Tree Tips Our Nashville Location How important is it to hire someone that knows what they are doing? Poteet Tree Service (c) 2008-2011 | All Rights Reserved.  Nashville Tree Service Company | Poteet Tree Service 621 8th Ave South Nashville TN 37203  (615) 399-9999  Poteet Tree Service Company When To Recommend Tree Removal Identifying hazardous trees and making my customers aware of possible dangers are always the first steps in assessing a  property.  As an Arborist I work on trees, but trees are not my customers.  People are my customers, and their safety is my first  responsibility.  It is very rewarding when I can do or suggest something that will save a tree, but in many cases tree removal is the  only responsible and practical decision. An Arborist should always recommend removing a tree if the possibility exists for  endangering people or valuable structures. There is a common misconception that a healthy tree is a safe tree, but the fact that a tree may be the picture of health  should never be a consideration when addressing the potential threat to a house and its occupants.  I have seen tears in the eyes of my customers while they watched our crews take trees out of bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens. In practically every case, the  fallen tree was a live tree.  Severe lightning, straight line winds, ice storms, mudslides, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, or even ground-saturating rain can bring any tree down. Making the customer aware of the danger of large trees looming overhead is not  always what the customer wants to hear, but it should be a mandatory part of the Arborist's site assessment.   “The bigger they are, the harder they fall” is a phrase that should be taken literally when planning or maintaining a  treescape.  Consider this: an average 2,400 square foot house weighs 120,000 pounds compared to a 4 foot diameter oak tree that could weigh 50,000 pounds. Those figures are scary enough, but here is where it gets really bad. As the tree is falling, it is picking up potential energy.  When it makes contact with the house, the 50,000 pound tree can easily have an impact force of well over  1,000,000 pounds! I have seen a large and completely healthy oak tree cut a very well built two-story brick house in half, slicing  through the walls all the way to the foundation. In this particular case the customer died from his injuries. Trees can be a beautiful  and safe part of the residential landscape, but proper placement requires thoughtful planning, maintenance and objective evaluation.  Like the kid who picks out a cute little Saint Bernard puppy and is disappointed when told he can’t keep it, homeowners are  often sad to realize the little tree they planted is overwhelming their home and needs to be removed. Fortunately, small to medium  species trees are available and rarely cause catastrophic damage to houses.  You can avoid unnecessary removal or replacement  costs and disappointment by hiring an Arborist to help you choose trees that will be both beautiful and safe for generations. Dale Poteet  ISA #SO-2890A Website designed by Dotdancer.com Roof damaged due to a fallen tree?   Call us for the tree removal and call Terry Woodall Roofing Contractors of Nashville to repair your roof.