To hedge or not to hedge, that is the question!

When is the best time to prune my cedar hedge? NOT IN THE SUMMER!  At Monkey Tree Services we limit our hedge trimming (unless absolutely required) to the fall and winter months.  Pruning your hedge in the spring will look good for a few weeks until it shags out with the first and second growth flushes. If you prune your hedge in the fall there is no growth until the next spring and you maximize your dollars with almost 8 months of clean, flat, pristine aesthetics. Now that is value on your dollar! 

 Pruning peak summer or sun runs a serious potential of SUN-SCALD that is irreversible and in turn your hedge will have die back that may necessitate  full or partial replacement or removal.

That is not value for your dollar!

BUY CANADIAN - BUY LOCAL - SHOP CANADA EH! 2025

Remember that choosing Canada first extends applies to all aspects of life and function.  When selecting your tree service be sure to understand what is best. Is the company you are thinking about hiring local, small or big operator.  You may want to best understand where the larger companies in your market come from. Your grapes and cold season tissue purchase is equally as important as your selection in tree professional.

Davey Tree Services or Davey Resources group, Bartlett Tree Experts, and the newly in the market SaveAtree are all rooted and originated in America. Just because they call themselves the "Canadian division" what does that mean? Yes they employ local people but where does the profit end up?  Do the best thing you can and put money in the same country you live in and support the local owned economy. MTS is a local Vancouver Canadian organization developed in 2001, by a 4th generation BC Canadian, that's about as homegrown as you get these days!

HOMESTARS - HAS A NEW PLATFORM

Homestars is a great resource as a review platform and for the general public to contact potential contractors. As of 2025 they have now switched the platform. Prior process, someone could review your reputation and ratings and connect with you directly. If you have an interested contractor and you short list them, the action of short listing charges the contractor.  Often its $20-$40 dollars just to be able to reply to a job inquiry through their platform. As a contractor, it in no way ensures you are picked as 'THE" contractor or will even get the job, after paying to be able to access the ability to establish a connection, or after getting in touch with them. Homestars is basically making the contractor pay to have access through their porthole, per potential job. WE SUGGEST AS ALWAYS TO CONTACT CONTRACTORS DIRECTLY THROUGH THEIR OWN PORTHOLES.

Trees and Wind

Its storm season and some wind has whipped through Vancouver Fall 2024.  REMINDER - check your trees for any changes in the ground conditions at the base of the tree. Check the upper crown or canopy for broken sections or hanging sections. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO CHECK YOUR TREES AFTER A WIND STORM AS THEY COULD HAVE ISSUES THAT WILL BE EXACERBATED ON THE NEXT WINDSTORM. Call us today to review your trees, responsible and ongoing care and monitoring of your trees can greatly reduce the likelihood of future or current issues.

FALL TREE PRUNING 2024

Its that time of year when the leaves turn golden and the days get shorter.  Its also the time to take a look at your trees.  Do you have a broken hanging branch? Do your trees touch your house or bang against it in the wind?  Remember to take a look up into your tree after a wind storm to address any changes in structure. Having one of our Arborists climb your trees to address maintenance also allows us an informal inspection to catch any missed things. Call us today and book your Fall 2024 pruning!

When is it best to prune trees?

With winter about to take over, it is a great time to review your trees. If your trees may require extensive pruning, it is best done towards the end of winter. after the threat of cold cold weather. Deciduous trees lose their leaves allowing for great review of overall structure. Evergreen trees (trees with cones) remain silent and stoic, but will show weak limbs with snow sag or broken branches. Take some time to follow the path of sun, review the proximity to your house and roof lines, including your neighbours. Be sure to review yours and your neighbours utility lines (Electric, Cable and Telephone) for full contact, entanglement, or any aspect of interference. The time now to review these items will make it easier to address your 2024 tree pruning needs. Call us soon to review and book a time to address your 2024 pruning in a timely manner.

ITS HOT HOT HOT - TREES NEED WATER WATER WATER

YOUR TREES NEED WATER - JUST LIKE  YOU!

Long slow watering for deep root is a best. Invest in a soaker hose. Vancouver allows for watering anytime by hand, or using soaker or drip irrigation for trees. Basically if the application is slow, the water is more readily used by the tree. Any water is better than no water. Use watering your trees as a way to cool yourself in the hot evenings, the simple act of watering cools the immediate area you are standing. Avoid watering close to the trunk, the absorption roots are mostly concentrated to the outer edge of the canopy or the drip line.

Dead Trees are a fire hazard - Dont wait to remove your brown tree

Do you have a brown tree in your yard? Most likely its dead. Dead standing trees pose a real fire hazard. Skip to minute 1 on this video to see an old dead Christmas tree, within  4 seconds the fire moves up through the tree and engulfs the entire tree.  Scale that up to a large tree in your yard and its easy to understand the need to address it sooner than later. Fireworks, smokers or even random incidents can lead to a fire.  Not only are dead trees a fire hazard, they also have reduced in ground structure. The root system lacks the adhesion qualities and characteristics of a live tree.  Don't delay, call us today, we can address your dead tree and improve the safety and security of your property, your neighbours and your local community. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOM2AbBXVJw (skip to minute 1)

Biodegradable chainsaw oil (BAR OIL), does your tree service use it ?

Monkey Tree Services Ltd was founded in 2001. Since the inception of the business the owner made the directive to only use "Green" or "Bio-Degradable" chainsaw lubrication (BAR OIL). Most all chainsaw lubrication is petroleum based and is used only to reduce friction in the chain and bar. As everyone knows petroleum in raw format poured into the environment is bad bad bad!

