First Choice Tree Service Visits Vermeer

By Tony Valenti

Every once in a while, I am fascinated by something that inspires me to take action.  While my company, First Choice Tree Service, is celebrating 25 years in business this year, we are still growing, learning, expanding, and perfecting our business model.  My recent trip to Vermeer only accelerated our momentum to keep up with the pace of our fast-growing company, to improve our processes while continuing to provide value to our customers.

My close association with Vermeer landed me an invitation to visit their headquarters in Pella, Iowa. I have always been impressed by Vermeer products. What I learned while I was there made quite an impression on me and the future of our company.  The legacy of Mr. Vermeer lives strong in their company, and it all started with his philosophy for success:  fill a need.  

Gary Vermeer was a farmer who saw a need. In1948, he created a mechanical hoist to ease the process of unloading his grain wagon during harvest. Word spread quickly and a company was born. Soon, different product lines started emerging from Vermeer Manufacturing Co.  In 1971, he invented the first large round baler.  The Vermeer baler revolutionized the way hay was harvested and is still considered one of the most important agricultural inventions.

Today, Vermeer manufactures equipment for the hay harvesting industry, as well as grinders, brush chippers, stump cutters, horizontal directing drilling systems, mini skid steer, utility and track trenchers.

In later years, the company added Vermeer University, which provides product knowledge/training for its dealers and company work force, and employee job skills training.

Aside from the overall experience of being on the Vermeer property and learning about their company's culture and philosophy, the biggest take-away for me was learning about the "Lean Initiative."  Using the company's core innovative thinking, Vermeer developed a process that improved their cost management, quality, lead time, customer service and many other aspects of their operations.  After implementing the Lean process in the late 1990s, their productivity skyrocketed.  One example of their improved efficiency is it used to take 52 days to manufacture a chipper, it now only takes 2 1/2 days.  The hours per unit went from 80 hours to the low teens. Additionally, Vermeer experienced improvements in their production quality, safety and customer service.

 Learning about the process of organizing a company that is streamlined, productive and robust in every way was the highlight of the visit. While Vermeer is in the business of manufacturing, First Choice Tree Service is a service company, in the business of providing the best tree care service in Southern Nevada.  We take great pride in giving back to our community, educating our customers and our community about trees and conservation, as well as beautifying the cityscapes in the Las Vegas Valley.  At the end of the day, it's a lot we are trying to do, and we're committed to being the best.

I'm excited to see how the Lean Initiative will enhance our company’s processes in delivering greater value to our customers.

Is it time to remove a tree?

By Tony Valenti

Certified Arborist #WE7531A

CTSP #918

Trees are beautiful and comforting to many of us. Some would even go so far to claim that they’re like family. So, removing a tree from your landscape could be a difficult experience to encounter, especially if you’ve grown accustomed to seeing it outside your window for years.

What if you notice over time that this tree looks different than it did when it was healthy?  Rather than seeing its branches sway in the breeze, you observe a bare canopy, which would normally be lush with leaves in the summer, hanging over the ground where the tree's roots once vigorously grew.

A tree planted too close to a building can cause hazards.

This palm tree succumbed to rot.

Before you decide to do anything, consult a professionally trained arborist to help inspect your trees for damage and determine the best solutions for the benefit of your landscape. A qualified arborist would not only best communicate the likelihood of failure for your injured tree, but also provide you with the full range of benefits your living tree would continue to provide if not removed.

Transplanting a tree can often times be an alternative to removal.

For a quick home analysis, start observing the tree, starting at the roots. Determine what might be occurring at the base before working your way up the tree during an inspection. Check of the following signs of tree damage:

1. Heaving soil at the base of the trunk and beneath the canopy
2. Mushrooms and other decay-producing fungi growing at the base of the trunk
3. Fine twigs without living buds near the ends of branches
4. Peeling or chipped bark and cracks in the trunk
5. Cavities in the trunk or large scaffold branches
6. Dead or hanging branches in the upper crown

Are London Plane Sycamores happy in Las Vegas?

