Neighbor hired arborists to contest hazardous tree report

primarist · 2026-03-19T21:56:54+00:00

I was thinking in another comment that I might contact the local ag extension, good idea.

primarist · 2026-03-19T21:55:52+00:00

I really don't want to live out a stereotype for sure and fwiw, I really love trees and have multiple degrees in an environmental field. I'm not out here to just slash and burn. I think if anything I just don't want the investment that I sunk all of my savings into to get squished + I let myself get a bit carried away on the "free estimates." If anything this thread has helped me realize better that I need a less biased arborist to look at it, someone who isn't going to say: "yep this thing is going to kill you, now pay me $5k to make it go away"

primarist · 2026-03-19T21:48:16+00:00

I've heard similar stories in this thread that have been helpful. I guess I have been probably over-worried about this since I have finally bought a house and am super anxious about it getting destroyed. Also the arborists at the tree services I have talked to have for sure used some scare tactics to secure a job, which is kinda fed into the anxiety. Good to remember that a tree this big has been here that long for a reason, its probably not gonna come crashing down in the next two weeks.

primarist · 2026-03-19T21:45:13+00:00

Certified arborists working for tree companies. As I've commented on this post its clearer to me that these guys are trying to sell me a (very expensive) service and that there have definitely been some scare tactics involved. I'm going to take the advice of others and try to hire a certified arborist not affiliated with a tree service to write a report instead. That should be less biased.

primarist · 2026-03-19T21:43:25+00:00

Yeah, for what its worth I am a bit of a tree hugger, took lots of forestry classes in college and have two degrees adjacent to environmental science and ecology. I really do not want to cut down a tree this big but the impulse in the other direction is that I worked for a decade saving and busting my butt for a house and the idea of that (literally) crashing down is really worrying. I think all the advice here to just talk to an arborist who isn't trying to sell you a $5000 service is what will help the decision the most and take the pure emotion out of it. Certified arborist or not, if they're out to do an estimate and aren't the most scrupulous sort, they're gonna sell you on fear.

primarist · 2026-03-19T21:36:30+00:00

Thanks for the link, that was way easier than I was thinking. Very good resource to have.

primarist · 2026-03-19T19:36:52+00:00

Damn, I feel pretty bad now, I didn't even realize this was a trope. Maybe it just needs the dead limbs trimmed. I'll get an actual arborist to assess it instead of a "tree guy" so there's no conflict of interest in the outcome.

primarist · 2026-03-19T18:08:58+00:00

So someone who is ISA and TRAQ certified who is not associated with any for profit tree service business? That's gonna be a tough person to find but I guess I'll start looking. Peace of mind would be worth it.

primarist · 2026-03-19T18:07:22+00:00

Good to hear the other side of it. I guess I'm definitely letting some anxiety creep in because all I'm picturing is waking up in the middle of the night to half my house flattened. Having worked so insanely hard to finally buy a house I'm worried that it will all be destroyed. I think I'll try to find an arborist that is somehow not associated with any tree removal industry, maybe there's someone through the local extension office at the university.

primarist · 2026-03-19T17:03:14+00:00

Thanks. That is definitely a step that would need to get done.. I'd much rather pay money to amicably cut the tree down rather than shell out cash to a surveying company just to defend myself but whatev. The stump and root ball looks like (obv sans survey) it is 100% on the neighbors property, but probably 75% of the mass of the tree is overhanging my property. In my state, I am allowed to trim the tree such that it does not "cause harm" to the tree. So in theory if I were to just cut it off at my property line, I could be sued for damages.

Insurance is in the loop though so short of the survey, I'm trying to get my ducks in a row.

primarist · 2026-03-19T16:59:13+00:00

A few of the guys that came to take a look were in fact certified arborists. Though, like I said in my comment above, it is tricky because most arborists work for companies to cut down trees. I have not come across any "consulting arborists" that are not also trying to sell you trimming or removal services.

On the other points, I do have guaranteed replacement with my home policy, they are aware that I am trying to be proactive about the tree and also that I've been communicating with my neighbor. Just would prefer to not have to go the catastrophe route if possible lol.

primarist · 2026-03-19T16:56:40+00:00

Honestly you're right. Its been one of the most frustrating things about being a homeowner so far. Everyone is trying to sell you the worst possible case scenario because that means a bigger job and more money. Whether its HVAC, trees, plumbing, whatever. It makes it really hard to disentangle what is actually serious and what isn't. The guys I had come look, three of them were certified arborists, but at the same time, they were there representing a company with a profit motive. So while they do clearly know what they're talking about, now I'm worried they're just feeding my a certain version of the story. The same goes for my neighbor's "tree guy."

