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Partners in Construction // The Nugget Newspaper // April 22, 2020
Safety, reliability key to tree care in Sisters Country
By Jim Cornelius editor in chief
A lot has changed in Sisters
and the world in recent weeks 4
but the need to care for our trees
remains.
Doing that job right requires
a wide range of knowledge and
experience; the right equipment
for the job; and a commitment to
safety and reliability.
James Hatley and 4 Brothers
Tree Service has quickly built a
reputation in Sisters Country for
responsiveness, reliability and
high-quality work. That reputa-
tion allowed Hatley to run two
crews last summer to keep up
with demand for his services.
Tree work is something of a
calling for Hatley. He9s been in the
trade since he was 18 in Yakima,
Washington, and he launched 4
Brothers Tree Service in Central
Oregon in May, 2017. Since then,
the business has been thriving.
The company is named in hon-
or of his four young sons and the
logo is a silhouette of the boys.
Family is a key aspect of the way
Hatley operates.
<I9ve always been in family
business,= he said. <My dad and
my grandpa had a wrecking yard
in Washington for 33 years and
all the companies I9ve worked for
have been family owned and run.=
The family aspect puts <a little
bit more integrity into the work, I
believe. A little more caring in the
work. It puts it a little more on the
personal level than the business
level to me.=
4 Brothers Tree Service pro-
vides a full range of services 4
tree removal, pruning, stump-
grinding, fire-fuel reduction, lot-
clearing and commercial thinning.
In winter, they provide snow-
removal services.
He9s well-equipped to han-
dle any tree service job, from a
planned project to an emergen-
cy such as a tree limb falling on
your house or vehicle. That helps
ensure that work is done in the
most efficient and cost-effective
manner possible.
<The equipment I9ve acquired
has made the job faster and there-
fore less expensive for the custom-
er,= Hatley said.
Over the past year, he9s added
a larger, more efficient stump
grinder and a new four-wheel-
drive bucket truck.
Their grinders are able to fit
through 36-inch wide gates to
access hard-to-reach backyard
stumps.
<For a surface grind we will
grind the stump below grade so
you may grow grass where the
stump was or if you choose to
replant another tree or shrub,
we9ll grind the stump completely
out,= Hatley said.
When finished, the wood chips
are raked into a mound over the concerns about high mortality
hole and the lawn is left looking events have not come to pass so
better than before. Hatley notes far.
that many homeowners enjoy
<There was supposed to be
using the remaining wood chips as a wave of beetle kill coming
mulch for flowerbeds.
through,= he said. <I haven9t really
<As an option, we can remove seen a lot of it.=
the wood chips, fill the hole with
While it might seem that
topsoil, apply seed/straw or sod, they9re in the straightforward
or leave a hole so you can plant business of cutting down trees,
your next valuable tree,= he said.
4 Brothers Tree Service is really
4 Brothers also provides lot about the health of the landscape.
clearing services 4 not just trees They9ll save trees wherever they
and shrubs, but also removal of can.
stumps, logs, rocks, dirt, gravel,
Often 4 Brothers Tree Service
demolition, grass, weeds, etc.
can save a vulnerable co-dom-
<Don9t be afraid to ask,= Hatley inant tree (one that forks into
said. <We9ll come take a look and more than one trunk) by tying it
help any way we can.=
off so that the trunks grow closer
A couple of days9 lead-time together and are less likely to split
is usually all that is necessary to away. Or, if one trunk is less dom-
obtain an estimate for work.
inant, sometimes that one can be
The 4 Brothers Tree Service limbed off.
crew is working through the
<No two trees are alike,= Hatley
current coronavirus crisis. said. <It9s all job-specific 4 tree-
Discussions about the work are specific, you could say.=
done by phone or at a distance,
A dead or dying tree can pose a
and crews main-
big hazard to life
tain social dis-
and property, and
There are still things
tance and are
property owners
just working and
that need to be done should regularly
going home to
assess the condi-
as far as fire fuel
their families.
tion of their trees.
reduction. Necessary
<There are still
<Look
up!=
things that need
Hatley urges.
things as opposed
to be done as far
Sometimes
to
aesthetics.
as fire fuel reduc-
branches are bro-
4 James Hatley
tion,= Hatley not-
ken and go unno-
ed. <Necessary
ticed until wind
things as opposed
or snow brings
to aesthetics.=
them down. Junipers 4 as many
Customers usually know what folks in Sisters discovered last
they want him to do, but Hatley month 4 are brittle and subject to
will assess conditions and risk. breaking under load.
Sometimes he is able to allay a
Look for discolored needles 4
homeowner9s concern about a tree that9s a sign of ill health. A tree
and let them know it9s fine.
that has been girdled by having
When it9s evident that trees the bark chewed off by animals
have to come down, Hatley will is in bad shape, too. It9s best to
provide a variety of options as to be proactive rather than risking a
disposition of the wood 4 leave catastrophic event.
it down, haul it out, cut firewood
Hatley enjoys climbing.
4 that give customers a range of
<I don9t mind being 100 feet in
prices to choose from.
the air,= he said with a smile.
Many homeowners strongly
But he also acknowledges that
desire to save a tree, and Hatley his is one of the most danger-
will do everything he can to make ous jobs around, and safety for
that happen. He notes that, <we all concerned is always the top
don9t like topping trees, because priority.
it9s not right 4 it9s not good for
Another important priority is
the tree.= Under certain circum- making sure you have whatev-
stances they9ll do so because er permits and paperwork are
<sometimes it9s the safest way required before starting to remove
while still keeping the tree.=
trees. Check with your homeown-
Hatley is glad that Sisters ers association or with the City of
escaped the heavy snowfall that Sisters about requirements and
damaged so many trees a couple make sure all is in order before
of winters ago.
starting work, as fines for illegal
<I9d rather not go out taking tree removal can be steep.
down broken trees 4 because the
And if you have any questions,
customer didn9t want that tree James Hatley and 4 Brothers Tree
removed,= he said.
Service are ready to come to your
He9s also pleased to see that property to make an assessment.