Tree removal services on P.E.I. busy leading up to and after storm
The roar of the chainsaw went silent in the quiet Charlottetown neighbourhood — to be replaced with the loud thud of a potentially hazardous tree safely hitting the ground.
It was another successful removal for Laird Tree Care during a lull in post-tropical storm Teddy Wednesday morning.
"We just kind of came out here hoping that we'd have enough time to get it safe, but it's perfect," said Kurt Laird, owner of Laird Tree Care.
More people than usual were calling to get trees removed in the days ahead of the storm, Laird said.
The crews were working through the list of existing customers and trying to prioritize trees that had a higher chance of falling during the high winds.
Laird said it felt good to get one more troublesome tree down before the winds picked up again Wednesday afternoon.
"This tree had quite a bit of rot in it and it was very close to the service wires coming into the home and there was two homes and two sheds that were within striking distance," said Laird.
Leaves and wet ground a worry
Another tree service company, The Tree Feller, was also getting more calls, in advance of the storm.
"It's pretty hard to, you know, do everybody," said Evan Simpson, owner of The Tree Feller, adding that they "kind of focused on the most urgent trees and that's all we could do really."
One of the concerns with storms at this time of year is all the leaves still on the branches and the ground saturation.
Simpson said the worry is big sections of the tree and branches will fall on buildings, structures and power lines.
"If the conditions are right, you get trees uprooting and toppling over so it's hard to say if we're going to see that or not," said Simpson. "Hopefully not."
Leave fallen trees to the pros
He recommends people get their trees looked at by professionals every couple of years to make sure they are not hazardous or rotten.
"Even if every two, or three years, you get somebody out to assess your trees and just, you know, sort of mitigate risks before things happen," said Simpson. "Trees do need care and attention."
Both tree care professionals recommend that people call if trees come down during the rough weather. That way they can be checked and dealt with according to urgency.
If a tree or branches come down on power lines, both say to stay a good distance away and call Maritime Electric.
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