For this application, it is added to a reservoir on the chainsaw and pumped into the chain assembly. Indirectly it is literally pumped out and dispersed into the environment in micro droplet form.  All this while the cutting action of the chain saw is being done.  Currently we use approximately 120 litres of "Bar Oil" per year. With over 20 years of ongoing chainsaw use we directly (by purposeful intention) stopped the direct application of approximately 2400 litres of petroleum chainsaw lubrication product into your direct back yard and the larger back yard of Vancouver. If one speculates there is 10 legitimate reputable companies operating in just Vancouver city, that could be approximately 24,000 litres of petroleum based lubrication oil in the local watershed over the same 20 year period. The cost difference is negligible and has averaged about 10-15% more in cost vs conventional petroleum lubrication. Buying bulk makes it even less.  This is a very large reason why you should choose Monkey Tree Services for your tree needs!

Next time you need tree work consider what chainsaw oil will be sprayed into your back yard!

#bestofhomestars2023 - Selected as "The best of the best"

Monkey Tree Services was selected "Best of" for 2023 as well as "Best of the Best" for 2023!

We proudly thank all of our current, past and future clients on their selection of us to address the Arboriculture needs of their properties. We appreciate the continued trust and choice and will maintain our process as everyone has grown to enjoy. Thank you to everyone who depends on us for the best tree care experience in the local market.

#bestofhomestars2023

FREE TREES - Vancouver Parks Board giving away free trees 2023

With costs going up, Vancouver BC Parks Board is giving away free trees, check it out. https://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/branch-out-park-board-gives-away-250-trees-to-increase-canopy.aspx

Plant a free tree today!

Cooling power of trees, natures air conditioning

As we get hotter summers, trees are more and more a power house of complementing human existence. Your trees provide shade and a natural cooling process through their normal biological process. Treat your trees like a member of the family, for if you love them, they will love you back. Call us for FREE advice on how to easily improve your trees living conditions.

Mulching Trees Do's and Dont's

With hotter summers small things make a large difference. Mulching the base of your tree will reduce evaporation, reduce heat on the root system, protect from lawn mowing actions and enhance the base of the tree. DON'T rest mulch against the trunk, DO keep it to a 2-4 inch layer only.

WINTER DAMAGED TREES - Prune or remove?

If you have snow damaged trees, don't remove them.  Restorative pruning or rejuvenation pruning can retain your tree.  Call us today to review.

Large pruning reductions and patience will allow your tree to reform over several growing cycles

Don't Forget to water your trees!

https://arbordayblog.org/treecare/how-to-properly-water-your-trees/

Justice served.

Be sure to know the property boundaries when pruning trees, don't cut your neighbours trees with out checking with them.

https://vancouversun.com/news/vancouver-developer-convicted-of-compromising-health-of-trees

Vancouver Development Frustrations - Maintain your cool

 

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-vancouver-city-hall-backlog-delays-crucial-developments/

Remain calm and carry on, patience is a virtue when dealing with Vancouver development!

"The problem is serious enough that both Mayor Kennedy Stewart and rival NPA Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung each brought motions to council last week aimed at prodding city staff to move faster on the approval processes for key priorities such as housing and small-business permits."

FALL & WINTER MAINTENANCE

Fall is almost over, winter just around the corner, its time to take a look at your roof line.  Reduce critter access and roof/gutter damage. Call Monkey Tree Services today to  check your trees and reduce the issues that occur with trees and roof lines.

Covid-19 update - New work measures Effective April 6th, 2020

The current COVID situation is taken very serious at Monkey Tree Services,  We decided to take a 14 day break and work out our personal isolation process.  Since then we have cleared a 14 day period and have resumed operations.  Each of our staff drives a designated vehicle to and from the job site and will not have contact with other vehicles.  Tools and equipment are sprayed with a bleach or alcohol disinfection solution through out the work day. The inherent nature of the job and lack of close proximity operations allows us to maintain a separation on the site. The crew has decided to sustain mindful operations. We are taking and scheduling estimates and are able to maintain an administrative process through this time so please reach out and address estimate requests as needed.  Our consulting and certified arborist reporting operations remain in full, until further notice.

In this time is is imperative to reduce and eliminate most physical or social overlaps, in order to viably address the current situation.  Stay safe out there, and if you do have a tree issue please reach out and we can address it in the current capacity as best we can.

Maintain control of your monkey mind, quiet, calm assertiveness is needed at this time!

Talk soon,
Seth Mennie,
Director of Operations.
(604)833-2479

Covid 19 and Monkey Tree Services Ltd

 

 

Monkey Tree Services and Covid-19. March 17th, 2020

Good morning,

We are still operating! All staff are responsible for and currently engaged in proper self isolation and practising extra care with personal hygiene. We currently have a clear disinfection policy: regularly throughout the work day, all trucks, equipment, office surfaces and any frequently-touched objects related to our daily operations are wiped down with a disinfectant (either a bleach or alcohol solution).

The nature of tree work and arborists limits our need for proximity to others at work. Our operation generally operates with limited public engagement, and as such we feel comfortable maintaining operations until such time that human movement is restricted. Your tree work can be completed without having to be in the physical presence of our team. Phone and email communication maintain our daily process. The work crew and administrative staff have a private office and workshop area that results in an isolated work environment. We do not need to enter your house, and current payment options allow for limited to no direct physical contact.

We recognize a need to pull together during this time, to protect ourselves, our operations, and most importantly our fellow Canadians and Vancouverites. In order to best weather the storm, please continue to book and carry forward with your tree work: maintaining our operations is vital to keep everyone here in as good a personal, physical and financial position as we can. While we all work together through these trying times, we depend on your understanding of this.

Thanks and stay positive out there!

Seth Mennie,

Director of Operations.

604-833-2479