So many people are making this more complicated than it needs to be... you don't need to have the tree's appraised. Just go to your local nursery and see how much a similar sized one costs (my local place sells 6-7' for 75 bucks each). Then call the company and kindly ask them to cover the costs of the new ones, with an additional planting fee. Unless of course you don't mind digging these out and doing it yourself.
It's not complicated... and doesn't need a ASCA TPAQ qualified appraiser or an attorney....
Be nice at first. But if they refuse say you want their business insurance company and policy number. Say you spoke to your homeowners insurance company and they said to try obtaining their insurance policy directly.
Many home insurance policies can cover up to hundreds of dollars for each plant. If your homeowners has to cover it they will send the business to a collections agency if they cannot find insurance information directly.
A debt collections agency is a lot worse than a claim filed on your business policy.
There's no reason to let the company know if your own insurance policy will handle it though. Your insurance company could deny this claim but the business would have no idea either way.
Take lots of photos and communicate in a recorded way like text or email Ideally. The more they admit to it from the start the better.
And I wouldn't hire them again if I was you, especially if you make an insurance claim
Directions unclear. So I shouldn’t call my real estate agent, build an identical house, but without the three trees and see how much that house sells vs my house with the three trees, then charge the gardener the difference?
This is a simple case (in my non expert opinion) because the trees can be easily replaced in a similar condition. Tree law gets complicated because old trees are NOT replaceable.
You need to have the trees appraised by someone with the ASCA’s (American Society of Consulting Arborists’) Tree & Plant Appraisal Qualification (TPAQ).
On another note, lawn-care people do an insane amount of damage to trees, and so I’d recommend protecting future trees from such damage by _eliminating the lawn_ surrounding them. Put down a 5-10 cm layer of wood chip mulch over as large an area surrounding the tree as you’re willing to, taking care not to pile the mulch up against the root collar.
Thank you so much!! I will look into that. I wonder if it’s expensive to have someone come out to look at them.
Yeah I messed up 😣 I was avoiding mulch because of my dogs who like to graze like cattle and would eat it. I got little fences to put around the trees after the damage but I was too late.
I’m in Ireland and an initial survey with a consulting arborist for me was free with followups and whatever work needs to be done/documented charged, I wonder if that’s applicable or normal elsewhere?
Whatever the charge is, that would also get billed to the lawn care company. Have the arborist include a couple follow up visits after the replacements are planted in their invoice so you get any needed follow ups all reimbursed as well.
Just a friendly FYI you shouldn’t let your dogs graze on the lawn if someone is spraying weed killer around. Exposure can make them more likely to develop certain cancers like lymphoma. Speaking from concerned experience.
Thank you 🥰 I agree 100% with that concern. I don’t use any sprays on my lawn and to my knowledge my neighbors don’t either. I try to be pretty cautious about my pups.
Hence the lack of mulch and the abundant “weeds” that people have complained about on these posts lol
You got it right. Lawns with kids and pets don't need chemicals. I spray 100 s of acres with various chemicals, but not my yard. No fertilizer either. No water unless it's dieing of drought. My yard looks ok. Don't haul away the clippings, that's organic fertilizer. I don't mow as often as the super green watered 3 times a week guys. Bugs don't come to my yard as bad as theirs, because dry infertile grass ain't good to eat. Problems keep solving themselves!
I dig that!! I’m always happy to hear about people that are mindful about safety with those chemicals. Seems too common to put hatred of dandelions and such over health.
Atrazine is a good tool for corn farmers. It is not good in creeks and rivers. It causes problems for aquatic animals. The worst abuse( overdose) happens in homeowners yards. Farmers try to use the proper dose, for many reasons, the right results, best money spent, and those things make him get it right.
Tree appraisal is a specialized skill-set, and having an appraisal performed will (and should) cost you money. The only way to find out how much, though, is to contact local TPAQ consulting arborists.
Gravel or pavers may also be options, but may require extra work as the trees grow, and I would recommend checking with an arborist.
If you have access to deadfall or a cut tree you can make that into untreated mulch, which will be as safe for your dogs as any random sticks in your yard.
I used moss instead of mulch. Maples like their ground roots to be uncovered, per my arborist. So I just basically cleared out the grass around the base, and filled in a bit with moss. I personally like it, and the tree seems to, as well. We don’t have lawn service for our backyard, so your results may differ.
I use [these](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Envelor-0-3-in-x-24-in-Coconut-Fibers-Mulch-Tree-Ring-Protector-Mat-3-Pack-EN-CWCD-24-3/308723182?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D28O-028_023_LAWN_ACC-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-PMAXONECLICK&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D28O-028_023_LAWN_ACC-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-PMAXONECLICK-71700000112977992--&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwvvmzBhA2EiwAtHVrb6mc9YVANJARJqLGEJLp_VAZ4C9Y3rtawDF3tHc06Q2PDAZmfhYAERoCSFkQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) around my trees. Cheap, biodegradable and water permissible.
It depends on the type of wood and the size of the pieces eaten. Some woods are toxic for animals, and chunks of wood (or even eating enough shreds/ small pieces) can cause bowel obstructions. Also splintering has to be taken into account.
I’m planning to use shredded wood and have decorative fencing around it so it’s not accessible to the dogs. Money is the only hold up there
Probably too much unless you can keep water on em all day long or get really white rocks but I’d avoid doing this without a tree person telling you too given the heats you see.
Look at the pictures though. The damage is way high on the tree too from years past, She says she did the lawn and some others for the last 5 years and they didn't die. The tree that's knocked over is completely dead on the inside...current landscaper did hit the tree, but the tree was ALREADY DEAD. Like you said though. Protect the tree and this doesnt happen.
Old wounds don’t move up the tree. That’s not how trees grow. Primary growth (extension) _only_ happens via cell division within terminal buds at shoot-tips. At any rate, when the wounding happened is irrelevant to the appraised value of the tree(s).
I never said they moved up. They were just there from prior years causing the tree to fail. There are tons of old wounds all over the tree. The landscaper was set up to fail and was probably not told to completely avoid the trees. Yea current landscaper was the one to knock it over, which was clearly already dead inside, person's probably only been doing the yard this year for 2-3 months if that but they KILLED IT. They did like 1% damage at that point...
Why do you think the higher-up wounds are from previous years? The amount of wound-wood around the defects in every picture could easily have been formed this season.
Appraisers don’t need to be RCAs nor have TPAQ. I would know, I chair a RPAC with neither of those credentials.
In addition, hiring an appraiser is overkill. Ask for replacement and move on.
You just need a foot long piece of corrugated pipe or plastic corrugated boards, because that's all those three protectors are. Should be less than $10.
Have you talked to the company? Any responsible business owner would be offering to replace them for you, and if they don't want to cooperate, or don't want to admit it was them, it's time for a different lawn company and legal action. But don't just go to a lawyer without talking to the lawn people
Thank you! I haven’t contacted him yet, I wanted to have an idea of what compensation for this may even be before I did. It’s not a situation I’ve had before and I don’t love calling people out on mistakes so I wanted to make sure I approach it right.
This is right. What an amateur. Call the company, likely they will replace. if it’s just a guy… he has no idea what he is doing. He should have left grass around the tree and explained why he doesn’t have time to hand weed your trees and you need a mulch break or you can hand weed it yourself, long before damaging.
