Tis The Season in Ocala! No, not Christmas season but Storm Season.
All of us who live in the Ocala area get a little nervous this time of year because the storm and hurricane season has arrived once again to wreck havoc on our little piece of paradise.
So many beautiful trees were damaged one year ago in Oak Run, Palm Cay, Spruce Creek and our unparalleled historical district, which will all be in danger once again this season. So often we have clients ask for meaningful, effective advice on what they could have done to prevent the horrific damage to their trees, house, cars and other valuable property.
We have given this question considerable attention in the past but most people don’t think anything will happen to them. They are usually correct but when the dice roles against them and their number is up it causes big trouble. That is when the frantic calls flood in asking for immediate help.
Of course, we want to help everyone but usually we must triage the situation and help move the trees off houses, cars, streets and away from buildings first. That said, there is considerable damage left over that we can correct later.
Unfortunately, this is also the time when another plague rushes in to take full advantage of people who didn’t take precautions to minimize the potential damage to their trees & property. When a storm crushes a home or badly damages a neighbor’s property (or worse) the out of town “storm chasers” come rushing in to pick the pockets of our citizens in their hour of need. We have seen this happen after every storm.
How can you greatly reduce the chances of a storm knocking down your trees, damaging your property and that of your neighbor? Great news! It’s much easier than you think!
Talk to your neighbors about several home owners contracting with a trusted tree professional here in Ocala and forming a collective buying club. There are many benefits for each member of the club but mostly each member will have confidence when a stormhits that everything they could have done has been done.
Each member will save considerable cash because your contractor knows where his crew will be working for several days, what they will need to accomplish the work and the crew can go from one house to the next without mobilizing for each and everyday. This is a very efficient way to greatly reduce serious issues for the home owner and save considerable money for the contractor who then passes the savings on to the members.
Of course, there is no formal “membership” or “club” . You can simply call it Neighborhood 2 beautification club if you want. Someone should be the negotiator but no one can obligate anyone else. Each home owner would speak with the contractor and agree on the work to be performed and the cost. If a healthy tree is trimmed properly before the arrival of a storm the chances of that tree surviving the storm are greatly improved. If the trimmed trees fail during the storm it would have failed for sure if it had not been trimmed.
Protect yourself from unscrupulous Storm Chasers, reduce your tree management costs, sleep well at night, benefit from improving your neighborhood, get a good working relationship with your tree professional and save money too!
Your questions and comments are always welcome.
Thanks for your time,
Tree-sa Wheeler 352-322-6305
On Budget Tree Service
