The TreeNerd Blog
Practical, field-tested writing for working arborists — rigging and removal, diagnosis, climbing, plant health care, certification and the business of trees. No anonymous SEO filler; every byline carries real credentials.
A storm-battered tree can be a heartbreak or an easy fix. How to tell which trees can be saved, which can't, and how to stay safe in the cleanup.
Removals are one-and-done. A PHC program turns one-time customers into a portfolio of recurring revenue — and keeps more trees standing. How to build one that holds.
A sharp, well-tuned saw is a safety device, not just a productivity tool. The daily and weekly maintenance that keeps your top-handle cutting clean and predictable.
Not every defective tree needs to come down, and not every cherished tree can be saved. A defensible framework for the hardest recommendation you make.
The most common thing killing urban trees isn't a pest — it's the ground itself. Why compaction suffocates roots, and what actually fixes it.
The tree you plant today is a decision your yard lives with for decades. A little planning up front prevents most of the problems people pay arborists to fix later.
A thinning, struggling tree rarely has one cause. Work the problem like a detective — site, history, signs, and symptoms — before you reach for a product.
Cutting the top off a tree to make it smaller feels logical and is one of the most harmful things you can do to it. Here's why — and the right way to reduce a tree's size.
The crews with the best safety records aren't lucky — they run the same assessment every single time. Here's how to make it automatic without slowing the job.
Why one tree costs $400 and another costs $4,000 — the real factors that drive a removal quote, and how to make sure you're comparing apples to apples.
The piece weighs 400 lb but your rigging point sees far more. Understand fall distance, shock load, and why lowering above the rigging point is the most dangerous cut you make.
Before you tie in, the tree has already told you how it wants to be climbed. Learn to read branch unions, lean, and load paths from the ground.
Most trees are far safer than nervous homeowners fear — but a few warning signs are worth taking seriously. Here's what to look for, from the ground.
The ISA Certified Arborist exam isn't a climbing test. Here's the real domain breakdown, what trips people up, and how to study for it.
Video curriculum, flashcards, and exam-sim built by working arborists.
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