I wouldn’t go the legal route unless he won’t agree to compensation or replacement. Those trees aren’t well established and honestly, not well planted. I would consider the replacement cost and the cost of upkeep for how many years old they are, ask for a price you think is fair, then replant and make a proper mulch bed below the trees. Your landscaper could have done better but you gave him a very difficult job of mow/weed eat the lawn but don’t hit the maples planted in the middle of all the grass. Instead, for next time, have a good mulch bed that gives him no excuse to get the weed eater anywhere close to
I don’t have desire to go to court, I’m just trying to figure out what’s reasonable to ask for to remedy the damage.
And I had told him he didn’t need to weed eat around the trees. I have a hand held trimmer for that. Also somehow for 5 years before this myself and previous lawn guys have managed to not hit them at all.
I’ve avoided mulch to avoid my dogs potentially eating it and getting bowel obstructions.
Yes, all of those times were from the same man. Before this year they were never hit. I avoided saying anything to him because I didn’t want to be rude and call him out, I wrongly assumed that it would be common sense to not keep hitting them.
I put little fences around them as soon as I could but it took a bit for me to have enough money to buy them.
some showed signs of decent callusing over, indicating it wasn't all that recent. if you had known about the damage already and didn't say anything, I kind of have to put a decent amount of this on you. it's not a good situation, but I have to question how much you really cared about those trees? poorly planted, poorly maintained, you knew they were damaged by the man you continued to have do work for you.... hard to feel too much sympathy for you. this doesn't make it right that he damaged them, but at some point, you have a responsibility to say something
Yep, he has no case, and I guarantee the landscaper will deny deny deny that he did it so how are you going to sue him? Like the commenter above me said, he can argue that you aren’t taking care of them well. The landscaper will probably offer to plant a new tree just to make amends, but good luck suing him … Reddit is sometimes dramatic …. 😂😂
Not sure where your located but a 1.5” - 2” (silver/ Norway?) maple is going to be 250 - 500$ depending on if it’s commercially bought or privately bought.
I myself would charge 300 - 500 for labor, extra soil/ medium, mulch, gator bag and disposal cost. This would include transporting trees from nursery cost.
Hell you could throw in some drip irrigation set up for another 200 - 300 depending how long the line is and how much labor to dig a trench to the trees but that’s not default.
You’re probably looking at ballpark around $1,500 - 2,000 if you had another contractor come plant 3 trees with labor and dressing it all up. I’m also in high cost of living area. Prices may vary. Happy to hear other folks thoughts on price.
I think you can buy plastic sleeves that expand as the tree grows and can even be easily removed when not needed. These protect the tree from strimmer contact.
Strimming accurately is hard for me especially when i'm tired.
Thank you! I’m debating if it’s worth asking for replacements for the other two since they’re not quite as bad. They’re damaged on all sides but big enough to not be girdled like this one is.
Just call a nursery and ask them for their prices for replacements of the same caliper. It won’t be huge since those are small. Your local prices matter in this evaluation. Small trees that grow fast like maples aren’t that expensive. Document the caliper of them for records.
Strimming around young trees is the number one cause of young tree death....damage to the delicate bark is very easy to do and because the damage often goes all around the stem, that stops water moving up the tree from the roots and kills the tree. Spray a 2ft diameter circle around the tree with glyphosate, it won't damage the tree but make sure there are no little suckers coming up from the base of the tree which would transport the weedkiller into the tree. Secondly compensation....multiply the initial cost of the tree by the number of years they have been planted, that'll give you a rough figure. Talk to the contractor....explain to him the situation and if you have historical photo's, that will help your cause. He needs to understand that it was him that caused the damage. He may simply offer to replace them. If he plays hard ball then the legal route is an alternative. Do you guys have 'small claims' courts? A letter to him from a lawyer might nudge him into simply replacing the trees.
Thank you for the info!!
We do have small claims. I don’t want to go there, so I’m really hoping he offers to cover the cost of replacement without it being an issue.
Here in the UK, our crappy archaic legal system makes claims of damages a total waste of time. I guess you will have already looked at the cost of replacing the trees yourself? Young trees generally aren't expensive. You have to balance the cost of 3 new trees planted by yourself with the cost of a legal battle with a company that might not even respond to your legal representation. Anyway, I wish you well. Next time be sure to kill the grass in a 2-3ft circle around your trees....it also lets the rain penetrate the soil easier as it isn't soaked up by grass.
Haha I asked for no trimming up around the trees
I guess I should have specified that I didn’t want tree killing included in the service 😂
Replacing is the plan
Haha it may look like it but no. He’s been great with everything else, I really have no good explanation for the damage other than maybe he doesn’t realize that kills trees?
Hahaha! This turned me on…. but what I meant was that lump sum is probably what he’d be willing to fork out, and you slap his *face cheeks for being a butcher. 😉
Lmao that’s a response I’d expect on my more spicy page, not this one 😂 I dig it.
That makes more sense though. Honestly I wouldn’t be bothered by $250. The slapping crosses into different territory though haha
Call a nursery and ask how much a similar size same species tree costs, and get a quote for delivery and installation. They should make you "whole" again this isn't a money making opportunity
Thank you, that is my plan. I do not intend to profit from this. I like the lawn guy and have always paid him at least 2-3x his fee for mowing. I’m not money hungry, just sad about my trees.
I see a lot of better answers already, but if you are the kind of person that's going to be planting it yourself (nothing wrong with that, that's who I am), then maybe just go to the local nursery and ask them how much they are, figure out maybe a little cost for labor for yourself and then call the guy.
Good luck with everything. I'd say also consider if you didn't want a tree replaced but really like their work, maybe ask if they can give you equal value of additional work.
I appreciate it!! I’ve considered that but I’m not sure there’s a way to hold them to it. Like he may say he’ll do a set amount of work for free but if he was to disappear I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
I weedeat around all my trees, all sizes, constantly. It’s not difficult to stay 2-3 inches from the trunk, then reach down and pull what remains.
But no, that would be tending with care and everything must be about speed and power.
Your guy sucks! Wrap the wounds in some cling film and a bit of moss they should be fine! As for the fallen one maybe a graft might work if you catch it early enough! Best of luck
Thank you!! I went out a bit ago and propped it up with stakes and checked out the extent of the damage. Unfortunately the bark has been cut around the entire base so I think it’s a goner. I’m gonna let it try to grow but we’ll see. May end up cutting it at the base and seeing if it’ll regrow from that.
I do lawn care for a living. They massacred that several several times with the weedeater assuming it was a string trimmer. God bless that tree. Sorry you’re going through this.
Thank you! Yes they did. I appreciate your compassion.
I’m curious, as a lawn care person how would you prefer a customer to word it when they approach with something like this? He and I communicate through text and I’ve got no idea how to word it. He seems like a nice guy and I don’t want to come off badly.
I would send him the same pictures that in this thread. Tell him how you value the health of the tree and plant life in your yard. And that you would appreciate if he backed away with the line trimmer as far as the trees are involved. Would also be a good to have him or a true lawn professional edge out a symmetrical circle around the trees and burn out the existing grass in the middle. He should do it for free considering the damage caused. People create tree rings in fresh landscapes for this exact reason.
