Arborist Services and Tree Health Care in Framingham

Most of our work starts with a saw. This part of it starts with a set of eyes. Some trees in Framingham are a hundred years old and still in good shape. Others look fine from the kitchen window and are hollow at the base. A tree inspection tells you which one you have before a storm decides for you.

Tree inspections and risk checks

We walk the tree from the root flare to the top. We sound the trunk with a mallet, look for fungus, cracks and old wounds, and check the crown with binoculars for dead limbs and weak forks. Then we tell you what we found in plain words. Some trees need nothing. Some need a pruning or a cable. A few need to come down, and we will say so.

People call us for inspections when they buy a house, before they put on an addition, after a big storm, or when a neighbor raises a concern about a tree on the line. If you want it in writing for an insurer, a condo board or a neighbor, we can write it up with photos.

Emerald ash borer injections

Emerald ash borer has killed ash trees all over eastern Massachusetts, and Framingham is no exception. Untreated ash trees in the area are dying, and dead ash turns brittle fast. If you have a healthy ash you want to keep, trunk injection protects it. The treatment goes into small holes at the base of the trunk, the tree carries it up into the canopy, and it lasts about two years. Treatment works best on trees that still have most of their crown. Once half the canopy is gone, it is usually too late. Our emerald ash borer guide shows what to look for.

Deep root feeding

Yard trees have a harder life than forest trees. Leaves get raked up, lawns compete for water, and soil gets packed down by cars and mowers. Deep root feeding injects a slow-release fertilizer and water into the root zone under pressure, which also loosens packed soil a bit. It helps stressed trees, trees that lost roots to construction, and trees in thin, sandy soil, which shows up in a lot of Framingham yards. We do it in spring or fall. It is not a cure for a tree that is dying, and we will not sell it as one.

Pest and disease diagnosis

When leaves turn early, spot up or drop in July, something is going on. We see a lot of the same problems around here:

• Spongy moth and winter moth caterpillars stripping oaks and maples in late spring
• Hemlock woolly adelgid, the white cottony spots on the underside of hemlock needles
• Beech leaf disease, with dark bands between the veins of beech leaves
• Anthracnose on maples and oaks in wet springs, which looks bad but rarely kills a tree
• Root rot and decay fungi at the base of older oaks

Some of these need treatment. Some just need time and a dry summer. We tell you which.

Protecting trees during construction

More good trees die from construction than from storms. An excavator parked on the roots, a trench cut through them, or a pile of fill dumped around the trunk can kill an oak over the next three to five years. If you are building an addition or a new driveway near trees you want to keep, call us before the work starts. We mark a root protection zone, put up fencing, and talk to your builder about where trucks and materials can go. If roots have to be cut, we cut them clean instead of letting a bucket tear them.

If a tree does need work after we look at it, we can handle that too, from pruning to cabling.

Common Questions

What does a tree inspection cost?

For one or two trees at a home, we usually look at them during a free estimate visit. A written report with photos for an insurer, a condo board or a real estate deal is priced by the number of trees.

Is it worth treating my ash tree for emerald ash borer?

If the tree is healthy, in a good spot and still has most of its canopy, treatment usually costs less over time than removal. If it has already lost a large part of its crown, removal is often the better choice.

Do my trees need fertilizer?

Not always. Healthy trees in good soil often do fine without it. Trees under stress from construction, drought or packed soil benefit the most. We will tell you if yours need it.

Can you tell if a tree is hollow?

We sound the trunk and look for outside signs of decay, like fungus, cavities and dead bark. Those signs tell us a lot. If a tree is borderline and sits over a house, we will be honest about what we can and cannot see from the outside.