Finding an arborist in the High Desert isn’t as easy as it should be. Let’s say you recently bought a home in Victorville and you’ve got a few large trees in your yard. Two of them are located near the home and you’d like to check with a tree specialist about whether they need to be cut down or trimmed to avoid future problems.
Tree Trimming Businesses
Your first thought might be to google something like ‘tree trimming in victorville ca’, ‘tree care high desert’, or ‘arborists near me’. Not all tree trimming or tree maintenance businesses will have a certified arborist as part of their business.
Certifications and Licenses
These search results brought up several local tree care businesses. Valley Tree Care was the first result that came up in my search for tree trimming in Victorville CA. This next photo was visible on the header of their main page:
You will typically see this symbol from the International Society of Arboriculture if they are ISA Certified. All of these businesses, whether they have a certified arborist or not, will have a CA license number. This is NOT certification as an arborist, but a license issued by The Department of Consumer Affairs for their listed profession by the state of California. In this case you can then see the license number for their ISA certification. You can verify this certification by heading to the ISA’s webpage to enter their certification number. When I entered this number I got back results
As mentioned on a previous page I sent an email to [email protected] since I had trouble verifying an arborist’s credentials. Unfortunately for this business not everyone will follow in doing so, but rather go to check another businesses credentials and use them.
I then got replies from the ISA organization that the number was being displayed incorrectly and was #WE-9880A. After entering that I got the results below
I can now move forward knowing that I’ll have an ISA Certified arborist that I can trust.
How To Know You Hired A Professional
There are many indicators that you have decided to hire a professional arborist in lieu of a side hustle. While many tree trimming businesses exist, only a few of them have licensed arborists as part of their crew. Being able to distinguish this is important to assure your trees are cared for properly.
They are a member of a reputable organization
Reputable organizations include: International Society of Arboriculture, Tree Care Industry Association, and American Society of Consulting Arborists.
Insurance and Licensure to perform the work
The business needs to be insured and licensed. If they do not have insurance for all members on the job you could be held liable for any damage or injury caused on your property.
They’re not quick to suggest topping or removing your tree
As Rivendell Tree Experts put it: “An “arborist” who seems overly excited to chop away at your tree or remove it is a red flag. Highly trained arborists know the value of preserving the tree whenever possible.”
Recommended Local Businesses
The two local businesses I can recommend based on having a certified arborist on staff is International Tree Management in Hesperia, CA and Valley Tree Care in Victorville, CA. You can give them a call at (760) 488-7446 and (760) 955-2560 respectively.
