Do I need to hire an arborist?

That depends on where you are. In CT anything such as pruning, cabling, applying pesticides or improving the health of the tree requires an arborist.

“But it is just a branch, my landscaper can cut it off.”

Are you sure about that? For one it is against the law, two it may cause damage which will lead to decay. Eventually this may result in an unsafe condition in the tree which requires the tree to be removed to eliminate the threat of damage.

As an arborists we see damage to trees done by homeowners and tree removal guys that directly caused the rot or disease a tree is suffering from.

If you ask a tree removal guy if a tree should be cut down or removed his guess is as good as yours only he stands to benefit more from removing the tree.

Arborists go through training and testing to demonstrate they have an understanding of trees and also the safety standards involved while working with them.

By hiring a professional you can rest assured your property, trees and all the workers are safe and well cared for.