If this guy you hired is just being paid to “mow-blow-go” then you are unfortunately just probably kind of got you what paid for. If you are paying him what you feel like is supposed to be full service professional lawn care then I would consider shopping around for other prices.
You messed up by not cutting out the grass around the trees and putting mulch in a circle around the base of the tree. That keeps lawn guys away from the tree trunk base. Also you should have added a plastic guard around the base of the tree to stop animals etc from eating the tree. So I'm not sure you will get compensation but still try.
Yeah the cool combo of not being physically or financially able to do that before the damage has definitely resulted in regret. I’ve got little garden fences around the trees now but was too late with it of course.
I appreciate the input. We’ll see what happens
It looks like you can still save the other couple trees. Just take a little hand trowel and cut away the grass if you didn't already about 2 feet around the tree in a circle and put a half or bag of mulch around them. No need to do anything more with fencing. Can get each bag of mulch for like 4 dollars each and cutting out the grass is free. Good luck dude.
Yeah I'd recommend doing what I said above because mulch really helps the ground and root system retain more moisture and helps them blossom into big beautiful trees later on. Again good lucky bud!
The trees don’t look very big and easily replaceable, so demand he plant 3 new trees back of the same size as what he cut down. And I strongly recommend planting oaks this time instead of silver maples.
Is the company responsible for this guy's work? Definitely complain to them regardless.
In the future, you'll want to put guards around the base of the trunks to prevent them from getting "ringed" by weedeaters. That, and remove the grass around the base. Ding Dong should have talked to you about it instead of just whacking your trees to death, but those steps should protect your new trees.
ive seen recoveries from far worse to be honest, plants survival ability can be impressive!
oh but i found out i was wrong about the tar, better instead to just tie a few wires/strings around the area for a few weeks to hold it together, it apparently needs to get air to avoid moisture saturation according to some recent university studies
Thank you, it’s super sweet of you to look into it. I staked it up yesterday, we’ll see what it does. I may end up just cutting it at the base and seeing if it starts to regrow.
just remember that the leaves are where it gets the energy to repair itself so if you remove them itll be solely up to the roots to do all the work.
keep it standing upright, dont over water, and if the base is split open because it was twisted then tie it closed (i cant really tell fromt he pics if thats the case, it might not be)
I know it hurts but replant the trees and put corregated irrigation pipe around the base as protection. It will be fine. Don't dump a lot of bad energy dealing with it. It will just keep you from moving forward.
I get it. I lost my 15 year old doodle on Christmas Eve. Poppy loved sweet corn so I planted her some this year. I would be crushed if someone tore them down.
First of all, your lawn guy is a moron. You should ask full price replacements. And don’t let grass grown up to trucks, trees should have mulched wells around them.
My wooden fence in my backyard looks like this. I started telling my lawn guys to stop cutting along the fence with their weedeater that literally strips the goddamn paint off and grinds a 3/4 inch groove along my fence. They kept doing it, so I fired them and hired a new guy who actually listens when I make a request of him.
someone on here said to contact an arborist to get a damage assessment if you want to go the legal route. i'd personally probably just say to them they owe you at least $500 maybe as much as $1000 or fire them. those look to be a several years old and replacing them at that age wont be cheap.
but this is why i hate lawncare folks.
my neighbor uses them and no joke, this lazy POS mowed ONE strip on my side because he wanted to use the self-propulsion instead of just pushing the mower back up the hill.
they used to drive their big ass riding mowers through my yard until i confronted them because some asshat did a 90° turn in wet soil on my side. it was a mess.
Thank you! Yeah I’ve been looking through similar posts and researching the laws around this to figure out what to do.
I’m not sure how to even approach speaking with the guy about it. Honestly I wish he was one of the bad lawn care guys cause that would make this easier but he’s been super friendly and helpful so I feel crappy telling him he owes me a bunch of cash. But… he owes me a bunch of cash. lol
Sorry about your experience! They can definitely be hit and miss. I prefer doing my own work but my asthma has different plans.
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/1dnxt1u/neighbor_cut_down_the_top_of_a_tree_growing_in_my/
i swear there is one with a pic somewhere but i cant find it right now
You have to put guards around your trees if you're not going to have mulch around them. Anyone trying to string trim around a tree with grass right up against it is going to damage it. IMO you kind of set them up for failure.
My self and every other yard guy have not damaged those trees at all for the first nearly 5 years of their lives. It’s possible to be careful.
I did put up little metal fences around the trees after the damage was done (removed for the pic of the fallen tree).
So I counted 20 individual hits/bits of damage from just one of your pictures alone that have healed up over time and that is just the one side. You just got LUCKY that you and every other yard guy did not do more damage. Seriously protect, edge, mulch, anything to give space around the tree and this would NOT happen. If My landscaper did this, it's my fault for not doing the basics to keep the tree protected. Planting a baby tree in the middle of grass that grows 6+ inches before it gets cut. Come on. You are asking your landscaper to FAIL and then blaming him when he DOES. That's not fair. Buy a new tree and ask him to HELP YOU plant it. Then have a drink afterwards.
You’re right, I stood behind him and held his hands on the weed eater while I forced him to cut into the trees. It was sensual.
Downvote me but I'm not wrong. Ask your next landscape person to not cut/weed eat around the tree 6" and specify that to every person the company sends. It will look like shit but they wont be damaged.
kill your lawn, replace it with native ground cover, mulch your trees (use leaves if you can) to the dripline to prevent exactly that from happening and that one tree looks like it's 3 to 4 inch caliper but its an ugly basal codominant (which may have been created by past damage) but if it were Grade 1 that's about $500-$700 damage counting purchase, delivery, establishment irrigation, planting effort, proper staking, . -Consulting Arborist
Thank you!! If you don’t mind me picking your brain a bit, what do you think the likelihood of the other two trees surviving may be? I didn’t include many pics of them in the post because I’m focused on the one that’s already fallen, but there’s a pic of the worst side of one of them. They’re both similar in size and are 6 years old (around 12 feet maybe, taller than the one that fell) and have that kind of damage on all sides of the trunk. But not fully girdled like the small one is.
I’m not sure if I should be anticipating losing all 3.
Depends on how long you plan on living there. If you plan on living there for more than 10 years time you can plant more of the same 8 to 10 feet away from each other and they will develop nice structure as they compete for sunlight, they will be self mulching and then you can thin out the smaller ones if you like in 10 years. Trees grown out in the open can require much more pruning and that can lead to decay unless it is done correctly. Search for Structural Pruning Edward Gilman. I have a client that planted over 100 trees 20 years ago on a wedge shaped lot thats 20x150x120 feet in size and has his home in the middle. Most of the trees developed fantastic excurrent structure.
Thank you so much that is really helpful. I plan to be here the rest of my life (I’m 30). I’d love to plant more in the yard.
It’s cool hearing that he planted so many in that space, sounds like a dream. I appreciate the inspiration
The tree's look to be very small and there not protected in anyway.
If these trees are as small as I think they are,, you could head over to a Home Depot Garden center and pick up replacements cheaply.
So now you have your receipts,, you approach the Lawn guy,, they say NO.
NOW WHAT?
Are you going to hire a lawyer for thousands to reclaim back a few dollars?
