISA website for certified arborists. With all the benefits your mature trees bring, it’s worth getting a qualified professional to keep them healthy!