         The name “London” gives us an indication that London Plane Sycamore trees are not native of Las Vegas. In fact, Sycamores grow in all states east of the Great Plains, except Minnesota. Sycamores prefer to thrive along edges of streams and lakes and small depressions that have slow drainage. Additionally, this species grows well in wet muck land, shallow peat soils and soils associated with river bottoms and flood plains. Farther south, it commonly grows on the alluvial soils of flood plains adjacent to larger rivers, on former stream banks and in the moist coves, lower slopes and ravines. In general, this tree grows best on sandy loam with a good supply of ground water, typically on the edges of lakes and streams. 

So, what happens when you take that same tree and install it in the harsh desert environment with extreme heat, extreme winds, extreme cold and extreme fluctuations in temperatures? Then, on top of that, we plant it in a small tree well next to asphalt and concrete walkways and buildings, like many trees are planted in Las Vegas.

The result can be any or all of the following: discoloration of the leaves (yellowing), leaf scorch (the leaf tips browning), twig die back, lethal cankers, lace bugs, flathead borers, plum borers, premature leaf drop, dead branches, reduced vigor, injury and ultimately death.

While there are some Sycamores that do better than others in the Las Vegas area, this is mainly due to proper tree maintenance being performed on the trees such as, minimal pruning cuts, adequate water, fertilization and overall plant healthcare program. 

Environmental stresses are the root (no pun intended) of the problem. Planting London Planes in constricted planters next to asphalt parking lots and being exposed to radiant heat from the buildings, sidewalks, asphalt, cars, exhaust, dry winds, severe cold and heat, and rockscapes are all negative forces that challenge Sycamores to thrive in Las Vegas.

The roots of these trees become super heated and respiration hardly occurs, which thereby prohibits the trees to shut down. As a result, only short periods of time is allowed for the tree to actually transport water and nutrients to the trunk, branches and leaves to the tree.

Now, combine all those environmental stresses with the borers and the lethal canker, which are actually secondary issues and we’ve got some unhealthy London Planes.

In the end, London Planes are challenging to grow in Las Vegas and location of these trees should be carefully considered.

Clearing trees to restore animal habitats in Nevada

While much of a tree service professional's time is spent enhancing tree health and maintaining beauty in the landscape, sometimes removing trees becomes part of the job.  Such is the case with the project in the Spruce Mountain area of Elko, County, Nevada.  First Choice Tree Service  of Las Vegas is working in partnership with The Nevada Department of Wildlife to remove Pinyon and Juniper trees to improve the habitat of the native fauna in the area.

The major goal is to remove the trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of less than 12 inches.  Removing these will improve deer winter range and sage-grouse nesting and brood rearing habitat.

"These trees are growing near or right in the sagebrush and mountain brush vegetation, causing less than optimum conditions," says Tony Valenti, First Choice Tree Service owner.  "It is vital that we remove these trees to re-establish sagebrush habitat for these animals."

First Choice Tree Service will work through the fall season and into early winter, then resume in the spring of 2014 after the snow melts.

Can the ball of a Canary Palm fall to the ground?

Author: Eddie Rodriguez, ISA CERTIFIED ARBORIST #WC-3916 

Over a two-year period, I worked extensive with Canary Palms with the City of Beverly Hills.  It all started when a resident called in one day and said that somebody had thrown a bomb in her front yard and blew up her Canary Palm. She said that it sounded like thump, thump thump, thump thump thump thump! Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!! The ground shook.

I arrived at the house and found a small piece of the ball or pineapple had fallen from the Canary Palm. I was charged with the task to figure out a solution to the problem, as it was not only dangerous but was costing the city a lot of money in claims.   On the average, one Canary Palm ball was dropping each day. 

When we look at Canaries, we notice the one thing that distinctly makes them unique to other palms – and that is their ball or the pineapple. What started happening was these balls were starting to fall.  Now, imagine a ball 80-100 feet up - much higher than the ones here in Las Vegas, falling to the ground – sometimes piece-by-piece, then eventually, the whole thing.