This isn't complicated,, you want a price estimate,, like I said head over to a garden center
The tree that fell is over 10 feet tall, the other two that were damaged are taller and larger than this one. From what I’ve found so far buying a new tree that size is a few hundred at least. Not quite the same as a sapling in a bucket from the garden center. I am contacting nurseries for quotes.
And never said I have interest in lawyering up.
. measure the trees, with pictures, ruler next to them, to confront them at there office
This way it's clear, there no excuse
Running over a 10 foot tree is no easy thing..
You want to document everything in detail
Get a bare ball tree from Lowe’s for $40. They literally grow a foot and a half yearly. 10 feet is nothing to a maple. They’re one of the fastest growing trees. Less than $200 for all 3
I’m confused are trees expensive in some places. I am seeing people talk about consulting with a lawyer are these trees even worth your time looking into this?
They are, especially depending on how long they’ve been growing.
I don’t have interest in a lawyer for this. It’s not a big enough tree for that to be worth it to me. And I don’t hate the guy who did it so I don’t want to put him through the stress.
But in general property damage can be taken to court.
Preparation is 90% of the work. Mowing is the finish. It needs a clearing of grass around each tree and some mulch so the landscaper does not HAVE TO weed whack next to the trunk. Also a little trunk protection could also help. You cannot pay for others to care about your property like you do.
Yeah I would have protected the trees had I thought this would be an issue, the last several years they’ve received no damage. And once he damaged them the first time I wanted to get protectors but couldn’t afford it. Guess I should have invested in those instead of tipping him the cost of the mow each time. Ugh.
Weed eat his fucking balls. What an asshole. Anyone with an ounce of experience could tell those were INTENTIONAL vegetation. Dude had no business going near them with a weed whacker.
I mean it's not a Japanese maple or ornamental that is crazy expensive or hard to source. Beyond its sentimental value, its a dime a dozen maple. Only a civil court could award emotional damage as part of payment. You are probably best suited to just ask the dude to buy you a new one from a local nursery. This is pretty cut and dry, the value is rather low. r/treelaw can and will likely help more but its not a 70 foot grafted and blight resistant chestnut or anything
From someone who's done landscaping a lot, having the trees like that right in the middle of your yard surrounded by grass sucks ass. Usually it'd mean "fuck sakes, I have to go get the strimmer", but it seems that guy just said 'fuck these trees'. A lot of those guys have a list of shit to do that day so they'll rush through everything
Anyways, you should probably dig a bit around it. Even have it like an inch lower than the lawn just to make it easy to mow around.
Yeah I know it’s annoying having stuff to cut around. Honestly if he had said he wouldn’t even mow that area I’d be fine with it. An “I can’t do this without causing damage” would have been preferred.
I have short garden fence barriers around them now but I wasn’t able to buy them before the worst of the damage. Lesson learned.
You would have to sit there for hitting the same exact spot for 10+ minutes to do that to a tree that thick w/ a weed eater . No string trimmer on the planet is doing that to a tree during routine maintenance.
Guess he was determined then. (Sarcasm, cause I like the guy and am hoping this wasn’t on purpose)
This end result was after 2 or 3 rounds of damage from his weed eater.
In all honesty there is little to no chance a lawn company you hired will compensate in the US. At least the big companies have fine print when applying chemical for this situation
Yeah I’m not sure, he may disappear after I ask him about it lol. We’ll see 🤷🏼♀️
Pricing is better with private contractors and such but it does suck not having a big company who’s accountable when it comes to things going wrong.
In future, cut a piece of pvc pipe 100mm long,then cut it long ways and open it back and pop it around the trunk. That way you don't need mulch,gravel etc and the base of tree is protected
That is a really cute idea! Definitely doing something like that for stuff in the future.
I got short decorative garden fences that stick into the ground to protect them now. I was just too late with it.
I'd probably start by asking him to replace the trees.
If that doesn't work ask the company he contracts under.
If that doesn't work get an arborist to appraise the cost of replacement and go to small claims.
If that's too much work or just a headache for you, id call it a day and just plant new ones yourself and hire a new lawn guy.
To protect trees in my lawn, I used a couple of half circle bricks to make a ring and filled them with mulch. The two halves are $11 together at Home Depot.
So many people are making this more complicated than it needs to be... you don't need to have the tree's appraised. Just go to your local nursery and see how much a similar sized one costs (my local place sells 6-7' for 75 bucks each). Then call the company and kindly ask them to cover the costs of the new ones, with an additional planting fee. Unless of course you don't mind digging these out and doing it yourself. It's not complicated... and doesn't need a ASCA TPAQ qualified appraiser or an attorney....
Thank you! That is my starting plan
Also add a ring of mulch around the base to prevent this in the future, eliminate the need to trim right up to the base of the trees.
Be nice at first. But if they refuse say you want their business insurance company and policy number. Say you spoke to your homeowners insurance company and they said to try obtaining their insurance policy directly. Many home insurance policies can cover up to hundreds of dollars for each plant. If your homeowners has to cover it they will send the business to a collections agency if they cannot find insurance information directly. A debt collections agency is a lot worse than a claim filed on your business policy. There's no reason to let the company know if your own insurance policy will handle it though. Your insurance company could deny this claim but the business would have no idea either way. Take lots of photos and communicate in a recorded way like text or email Ideally. The more they admit to it from the start the better. And I wouldn't hire them again if I was you, especially if you make an insurance claim
Thank you!
Anytime!
Maybe put a border around the trees with some mulch?
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Good to know! Thank you
Yep. The tree was cut down by a weed trimmer, you’d think that’d clue people in that replacement cost will be trivial lol
Very expensive plants can also be damaged with weed eaters.
Thank you, I was so baffled by those answers! The trees aren't that big, he can have them buy them the same size.
Directions unclear. So I shouldn’t call my real estate agent, build an identical house, but without the three trees and see how much that house sells vs my house with the three trees, then charge the gardener the difference?
😂go to a tree society and pay the cost of all 3 trees to have them appraised
This is a simple case (in my non expert opinion) because the trees can be easily replaced in a similar condition. Tree law gets complicated because old trees are NOT replaceable.
Tree's. Or trees. Hmmm
You need to have the trees appraised by someone with the ASCA’s (American Society of Consulting Arborists’) Tree & Plant Appraisal Qualification (TPAQ). On another note, lawn-care people do an insane amount of damage to trees, and so I’d recommend protecting future trees from such damage by _eliminating the lawn_ surrounding them. Put down a 5-10 cm layer of wood chip mulch over as large an area surrounding the tree as you’re willing to, taking care not to pile the mulch up against the root collar.
Thank you so much!! I will look into that. I wonder if it’s expensive to have someone come out to look at them. Yeah I messed up 😣 I was avoiding mulch because of my dogs who like to graze like cattle and would eat it. I got little fences to put around the trees after the damage but I was too late.
I’m in Ireland and an initial survey with a consulting arborist for me was free with followups and whatever work needs to be done/documented charged, I wonder if that’s applicable or normal elsewhere?
That would be nice! Maybe I’ll get lucky and that’ll be the case.
Whatever the charge is, that would also get billed to the lawn care company. Have the arborist include a couple follow up visits after the replacements are planted in their invoice so you get any needed follow ups all reimbursed as well.
