Five questions to ask before you let anyone cut a tree

Tree work is the one part of a yard where a cheap decision can cost you a roof, a fence or a neighbor. These five questions sort most of it out on the phone.

Are you certified, and by whom

Ask for the ISA number and check it. Anyone can own a chainsaw; certification means somebody tested how they use it.

Show me the insurance certificate

Not a policy number read out on the phone. The actual certificate, emailed, with the dates on it. If a limb goes through your roof, that document is what pays for it.

Who is climbing, and how

Spikes are for removals only. Anyone who says they will spike a tree they are pruning is wounding it at every step.

What happens to the wood

Get it in writing. Chipped and gone, cut and stacked, or hauled for a fee are three different prices and three different afternoons.

Do you top trees

If the answer is anything but no, end the call. Topping a tree does not make it safer, it makes it grow back weaker and faster.