It makes sense that they have the potential to do this, because where the boot of the canary is attached to the palm at the petiole, the structure is very thin. To give you an idea on how large the boot is on some of these palms, it’s about the size of a size of a man shoe (size 12) and weighs 5-8 pounds each! Now imagine how many of these boots make up one ball.  The point of attachment is approximately 1 ½ inches.  Besides the weak structure of the Canary Palm ball, there are a number of other reasons that make them susceptible to falling to the ground.

  

Wind is always a problem for anything that is high.   Rain causes the boots to swell up and become heavy.  Pests bore into the petioles and weaken the boots even more, and then there is also deterioration from age.

But, the biggest problem was the tremendous pressure and weight pushing down on the pineapple with all the other forces that I just mentioned.   To fix this problem, we need to relieve some of the forces causing the pineapple to fail. By reducing the weight, the height, and the width of the pineapple we can tremendously reduce the chances of failure. Please also note that shaping of the pineapple should be done by a professional experienced in crown-shaping and reconstruction. I do not recommend homeowners to this work on their own even if they think that it looks easy. In Southern Nevada, call us at First Choice Tree Service.

Tree Salvage Kicks Off New York-Style Las Vegas Strip Park

 

MGM Resorts International broke ground on an open-air entertainment promenade and New York-style park linking two of its Las Vegas Strip properties: New York-New York and Monte Carlo.  Integral to the project’s commencement was the removal of existing trees.  First Choice Tree Service was asked to remove approximately 200 trees, including Pines, Oaks, Texas Mountain Laurels, Crape Myrtles, Lace Bark Elms and Japanese Blueberry trees.   Each specimen was carefully removed and placed into boxes ranging from 24” to 120”.

“Most of these trees are expected to go back into the park,” says Gene Cimorelli. Executive Vice President and General Manager of First Choice Tree Service. “We’ve created a salvage yard at a neighboring resort property where they will receive the care and maintenance that they need.”

Removal of these trees requires the expertise of a professional tree crew, a certified arborist and the proper equipment. 

Spread across 63 acres, the project will create park-like retail and dining spaces between the resorts for greater pedestrian interaction and interstitial visitor synergy. The neighboring hotel-casinos will be connected by a tree-dotted plaza lined with benches, food trucks and shops.

First Choice Tree Service owner Tony Valenti.

“Everyone appreciates the natural beauty that trees bring to the city,” says Cimorelli.  “Our job is to make sure that these specimens survive until they are transplanted into their new destination at the park.”

How Tree Professionals Work Safely During Summer Heat Conditions

While the Las Vegas summer heat may bring risk to outdoor tree professionals, First Choice Tree Service has been providing safety training for its crew members to be prepared for heat exhaustion.  Owner of First Choice Tree Service is a Certified Treecare Safety Professional (CTSP) who empowers and encourages a culture of safety within his organization.

Tony Valenti, who has owned First Choice Tree Service for over 20 years, is one of a handful certified in tree safety professionals in Nevada.  “We all know that working in the desert heat is taxing to the body,” says Valenti.  “But, tree climbers are in greater danger because they are usually working high up in the trees.”

Heat exhaustion can occur in a very short period of time and can cause dehydration, dizziness and blackouts.  “Our crew is trained to handle the situation safely in the small chance that one of our crew members have incurred a work-related injury or have succumb to fainting while they are up high up in the tree,” say Valenti.  The crew works with the resident “mascot” named Woody, a 150-lb  dummy constructed out of tree stumps and branches.  His sheer weight is a clear reminder of how important it is to be prepared and practice tree safety at all times.

Maintaining a Certified Treecare Safety Professional like Valenti on staff means that First Choice Tree Service is committed to safe practices in arboricultural operations.  He implements the latest technological advances and regulatory activities affecting the industry through the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) safety network, and must commit to ongoing education in the safety field in order to maintain their certification.  
 
Because safety regulations and industry standards are continually evolving, the ongoing education requirement is vital to maintaining a legitimate safety program within a given company. Las Vegas residential and commercial customers can have greater peace of mind with the knowledge that hiring a tree care company with a CTSP on staff helps to ensure safe and professional arboricultural work on their property.