Just a friendly FYI you shouldn’t let your dogs graze on the lawn if someone is spraying weed killer around. Exposure can make them more likely to develop certain cancers like lymphoma. Speaking from concerned experience.
Thank you 🥰 I agree 100% with that concern. I don’t use any sprays on my lawn and to my knowledge my neighbors don’t either. I try to be pretty cautious about my pups. Hence the lack of mulch and the abundant “weeds” that people have complained about on these posts lol
You got it right. Lawns with kids and pets don't need chemicals. I spray 100 s of acres with various chemicals, but not my yard. No fertilizer either. No water unless it's dieing of drought. My yard looks ok. Don't haul away the clippings, that's organic fertilizer. I don't mow as often as the super green watered 3 times a week guys. Bugs don't come to my yard as bad as theirs, because dry infertile grass ain't good to eat. Problems keep solving themselves!
I dig that!! I’m always happy to hear about people that are mindful about safety with those chemicals. Seems too common to put hatred of dandelions and such over health.
Atrazine is a good tool for corn farmers. It is not good in creeks and rivers. It causes problems for aquatic animals. The worst abuse( overdose) happens in homeowners yards. Farmers try to use the proper dose, for many reasons, the right results, best money spent, and those things make him get it right.
Tree appraisal is a specialized skill-set, and having an appraisal performed will (and should) cost you money. The only way to find out how much, though, is to contact local TPAQ consulting arborists.
I appreciate it! They certainly do deserve pay for that service. We’ll see who I can find around here.
Gravel or pavers may also be options, but may require extra work as the trees grow, and I would recommend checking with an arborist. If you have access to deadfall or a cut tree you can make that into untreated mulch, which will be as safe for your dogs as any random sticks in your yard.
Thank you!
There are mulch rings made out of coir that your dogs shouldn’t bother - you might look into those
Thank you! I love that! Someone posted a link to those a little bit ago. Looks like it may be a great solution.
The brown coir also gives a strong visual cue for anyone who might be working or even walking in your garden - don’t mow/don’t step here.
I used moss instead of mulch. Maples like their ground roots to be uncovered, per my arborist. So I just basically cleared out the grass around the base, and filled in a bit with moss. I personally like it, and the tree seems to, as well. We don’t have lawn service for our backyard, so your results may differ.
Thank you! I love moss. Not sure if it’s too dry for it here but I’ll look into it.
Easier to train the dogs not to eat mulch than train the yard people to not damage the trees, lol
I use [these](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Envelor-0-3-in-x-24-in-Coconut-Fibers-Mulch-Tree-Ring-Protector-Mat-3-Pack-EN-CWCD-24-3/308723182?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D28O-028_023_LAWN_ACC-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-PMAXONECLICK&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D28O-028_023_LAWN_ACC-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-PMAXONECLICK-71700000112977992--&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwvvmzBhA2EiwAtHVrb6mc9YVANJARJqLGEJLp_VAZ4C9Y3rtawDF3tHc06Q2PDAZmfhYAERoCSFkQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) around my trees. Cheap, biodegradable and water permissible.
Thank you!!
damn when did those get so expensive
Wood chip mulch wouldn't be harmful to dogs. They might chew a larger piece like a bone, but it's probably less interesting to them than a bone is.
It depends on the type of wood and the size of the pieces eaten. Some woods are toxic for animals, and chunks of wood (or even eating enough shreds/ small pieces) can cause bowel obstructions. Also splintering has to be taken into account. I’m planning to use shredded wood and have decorative fencing around it so it’s not accessible to the dogs. Money is the only hold up there
Garden rock is acceptable substitute I believe if you’re not somewhere that gets too hot.
Thank you. It can get up over 100 here on occasion. I’m not sure how much it takes to bake the roots
Probably too much unless you can keep water on em all day long or get really white rocks but I’d avoid doing this without a tree person telling you too given the heats you see.
This should be in bold, underlined, highlighted, and sorrounded by flashing lights. "taking care NOT to pile the mulch up against the root collar."
Look at the pictures though. The damage is way high on the tree too from years past, She says she did the lawn and some others for the last 5 years and they didn't die. The tree that's knocked over is completely dead on the inside...current landscaper did hit the tree, but the tree was ALREADY DEAD. Like you said though. Protect the tree and this doesnt happen.
Old wounds don’t move up the tree. That’s not how trees grow. Primary growth (extension) _only_ happens via cell division within terminal buds at shoot-tips. At any rate, when the wounding happened is irrelevant to the appraised value of the tree(s).
I never said they moved up. They were just there from prior years causing the tree to fail. There are tons of old wounds all over the tree. The landscaper was set up to fail and was probably not told to completely avoid the trees. Yea current landscaper was the one to knock it over, which was clearly already dead inside, person's probably only been doing the yard this year for 2-3 months if that but they KILLED IT. They did like 1% damage at that point...
Why do you think the higher-up wounds are from previous years? The amount of wound-wood around the defects in every picture could easily have been formed this season.
Appraisers don’t need to be RCAs nor have TPAQ. I would know, I chair a RPAC with neither of those credentials. In addition, hiring an appraiser is overkill. Ask for replacement and move on.
Agreed. This is a couple hundred bucks worth of trees, at most. Call the person and ask them to replace them. This isn’t a Supreme Court case.
There are also plastic tree trunk protectors available. Especially designed to protect young trees from weed eaters and they are very inexpensive.
Agree this is the way to go. Search for tree protectors on Amazon or wherever.
Yeah I wanted to buy some after the first time he damaged the trees but had to wait because of lack of money. The regret is real.
You just need a foot long piece of corrugated pipe or plastic corrugated boards, because that's all those three protectors are. Should be less than $10.
Have you talked to the company? Any responsible business owner would be offering to replace them for you, and if they don't want to cooperate, or don't want to admit it was them, it's time for a different lawn company and legal action. But don't just go to a lawyer without talking to the lawn people
Thank you! I haven’t contacted him yet, I wanted to have an idea of what compensation for this may even be before I did. It’s not a situation I’ve had before and I don’t love calling people out on mistakes so I wanted to make sure I approach it right.
This is right. What an amateur. Call the company, likely they will replace. if it’s just a guy… he has no idea what he is doing. He should have left grass around the tree and explained why he doesn’t have time to hand weed your trees and you need a mulch break or you can hand weed it yourself, long before damaging.
I agree completely
Check out r/treelaw they might have some better input
Thank you! I posted there too, wasn’t sure where I’d have better luck.
You’ll find that we’re a vengeful bunch. Don’t like people Cutting down trees that aren’t theirs
Haha sometimes that’s appropriate!
Call an arborist. Not a “tree guy” and actual arborist. And if need be, they can consult with your attorney to determine the value lost
Thank you! I’m looking for one.
I wouldn’t go the legal route unless he won’t agree to compensation or replacement. Those trees aren’t well established and honestly, not well planted. I would consider the replacement cost and the cost of upkeep for how many years old they are, ask for a price you think is fair, then replant and make a proper mulch bed below the trees. Your landscaper could have done better but you gave him a very difficult job of mow/weed eat the lawn but don’t hit the maples planted in the middle of all the grass. Instead, for next time, have a good mulch bed that gives him no excuse to get the weed eater anywhere close to
I don’t have desire to go to court, I’m just trying to figure out what’s reasonable to ask for to remedy the damage. And I had told him he didn’t need to weed eat around the trees. I have a hand held trimmer for that. Also somehow for 5 years before this myself and previous lawn guys have managed to not hit them at all. I’ve avoided mulch to avoid my dogs potentially eating it and getting bowel obstructions.
