Arborist inspections that diagnose disease, pests and structural defects early — with a written plan for what to treat, prune, monitor or remove.
Trees decline slowly and then fail suddenly. By the time a problem is obvious from the kitchen window it has usually been developing for years, and the options at that point are narrower and more expensive than they would have been earlier. A health assessment is simply someone who knows what to look for, looking before that happens.
Our arborists inspect from the root flare to the upper canopy — soil conditions, trunk and root defects, branch attachments, foliage, and signs of the pests and pathogens that are actually present in Western New York. You get a written report in plain language: what we found, how serious it is, and what we would do about it, in priority order.
A systematic ground-level inspection of root flare, trunk, scaffold limbs and canopy, following recognised tree risk assessment methodology.
Identifying what is actually affecting the tree — emerald ash borer, apple scab, anthracnose, verticillium wilt, borers, scale — rather than guessing from symptoms alone.
Assessing co-dominant stems, included bark, cavities, decay and root damage, and what they mean for the likelihood of failure.
Compaction, grade changes, girdling roots and drainage are behind a great deal of urban tree decline, and all are treatable when caught early.
A clear document setting out findings, risk rating and recommendations — usable for insurance, property sales or planning disputes.
Knowing what the trees on a property will cost you before you buy, or how construction will affect the ones you intend to keep.
If any of these describe your property, it is worth having an arborist take a look — most tree problems get cheaper to solve the earlier they are caught.
Sparse foliage and smaller-than-normal leaves are among the earliest visible indicators that something is wrong at the roots.
A tree that colours weeks ahead of its neighbours is usually stressed, not early. It is worth investigating that season rather than the next.
Fungal fruiting bodies on the root flare or lower trunk indicate decay in the structural wood, which is not always obvious from outside.
Heavy woodpecker work usually means a borer population underneath. On ash it is a classic emerald ash borer signature.
Weeping wounds and sunken dead patches point to bacterial or fungal infections that spread if left unmanaged.
Any soil disturbance within the root zone warrants an assessment. Damage done during construction typically shows up two or three years later.
We ask what you have noticed and when, plus recent work on the property — grading, paving and trenching all matter to the diagnosis.
Root flare to canopy, all sides, using a mallet and probe to check for decay and an aerial inspection where the situation warrants it.
We identify the cause, judge how likely failure is and what it would hit, and separate the urgent from the merely untidy.
A prioritised plan — treat, prune, mulch, monitor or remove — with timing, and an honest note where a tree is not worth saving.
Stress and death look similar from a distance, and the distinction matters because stress is often reversible. Scratching a small patch of bark on a twig is a useful first test — green and moist underneath means live tissue, brown and dry means that section is gone. Where it is patchy across the crown, an assessment will tell you how much of the tree is still viable.
Often, yes. Trees move water and nutrients through the outer layers, so a hollow centre is not automatically fatal, and many hollow trees stand safely for decades. What matters is the thickness of the remaining sound shell relative to the trunk radius, and what the tree would strike if it failed. That is exactly the kind of judgement an assessment provides.
It can be, for a healthy, valuable ash with less than roughly 30% canopy loss — treatment is ongoing rather than one-off, so it is a long-term commitment. Once decline is advanced, treatment money is better spent on removal and replacement, and dead ash becomes hazardous to work on unusually quickly.
A visual assessment during a quote for other work is free. A detailed inspection with a written report — the kind used for insurance, a property transaction or a neighbour dispute — is a paid consultancy service, and we will tell you which one you need before booking.
Every two to three years for established trees near buildings, driveways or play areas, and after any severe storm or nearby excavation. Younger trees away from targets need far less attention.
