How We Work

Calls and Consultations

Due to the large number of inquiries for our services and the wide spread areas involved, it is imperative that we conduct a large portion of the evaluation and sales process by telephone or by the Internet. If you are in need of an on-site consultation, we will be happy to visit with you about your situation and provide a quote for the consultation. Obviously, location and time requirements will influence the costs.

Markets We Serve

In the residential market, we primarily serve the Dallas-Fort Worth area metroplex. In other areas of the state, we focus our efforts towards commercial markets. Those markets cover a wide array of properties including multi-family properties, office or retail complexes, business parks, common areas, golf courses, orchards, churches, corporate or college campuses, nurseries or growers of trees, and timber production. If you have questions as to whether we can serve your trees, please e-mail or call us. For residential clients outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, there is a one-day minimum.

Scheduling of Work

All services are performed on a scheduled basis. To help control costs, we attempt to schedule work by geographic area. The proactive nature of our services make this approach reasonable, and the grouping of projects geographically is much more economical for all involved. In areas where we are more concentrated, the waiting period will be much shorter than in less concentrated areas. If you are interested in scheduling our services please contact our office, and we can give you an approximate time frame in which we could perform services on your trees.

Pricing of Services

Due to the unpredictable nature of the problems related to root flares, all services are performed on a basis of a travel/set-up fee and then an hourly charge.

Sales tax must be added to all charges, including travel and labor.   

On projects that have a large numbers of trees that are fairly similar in size and condition, we can often quote fixed rates per tree. Additionally, on larger projects a larger crew may be more economical.  

Invoices for services will be presented and are due upon completion of services unless prior arrangements have been made.

Factors that influence the time required; number of trees, size of trees, depth of root flare (how deep the tree is planted), presence and extent of encircling or girdling roots, soil type and compaction level, moisture level of the soil, accessibility of trees, clean up considerations.

We often encourage clients to establish budgets in advance of beginning work and we will work to those budgets. We can prioritize the work that is most critical and if necessary spread the work out over a period of time.

The Process

Before work is done it is important to know the process and be aware of conditions which may be encountered. Because of the nature of this work we do not know what the final requirements and extent of work will be until we begin the process. It is also important to remember that this work is proactive and that, if necessary, can be phased over a period of time.   Often it is actually best to spread the different Steps listed below over a period of time.

Step 1: Using the Air-spade we will expose the actual flares of the trees needing attention. During this process we will often encounter encircling or girdling roots, which may need to be removed.

Step 2: During Step 1 an evaluation will be made as to which girdling roots can and cannot be removed at that time. The factors that influence the decision to remove roots will be: the severity of the girdling roots, how long the trees have been planted and the overall condition of the tree. It may be determined that a certain number of the girdling roots can be removed at the time of Step 1 and then remove additional girdling roots at a future time. This may be necessary to avoid stressing the tree. The technician doing the work will explain this process as the work is developing.

Step 3: When Steps 1&2 are completed, a determination will be made as to how to leave or finish the excavated area around the base of the tree. This will be influenced by the actual depth of the root flares relative to the immediate surrounding area. If the tree is just a couple of inches too deep it may require very little additional work, whereas, if the tree is fairly deep, say 8 inches, such a situation may require significant additional work. Other considerations may be related to drainage and may not be known until after Steps 1&2 are completed. Another consideration is aesthetics; such as a tree located near the front door may require more attention than a tree located in a more isolated area of the garden.

Depending on the different situations and actual depth of the root flares any of the following may be appropriate for Step 3. These measures can be performed by Root Flare Services, by the owner or the owners landscape contractor.

• Leave area as is, no additional work required
• If the tree has been planted recently, it may be best to simply raise the tree.
• If the tree is deep, it may be appropriate to regrade the area around the tree.
• If the tree is deep, it may be appropriate to build some type of retaining wall about the perimeter of the excavated area.
• If the tree is deep, some type of stone or material may be appropriate to fill the excavated area.
• If the tree is deep, some type of grate material may be needed to cover the excavated area
• If the tree is deep, some combination of the above may be appropriate
• If the excavated area around the tree collects water and remains wet, some type of drainage work may be required.

It is also important to know that as we have exposed the root flares of some trees, we have discovered serious flaws or problems that reveal hazardous conditions. If this type of situation develops, a determination will be required as to what actions should be taken. While this seldom occurs, it does arise frequently enough that someone considering this work needs to be aware of the potential. This problem has generally occurred on larger, older trees that are already showing serious signs of decline or stress. In these situations it has been helpful to know that these flaws exist rather than being unaware. Then, an informed decision regarding the future of the tree can be made.