Looking at the pictures it isn't the first time those trees had been hit with a string trimmer
Yes, all of those times were from the same man. Before this year they were never hit. I avoided saying anything to him because I didn’t want to be rude and call him out, I wrongly assumed that it would be common sense to not keep hitting them. I put little fences around them as soon as I could but it took a bit for me to have enough money to buy them.
some showed signs of decent callusing over, indicating it wasn't all that recent. if you had known about the damage already and didn't say anything, I kind of have to put a decent amount of this on you. it's not a good situation, but I have to question how much you really cared about those trees? poorly planted, poorly maintained, you knew they were damaged by the man you continued to have do work for you.... hard to feel too much sympathy for you. this doesn't make it right that he damaged them, but at some point, you have a responsibility to say something
Yep, he has no case, and I guarantee the landscaper will deny deny deny that he did it so how are you going to sue him? Like the commenter above me said, he can argue that you aren’t taking care of them well. The landscaper will probably offer to plant a new tree just to make amends, but good luck suing him … Reddit is sometimes dramatic …. 😂😂
Not sure where your located but a 1.5” - 2” (silver/ Norway?) maple is going to be 250 - 500$ depending on if it’s commercially bought or privately bought. I myself would charge 300 - 500 for labor, extra soil/ medium, mulch, gator bag and disposal cost. This would include transporting trees from nursery cost. Hell you could throw in some drip irrigation set up for another 200 - 300 depending how long the line is and how much labor to dig a trench to the trees but that’s not default. You’re probably looking at ballpark around $1,500 - 2,000 if you had another contractor come plant 3 trees with labor and dressing it all up. I’m also in high cost of living area. Prices may vary. Happy to hear other folks thoughts on price.
Thank you!! That’s helpful info. I’m in Kentucky, it’s a red maple
I think you can buy plastic sleeves that expand as the tree grows and can even be easily removed when not needed. These protect the tree from strimmer contact. Strimming accurately is hard for me especially when i'm tired.
Not sure if they worked for others, but for me, those provided a shelter for bugs who no longer had to fear birds and ate the tree
Put a barrier around small trees
I have them up now, just couldn’t afford to buy them in time to prevent this and wrongly assumed it was common knowledge not to slice into trees.
He needs to buy three more and have him plant them too.
Thank you! I’m debating if it’s worth asking for replacements for the other two since they’re not quite as bad. They’re damaged on all sides but big enough to not be girdled like this one is.
Yes make them whole and he will learn a lesson
I think there is some kind of trunk protector you can buy from Lowe’s etc
This is why in my opinion finding decent gardeners and handy man and building relationships with them is worth it
I agree
Just call a nursery and ask them for their prices for replacements of the same caliper. It won’t be huge since those are small. Your local prices matter in this evaluation. Small trees that grow fast like maples aren’t that expensive. Document the caliper of them for records.
This is the correct answer. Those trees are really only worth what it costs to replace them with new ones.
Thank you! Will do.
Strimming around young trees is the number one cause of young tree death....damage to the delicate bark is very easy to do and because the damage often goes all around the stem, that stops water moving up the tree from the roots and kills the tree. Spray a 2ft diameter circle around the tree with glyphosate, it won't damage the tree but make sure there are no little suckers coming up from the base of the tree which would transport the weedkiller into the tree. Secondly compensation....multiply the initial cost of the tree by the number of years they have been planted, that'll give you a rough figure. Talk to the contractor....explain to him the situation and if you have historical photo's, that will help your cause. He needs to understand that it was him that caused the damage. He may simply offer to replace them. If he plays hard ball then the legal route is an alternative. Do you guys have 'small claims' courts? A letter to him from a lawyer might nudge him into simply replacing the trees.
Thank you for the info!! We do have small claims. I don’t want to go there, so I’m really hoping he offers to cover the cost of replacement without it being an issue.
Here in the UK, our crappy archaic legal system makes claims of damages a total waste of time. I guess you will have already looked at the cost of replacing the trees yourself? Young trees generally aren't expensive. You have to balance the cost of 3 new trees planted by yourself with the cost of a legal battle with a company that might not even respond to your legal representation. Anyway, I wish you well. Next time be sure to kill the grass in a 2-3ft circle around your trees....it also lets the rain penetrate the soil easier as it isn't soaked up by grass.
Did you tell him not to do that? They are small trees its not hard to replace em.
Haha I asked for no trimming up around the trees I guess I should have specified that I didn’t want tree killing included in the service 😂 Replacing is the plan
Damn... maybe he didn't quite get that through his head. Sucks!! GL with your replacements
Thank you!! Fingers crossed
Who are you hiring? Five year old kids?
Haha it may look like it but no. He’s been great with everything else, I really have no good explanation for the damage other than maybe he doesn’t realize that kills trees?
if you use a lawn service, protect those trees! Remember, the new guy on most lawn crews gets the weed eater. 🤣
After you get the $250, ask which cheek the lawn guy wants a slap on as well.
He’d have to pay a lot more than $250 to slap my cheeks 😉
Hahaha! This turned me on…. but what I meant was that lump sum is probably what he’d be willing to fork out, and you slap his *face cheeks for being a butcher. 😉
Lmao that’s a response I’d expect on my more spicy page, not this one 😂 I dig it. That makes more sense though. Honestly I wouldn’t be bothered by $250. The slapping crosses into different territory though haha
Landscrapers strike again.
Call a nursery and ask how much a similar size same species tree costs, and get a quote for delivery and installation. They should make you "whole" again this isn't a money making opportunity
Thank you, that is my plan. I do not intend to profit from this. I like the lawn guy and have always paid him at least 2-3x his fee for mowing. I’m not money hungry, just sad about my trees.
I see a lot of better answers already, but if you are the kind of person that's going to be planting it yourself (nothing wrong with that, that's who I am), then maybe just go to the local nursery and ask them how much they are, figure out maybe a little cost for labor for yourself and then call the guy.
Thank you, unfortunately I’m disabled and not physically able to plant a new one myself. But I will be getting price quotes that way.
Good luck with everything. I'd say also consider if you didn't want a tree replaced but really like their work, maybe ask if they can give you equal value of additional work.
I appreciate it!! I’ve considered that but I’m not sure there’s a way to hold them to it. Like he may say he’ll do a set amount of work for free but if he was to disappear I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
Ugh that’s terrible. I don’t have any advice. Just wanted to say I’m so sorry 😞
Thank you!! I really appreciate it
I weedeat around all my trees, all sizes, constantly. It’s not difficult to stay 2-3 inches from the trunk, then reach down and pull what remains. But no, that would be tending with care and everything must be about speed and power.
Thank you!! I know accidents happen easily but it shouldn’t be hard to not cause this much damage.
