Blog | First Choice Tree Service

Fallen Tree Emergencies

Mar 11, 2020

Southern Nevada is known for its ferociously windy days. The National Weather Service frequently issues wind advisories in the Greater Las Vegas area. Sustained winds of 30-45 mph with wind gusts of 70 mph or higher are not uncommon, especially when associated with a severe weather event. So fallen trees after such an event is almost to be expected.

Emergency tree services can be expensive. However, you can save money if you can determine whether or not your fallen tree requires prompt attention. Clearly, it’s always best to err on the side of caution. If your fallen tree presents a safety hazard to you or your home, or has fallen on vehicles or is blocking traffic, you’ll need to seek emergency services. Otherwise, if urgency is not a factor, branch or tree removal services can be regularly scheduled (not during extracurricular or overtime hours); avoiding costly emergency service rates.

The best way to know for certain is to call a tree care professional to assess whether your situation is critical and requires immediate attention or if it can be scheduled in the normal course of business, saving you money.

SOUTHERN NEVADA ARBORIST GROUP

Mar 4, 2020

Meet Mike Cooper, Certified Arborist, past Trailblazer of the Year Award winner and current President of the Southern Nevada Arborist Group, or more affectionately known as “SNAG”. “Coop” as he’s known by his industry colleagues, is one of the most knowledgeable arborists in the Las Vegas area; which makes him a perfect choice as President of this prestigious group.

But what is “SNAG” you ask? It is a non-profit organization that brings together arborists, other tree care professionals and dedicated tree enthusiasts on a regular basis. Their mission is to provide improved tree care and promote the appreciation of trees at our homes, communities, businesses and around Southern Nevada. We appreciate Mike Cooper’s expertise, knowledge and dedication to his craft. We feel especially honored to have him as a part of the First Choice Tree Service Team!

Visit the link below for more information on SNAG:

http://www.lvsnag.org/

WATER SMART CONVERSIONS

Feb 26, 2020

As Southern Nevadans, we must come to the realization as desert dwellers, we live in an arid climate and that we are prone to years of long droughts. All you have to do is look to the bathtub ring around Lake Mead to see the toll years of drought has taken on our desert landscape. Although we exceeded our annual average rainfall total in 2019, we are already tracking behind this year for the same time last year at just .27 inches of rain so far for 2020.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) encourages residents of Greater Las Vegas and beyond to be conscientious when it comes to water conservation. Although lush green lawns can be beautiful, they are not sensible or practical for our dry climate. The SNWA offers money savings incentives to convert to water smart landscaping. Their rebate program has already helped to upgrade more than 193 million square feet to water-efficient landscaping, saving billions of gallons of water. You’ll also see a significant savings on your monthly water bill too. There’s no better time to convert to water smart landscaping! Call us to schedule an appointment with our Landscape Department to help you create a beautiful, desert friendly design just for you!

Check out SNWA’s website by clicking on the link below:

https://www.snwa.com/rebates/wsl/index.html

TREE INJECTION TECHNOLOGY

Feb 19, 2020

Tree (or trunk) injection technology is increasingly replacing seasonal spray treatments of trees while providing an invaluable ecological service in landscapes and urban zones by reducing the exposure of topically applied chemicals to the environment from spray drift. Tree injection is a more effective method of target precise application of various plant health treatments into the xylem vascular tissue of a tree with the purpose of protecting the tree from various pests, fungal or bacterial issues and/or for the correction of nutrition deficiencies.

While keeping the chemical product sealed in the tree, there’s no exposure to the environment as in spray applications, and there’s no exposure to the soil by drenching it with chemicals, another commonly used method of application. A surgically sealed septum is used to ensure the product stays in the tree and ensures against pests or pathogens entering the tree through the injection site. Depending on the type of application, injection technology can protect a tree for as long as two years. Not only is tree injection safer for the environment, it’s also a much safer for licensed applicators.

First Choice Tree Service offers tree injection services for plant health and uses Arborjet products. For more information, please call our office and ask for our Director of Plant Health Care, Garret Schumer. You can also watch the video below for more information about Arborjet and their tree injection technology.

PLANT HEALTH ON WINDY DAYS

Feb 5, 2020

It’s another windy day in Las Vegas. Ever wonder why we call our plant health customers to reschedule their service on windy days? Licensed applicators are mandated by the Nevada Department of Agriculture to strictly follow label instructions without exception on many of the chemicals used for plant health. Most restricted use chemicals have wind guidelines to negate drifting or unwanted contamination outside the service site.

Other reasons we adhere to wind guidelines is due to the nature of the chemical. Whether it’s a fertilizer or pre-emergent application that is tinted and can stain or leave unwanted residue on homes, vehicles or outdoor furniture; or another treatment application that could put spray techs at risk, it’s best to always consider best practices on whether to spray plant health applications during wind events.

Although rescheduling applications due to wind at times inconveniences our customers, First Choice Tree Service always takes care to follow label instructions, adhere to state mandated guidelines, and do what’s best for our customers and the safety of our spray techs.

GOING GREEN

Jan 29, 2020

First Choice Tree Service is “GOING GREEN” by recycling approximately 99% of the “green waste” that is generated from our tree operations. We process an average of 40 tons of green waste material each day. The waste material is then processed into firewood and wood chips.

Firewood is traditionally the most common use of large branches and logs. The wood from our completed jobs is transported back to our yard where it is separated, stacked, and split for firewood. This firewood is then sold to be used to heat local homes in our communities and for outdoor activities such as camping. We even contribute firewood to worthy organizations such as local Boys and Girl Scout troops for their events.

Other green waste is processed to produce wood chips. As wood chips decay, they release organic material back into the soil, enhancing the quality of the soil, which ultimately improves the health of the surrounding plant material. Our trained staff meticulously sorts and removes as much as possible palm, oleander and salt cedar material from our wood chips, making it safe for plants and trees; or even as ground cover, as in at local pumpkin patches/Christmas tree lots. You may have even seen or noticed our wood chips at UNLV Cooperative Extension’s orchard or at Gilcrease Orchard in North Las Vegas.

Our firewood and wood chip products are available to local residents and businesses at our yard located at 2155 Pama Lane, Las Vegas, NV. Call our office at 702-564-1998 for pricing.