FAQs – Most Common Questions from our Customers. Tips and Resources
All Estimates are FREE of charge from all of our arborist’s. The only time we charge is when a Certified Arborist comes out to do an formal tree evaluation. An evaluation is a formal write up or assessment of a tree or number of trees on a property that does not result in any further tree services to be performed. An estimate is a proposal that is given to our customers that can result in tree services to be performed upon approval of the work.
It usually takes approximately 2-3 business days to receive an estimate. This of course depends on how busy we are. If there was just a major Hurricane or storm, then sometimes it can take longer. Our estimators schedule all of their own estimates, so you should hear from them within 1-2 business days of calling the office to request an estimate. If it takes longer, we appreciate your patience and calling back in usually helps.
Once you submit your signed approval via email or fax, our scheduler will be calling or emailing you within 1-3 business days. Again, this depends on how busy we are. If we just had a major storm, we can be weeks behind our work in this scenario. We appreciate your patience and value all our customers equally, its just that emergency tree service, i.e. trees on houses and such take priority over regular work.
Yes, we are fully insured and licensed to perform work in Virginia, Maryland, and DC. Here is a copy of our Certificate of Insurance. Also, for commercial work, we can add your company as additional insured. Feel free to request a Certificate of Insurance from our office anytime. We are insured more than the average for liability and workman’s compensation insurance.
Yes, our crew foreman’s speak very good English, you should not have any trouble with this.
We accept all methods of payment including Cash, Check, Credit (Visa, MC, AMEX). You can send a check to PO Box 2366 Fairfax, VA 22031 or call the office 703-359-4444 to make a credit card payment. You can also leave a check with the crew upon completion of the job. We do not ask for payment until work is complete.
No, we do not use spikes to climb live trees for pruning. This is a big no no in the tree care industry. This occurred a lot back in the 80’s, and unfortunately still occurs today. This is a great question to ask and we ask that our customers always ensure whoever they hire to make sure that spikes are not used when pruning – only removals.
No, topping trees is also a big no no in the tree industry. Topping trees is bad because it alters the branch structure and integrity of the limbs causing weak branches. Topping is deceiving because at first it might appear that the tree is safer, however, in the long run has serious negative consequences. Read more here – Dont TopTrees.
Anytime is really a good time to prune trees. Most trees are best to prune just before bud break, however, it is generally OK to prune trees anytime of the year. We don’t usually recommend pruning evergreen trees unless they are smaller such as Holly or hedge shrubs to be shaped with hand shears. Larger evergreens generally should not be cut. Most deciduous trees can be pruned anytime. Make sure the tree company only prunes by the ANSI A300 tree pruning standards.
Sometimes damages do occur. The nature of the tree business I guess. Yard damage, siding damage, driveway damage, etc. At JL Tree Service Inc, we are proud to say that our damage costs are extremely low for the high volume of work that we do.
Grinding Stumps is one of our services. Our work orders specify whether or not grindings will be hauled. Many customers are not aware of this detail. Stump grindings are the shavings (many call them) left over after the stump has been fully ground out. There is usually a separate charge for the grindings to be hauled, versus backfilled and left in the hole. If the stump is large, there is a large pile of grindings left from the grinding. Please be sure to take note whether or not the estimator included grindings to be hauled or not.
Yes, most of the time all wood and debris will be hauled and chipped. The estimator will write otherwise if the wood stays, or sometimes customers like keeping the limb wood and us hauling the larger trunk wood. Most of the time, all wood and debris is hauled away.
Check out more on our Resources page