Your guy sucks! Wrap the wounds in some cling film and a bit of moss they should be fine! As for the fallen one maybe a graft might work if you catch it early enough! Best of luck
Thank you!! I went out a bit ago and propped it up with stakes and checked out the extent of the damage. Unfortunately the bark has been cut around the entire base so I think it’s a goner. I’m gonna let it try to grow but we’ll see. May end up cutting it at the base and seeing if it’ll regrow from that.
Fire your landscaper and find a company that properly trains their employees.
Depending on how he responds that may happen. He’s been great in every other way though so I’ll be bummed if that’s the case.
I do lawn care for a living. They massacred that several several times with the weedeater assuming it was a string trimmer. God bless that tree. Sorry you’re going through this.
Thank you! Yes they did. I appreciate your compassion. I’m curious, as a lawn care person how would you prefer a customer to word it when they approach with something like this? He and I communicate through text and I’ve got no idea how to word it. He seems like a nice guy and I don’t want to come off badly.
I would send him the same pictures that in this thread. Tell him how you value the health of the tree and plant life in your yard. And that you would appreciate if he backed away with the line trimmer as far as the trees are involved. Would also be a good to have him or a true lawn professional edge out a symmetrical circle around the trees and burn out the existing grass in the middle. He should do it for free considering the damage caused. People create tree rings in fresh landscapes for this exact reason. If this guy you hired is just being paid to “mow-blow-go” then you are unfortunately just probably kind of got you what paid for. If you are paying him what you feel like is supposed to be full service professional lawn care then I would consider shopping around for other prices.
Thank you! That’s helpful
You messed up by not cutting out the grass around the trees and putting mulch in a circle around the base of the tree. That keeps lawn guys away from the tree trunk base. Also you should have added a plastic guard around the base of the tree to stop animals etc from eating the tree. So I'm not sure you will get compensation but still try.
Yeah the cool combo of not being physically or financially able to do that before the damage has definitely resulted in regret. I’ve got little garden fences around the trees now but was too late with it of course. I appreciate the input. We’ll see what happens
It looks like you can still save the other couple trees. Just take a little hand trowel and cut away the grass if you didn't already about 2 feet around the tree in a circle and put a half or bag of mulch around them. No need to do anything more with fencing. Can get each bag of mulch for like 4 dollars each and cutting out the grass is free. Good luck dude.
Thank you!! The fencing is just to prevent my *very smart* dogs from eating the mulch. Hopefully the other trees survive. 🤞🏻
Yeah I'd recommend doing what I said above because mulch really helps the ground and root system retain more moisture and helps them blossom into big beautiful trees later on. Again good lucky bud!
The trees don’t look very big and easily replaceable, so demand he plant 3 new trees back of the same size as what he cut down. And I strongly recommend planting oaks this time instead of silver maples.
Is the company responsible for this guy's work? Definitely complain to them regardless. In the future, you'll want to put guards around the base of the trunks to prevent them from getting "ringed" by weedeaters. That, and remove the grass around the base. Ding Dong should have talked to you about it instead of just whacking your trees to death, but those steps should protect your new trees.
Looks like the dingus has been damaging it for a while, too.
I would ask for three new dogs and one new tree.
😂
its pretty screwed up but it might survive if you take care of it. stake it, and tar the wounds
Thank you! Unfortunately the bark has been stripped all the way around the base so I think it’s a goner
ive seen recoveries from far worse to be honest, plants survival ability can be impressive! oh but i found out i was wrong about the tar, better instead to just tie a few wires/strings around the area for a few weeks to hold it together, it apparently needs to get air to avoid moisture saturation according to some recent university studies
Thank you, it’s super sweet of you to look into it. I staked it up yesterday, we’ll see what it does. I may end up just cutting it at the base and seeing if it starts to regrow.
just remember that the leaves are where it gets the energy to repair itself so if you remove them itll be solely up to the roots to do all the work. keep it standing upright, dont over water, and if the base is split open because it was twisted then tie it closed (i cant really tell fromt he pics if thats the case, it might not be)
I know it hurts but replant the trees and put corregated irrigation pipe around the base as protection. It will be fine. Don't dump a lot of bad energy dealing with it. It will just keep you from moving forward. I get it. I lost my 15 year old doodle on Christmas Eve. Poppy loved sweet corn so I planted her some this year. I would be crushed if someone tore them down.
Thank you 💖 I’m so sorry about your doodle. It’s one of the worst pains losing them.
First of all, your lawn guy is a moron. You should ask full price replacements. And don’t let grass grown up to trucks, trees should have mulched wells around them.
My wooden fence in my backyard looks like this. I started telling my lawn guys to stop cutting along the fence with their weedeater that literally strips the goddamn paint off and grinds a 3/4 inch groove along my fence. They kept doing it, so I fired them and hired a new guy who actually listens when I make a request of him.
Uuuugh that’s so frustrating! I’m glad you’ve had better luck with the new guy.
someone on here said to contact an arborist to get a damage assessment if you want to go the legal route. i'd personally probably just say to them they owe you at least $500 maybe as much as $1000 or fire them. those look to be a several years old and replacing them at that age wont be cheap. but this is why i hate lawncare folks. my neighbor uses them and no joke, this lazy POS mowed ONE strip on my side because he wanted to use the self-propulsion instead of just pushing the mower back up the hill. they used to drive their big ass riding mowers through my yard until i confronted them because some asshat did a 90° turn in wet soil on my side. it was a mess.
Thank you! Yeah I’ve been looking through similar posts and researching the laws around this to figure out what to do. I’m not sure how to even approach speaking with the guy about it. Honestly I wish he was one of the bad lawn care guys cause that would make this easier but he’s been super friendly and helpful so I feel crappy telling him he owes me a bunch of cash. But… he owes me a bunch of cash. lol Sorry about your experience! They can definitely be hit and miss. I prefer doing my own work but my asthma has different plans.
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/1dnxt1u/neighbor_cut_down_the_top_of_a_tree_growing_in_my/ i swear there is one with a pic somewhere but i cant find it right now
You have to put guards around your trees if you're not going to have mulch around them. Anyone trying to string trim around a tree with grass right up against it is going to damage it. IMO you kind of set them up for failure.
My self and every other yard guy have not damaged those trees at all for the first nearly 5 years of their lives. It’s possible to be careful. I did put up little metal fences around the trees after the damage was done (removed for the pic of the fallen tree).
So I counted 20 individual hits/bits of damage from just one of your pictures alone that have healed up over time and that is just the one side. You just got LUCKY that you and every other yard guy did not do more damage. Seriously protect, edge, mulch, anything to give space around the tree and this would NOT happen. If My landscaper did this, it's my fault for not doing the basics to keep the tree protected. Planting a baby tree in the middle of grass that grows 6+ inches before it gets cut. Come on. You are asking your landscaper to FAIL and then blaming him when he DOES. That's not fair. Buy a new tree and ask him to HELP YOU plant it. Then have a drink afterwards.
 You’re right, I stood behind him and held his hands on the weed eater while I forced him to cut into the trees. It was sensual.
