Rich Magargal of TreEnterprises, San Diego, is a certified arborist and tree worker with over 40 years of arborist experience. LCM recently talked with Rich about what contractors need to know in order to ensure beautiful, healthy trees on residential and commercial properties.

LCM: What are the most important tools contractors need to provide quality care for trees?

RM: For pruning smaller trees, you need handsaws. The new tri-cut handsaw is very small, 7 or 8 inches long up to 13 or 14 inches, and it makes a very smooth cut that almost looks sanded. This promotes callous growth on the cut very quickly and is less injurious to the tree. We use hand pruners to some degree for shrubwork.

Pole pruners and polesaws allow you to reach out to branch ends or to work from the ground. For fine ornamental pruning these two things are a must.

For bigger cuts, we use lightweight or climbing saws. These are chainsaws with a bar length of maybe 16 inches. For tree removals you need a 52-inch bar chainsaw. I do a lot of work up in the mountains, so I work a lot with big firs, cedars and oaks.

That's about it other than incidentals we may need such as extra ropes for rigging situations where you may have something over a high-voltage wire or a house. This is where a lot of skill comes in. Of course, we use ear and eye protection, and hardhats are always a must.

LCM: What do you use for climbing?

RM: We have a device we call a saddle, similar to what mountain climbers use only its a little heavier because we hang a lot of tools on it. It keeps us tied in safely at all times. The new arborist regulations are that you'll never climb a tree without being tied in by some approved means. It might be what we call a "flip line" which goes around the trunk and clips onto the d-rings of the saddle; or what we call a "climbing line" which allows us to tie-in high in the trees and walk out on smaller branches to do the work. Sometimes with the tools we carry we're up to 20 or 25 pounds.

The same tree before and after pruning. "You need to know exactly where to make your cuts," Magargal said. "It's called 'natural target' pruning."

LCM: What about tree removals?

RM: Arborists use specialized tool for tree removals. Sometimes we wear pole gaffs to ascend and descend the tree, and larger chainsaws. The gaffs are not used in any ornamental pruning work because they can injur the trees. I've done jobs with the San Diego Zoo where we had to remove entire trees using a crane with a "stick" 165-feet high. It depends on the individual jobs.

What are the most common tree-care mistakes made by those who are not trained arborists?

RM: The most common mistake is topping a tree--reducing it to a bare stub. Let's say you have a 40-foot eucalyptus tree and you cut it down to 20 feet; basically reducing the tree to a pole. The resulting cut frequently causes decay and there are a lot of sprouts that emerge near the cut, weakly attached. These grow tall and stringy and ultimately break off. The ensuing decay while the tree is trying to callous over takes away its reserve energy.

Basic cuts will probably be made wrong by an amatuer: they will leave stubs or cut in too close to the tree, hitting the trunk. You need to know exactly where to make your cuts. This is called "natural target" pruning. Whether you're using a pruner or a chainsaw, you need to make the right cuts. Arboriculture has become extremely scientific. Most of us go to several seminars each year to find out what's new and couple that with experience.

Another common mistake is not using the safety harness, or saddle. The consequences of a fall, especially with a chainsaw, can be devastating. Another thing that amateurs don't recognize, and even some professionals don't see, is the proximity of high voltage to a tree. They just don't notice it and they use improper tools that are conductive, such as pole pruners or pole saws made of metal. That's a big problem.

LCM: How can contractors get the training they need in order to do this kind of tree care?

RM: Contractors can get a certified arborist to come with them to a few job sites. I have a couple of landscape maintenance companies that I work with here in San Diego. I go out with their crews and do on-site training. I've found that going out with them on a job where they're pruning trees allows me to work with them to explain the equipment, climb the tree and demonstrate proper pruning.

There are classes available for certified arborist training, and there are also classes to become what we call a "certified tree worker." This is similar to a certified arborist except that you have to demonstrate your tree-working performance to proctors who judge your performance. They also have to be able to perform an aerial rescue, where they have to climb and successfully bring down an injured person in a tree, and they also need to be trained in first aid and CPR.

LCM: How can contractors find certified arborists in their area?

RM: There's the International Society of Arboriculture, which has a web site at www.isa-arbor.com and the National Arborist Association at www.natlarb.com. These organizations can lead you to training in proper tree care.