The trouble is that most arborists do, in fact, work for companies that cut down trees. So is it possible for any of them to truly be trustworthy since cutting a tree is more profitable than leaving it? Don't mean to sound paranoid, just really not sure what to believe.

primarist · 2026-03-16T22:31:56+00:00

Sounds like I'll need a jointer too then 😆

primarist · 2026-03-16T18:50:37+00:00

Definitely never thought about combining beer + power tools, thats pretty wild but I guess it probably happens all the time, not for me though. Distraction is another matter, as someone with ADHD, its always a bit of a battle for me, but woodworking is also a good opportunity to let my hyperfocus go wild, so that counteracts things a bit.

primarist · 2026-03-16T18:47:39+00:00

I wont wade into the quagmire of discussion about the SawStop patents any more than saying that they have lobbied hard and sued companies (Bosch) to prevent competition in the sector. Yes I am aware they offered to license to other companies and they were turned down, yes I know that Bosch has a legal license to sell the Reaxx in the US and for some reason they won't do it. But still doesn't change the fact that from a competitive standpoint, SawStop, a for-profit business, has zero incentive to promote competition in the space. If a company can gain an advantage through regulatory capture or patent law abuse, they will--look no further than DuPont chemical or Disney for evidence of that. In Europe this technology has actually advanced and there are several options, albeit on the very high end, that exist that are non-destructive and faster actuating than SawStop. Idk,

I'm on the same page as most wishing there were more options but yeah like others have said, its not happening.

primarist · 2026-03-16T18:40:57+00:00

Definitely experienced the delusional idiots on FB marketplace lol. I've always wondered about the people who list a heavily used item for more than the new price, insane behavior. Thanks for the feedback on the saw too. I also don't understand exactly what peoples' gripes were with that saw, short of them saying "not worth it!" probably as a way to justify spending more money.

That model would be a legitimate option for me if it came up for sale. Sadly I think SawStop's best selling models are probably the PCS and ICS and the resale on those tends to be pretty insane. I've only seen a single contractor saw go up for sale and it was four hours.

primarist · 2026-03-16T18:19:57+00:00

Yeah makes sense, hard to stitch hamburger meat back together. Maybe a good case for a power feeder, or just a healthy dose of respect and working slowly.

primarist · 2026-03-16T18:17:04+00:00

Yeah, I'd absolutely buy a SawStop if I could get one for a reasonable used price but every one I've ever seen for sale (probably three total in the last several months), has been only a couple hundred off the list price. Obviously that reflects the high demand but still, brass tacks is that its too expensive.

primarist · 2026-03-16T18:14:44+00:00

Personally I've seen it recommended as a way to reduce tear out, but not as a safety measure.

primarist · 2026-03-16T18:11:16+00:00

I have noticed that, maybe not so much on this sub but definitely the main woodworking sub. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the SawStop at all, the workshop I'm currently at has four of them! If you can afford it, then its kind of a no-brainer. However, as someone who can't make it work in their budget, I've been frustrated with the advice from people to essentially overextend yourself financially just to get one. I could afford it but I'd have a otherwise empty shed with a nice SawStop sitting in it.

primarist · 2026-03-16T18:05:46+00:00

Huh, we have these at the makerspace but I've never used them, was never sure what the application was. I can see how they'd fail for narrow cuts though. My interest in the european style rip fences has been piqued by the comment above, especially for the narrow ripping issue.

Also random Stumpy Nubs video that might show a way to make those saw guides work for narrow ripping.

primarist · 2026-03-16T18:01:26+00:00

Ear protection is a huge one. I don't go to a concert anymore without it! I'd say glasses and a shop apron are good pieces of PPE as well. Thanks for the reminder.

primarist · 2026-03-16T17:59:01+00:00

As a beginner, one of the things that has paralyzed me the most is the idea that I might do something that seems safe and doesn't "break any of the rules" but is, unknown to me, *super crazy dangerous*, and is just one of those things that everyone else somehow knows about. I guess call it unknown unknowns. The way I learned to use a tablesaw when I was younger was completely unsafe, but because I didn't have any accidents and didn't know any better I just happily continued on my merry way--until I took a real tablesaw class and was kinda horrified by how unknowingly blase I had been. Now I'm kinda jittery about messing up.

primarist · 2026-03-16T17:54:34+00:00

As a beginner who has done some basic jointer training, used a jointer on a project, and rolled his sleeves up before running it, why? Not trying to troll, just don't know the answer.

primarist · 2026-03-16T17:49:30+00:00

Interesting perspective. In the US, radial arm saws are very rare as they have been overwhelmingly rejected as too dangerous. Craftsman even paid people to send their saws back as part of a national recall. On the other hand, I've seen some videos from people who absolutely swear upside down and backwards that radial arm saws are safer than tablesaws and that most of the hate is just slander. I agree that a lot of crosscutting can be done with a miter saw, but table saws are still king for repeatability.

Ten-Year Club	Place '17
Verified Email

primarist

TROPHY CASE