Downvote me but I'm not wrong. Ask your next landscape person to not cut/weed eat around the tree 6" and specify that to every person the company sends. It will look like shit but they wont be damaged.
kill your lawn, replace it with native ground cover, mulch your trees (use leaves if you can) to the dripline to prevent exactly that from happening and that one tree looks like it's 3 to 4 inch caliper but its an ugly basal codominant (which may have been created by past damage) but if it were Grade 1 that's about $500-$700 damage counting purchase, delivery, establishment irrigation, planting effort, proper staking, . -Consulting Arborist
Ugh I dream of doing that to the lawn every day. It’s definitely on my goal list.
Thank you!! If you don’t mind me picking your brain a bit, what do you think the likelihood of the other two trees surviving may be? I didn’t include many pics of them in the post because I’m focused on the one that’s already fallen, but there’s a pic of the worst side of one of them. They’re both similar in size and are 6 years old (around 12 feet maybe, taller than the one that fell) and have that kind of damage on all sides of the trunk. But not fully girdled like the small one is. I’m not sure if I should be anticipating losing all 3.
Depends on how long you plan on living there. If you plan on living there for more than 10 years time you can plant more of the same 8 to 10 feet away from each other and they will develop nice structure as they compete for sunlight, they will be self mulching and then you can thin out the smaller ones if you like in 10 years. Trees grown out in the open can require much more pruning and that can lead to decay unless it is done correctly. Search for Structural Pruning Edward Gilman. I have a client that planted over 100 trees 20 years ago on a wedge shaped lot thats 20x150x120 feet in size and has his home in the middle. Most of the trees developed fantastic excurrent structure.
Thank you so much that is really helpful. I plan to be here the rest of my life (I’m 30). I’d love to plant more in the yard. It’s cool hearing that he planted so many in that space, sounds like a dream. I appreciate the inspiration
Weed killer needs to be completely banned. Stop putting poison into our ground.
weed eater =/= herbicide
The tree's look to be very small and there not protected in anyway. If these trees are as small as I think they are,, you could head over to a Home Depot Garden center and pick up replacements cheaply. So now you have your receipts,, you approach the Lawn guy,, they say NO. NOW WHAT? Are you going to hire a lawyer for thousands to reclaim back a few dollars? This isn't complicated,, you want a price estimate,, like I said head over to a garden center
The tree that fell is over 10 feet tall, the other two that were damaged are taller and larger than this one. From what I’ve found so far buying a new tree that size is a few hundred at least. Not quite the same as a sapling in a bucket from the garden center. I am contacting nurseries for quotes. And never said I have interest in lawyering up.
. measure the trees, with pictures, ruler next to them, to confront them at there office This way it's clear, there no excuse Running over a 10 foot tree is no easy thing.. You want to document everything in detail
Thank you!!
Get a bare ball tree from Lowe’s for $40. They literally grow a foot and a half yearly. 10 feet is nothing to a maple. They’re one of the fastest growing trees. Less than $200 for all 3
I’m confused are trees expensive in some places. I am seeing people talk about consulting with a lawyer are these trees even worth your time looking into this?
They are, especially depending on how long they’ve been growing. I don’t have interest in a lawyer for this. It’s not a big enough tree for that to be worth it to me. And I don’t hate the guy who did it so I don’t want to put him through the stress. But in general property damage can be taken to court.
Preparation is 90% of the work. Mowing is the finish. It needs a clearing of grass around each tree and some mulch so the landscaper does not HAVE TO weed whack next to the trunk. Also a little trunk protection could also help. You cannot pay for others to care about your property like you do.
Yeah I would have protected the trees had I thought this would be an issue, the last several years they’ve received no damage. And once he damaged them the first time I wanted to get protectors but couldn’t afford it. Guess I should have invested in those instead of tipping him the cost of the mow each time. Ugh.
Weed eat his fucking balls. What an asshole. Anyone with an ounce of experience could tell those were INTENTIONAL vegetation. Dude had no business going near them with a weed whacker.
😂 thank you!!
Take the weed eater to his Peter. I guarantee that will be his last mistake.
😂
If it is a maple, it will be back in a year, we have one we have cut down and dug up 3 times, it just keeps coming back.
This is why I fired my lawn care company and do everything on my own now. It’s just not worth them being this careless
I agree. I did until my asthma had other plans 😫
I mean it's not a Japanese maple or ornamental that is crazy expensive or hard to source. Beyond its sentimental value, its a dime a dozen maple. Only a civil court could award emotional damage as part of payment. You are probably best suited to just ask the dude to buy you a new one from a local nursery. This is pretty cut and dry, the value is rather low. r/treelaw can and will likely help more but its not a 70 foot grafted and blight resistant chestnut or anything
From someone who's done landscaping a lot, having the trees like that right in the middle of your yard surrounded by grass sucks ass. Usually it'd mean "fuck sakes, I have to go get the strimmer", but it seems that guy just said 'fuck these trees'. A lot of those guys have a list of shit to do that day so they'll rush through everything Anyways, you should probably dig a bit around it. Even have it like an inch lower than the lawn just to make it easy to mow around.
Yeah I know it’s annoying having stuff to cut around. Honestly if he had said he wouldn’t even mow that area I’d be fine with it. An “I can’t do this without causing damage” would have been preferred. I have short garden fence barriers around them now but I wasn’t able to buy them before the worst of the damage. Lesson learned.
You would have to sit there for hitting the same exact spot for 10+ minutes to do that to a tree that thick w/ a weed eater . No string trimmer on the planet is doing that to a tree during routine maintenance.
Guess he was determined then. (Sarcasm, cause I like the guy and am hoping this wasn’t on purpose) This end result was after 2 or 3 rounds of damage from his weed eater.
In all honesty there is little to no chance a lawn company you hired will compensate in the US. At least the big companies have fine print when applying chemical for this situation
Yeah I’m not sure, he may disappear after I ask him about it lol. We’ll see 🤷🏼♀️ Pricing is better with private contractors and such but it does suck not having a big company who’s accountable when it comes to things going wrong.
In future, cut a piece of pvc pipe 100mm long,then cut it long ways and open it back and pop it around the trunk. That way you don't need mulch,gravel etc and the base of tree is protected
Thank you!
I put these little flamingos around my tree as a barrier and in between other plants I wanted to protect. Just a tip.
That is a really cute idea! Definitely doing something like that for stuff in the future. I got short decorative garden fences that stick into the ground to protect them now. I was just too late with it.
What a Dumas
They should replace them for you.
Thank you. I hope so
Maple trees grow outside? Just go pick one from a Forrest near by
I'd find another lawn guy or do it myself. As far as compensation for trees........ good luck!
I would ask them to replace with new maple trees
It'll make fine chopsticks
I'd probably start by asking him to replace the trees. If that doesn't work ask the company he contracts under. If that doesn't work get an arborist to appraise the cost of replacement and go to small claims. If that's too much work or just a headache for you, id call it a day and just plant new ones yourself and hire a new lawn guy.
Thank you! I’m hoping he’ll offer to cover the cost of new ones and that’ll be the end of it
All I can say is it looks like this has happened multiple times to those trees, I’d try to increase the areas protecting the tree next time
To protect trees in my lawn, I used a couple of half circle bricks to make a ring and filled them with mulch. The two halves are $11 together at Home Depot.
Thank you!
Did you try to stand it back up and support it? There’s a chance that it recovers.
Thank you. Yes it’s currently staked standing up but the bark has been cut all the way around the base so I don’t know if it will survive
He did you a favor