541-224-7486
Frequently Asked Questions
We receive many questions on a variety of topics, and these represent some of the most common. These are FAQs both for working with Peak Tree Care as well as general tree care related questions.
Do you provide free estimates?
Yes, we provide free estimates in our regular service territory (the greater Corvallis and Philomath area). This includes a site visit and a written estimate for the work requested.
If your tree or property needs a more involved assessment, we provide tree assessments starting at $150 for the first hour and $100 per hour after that. This includes travel time for trees that are outside my regular service area. Examples of tree assessments include determining the health and/or risk associated with multiple trees on a property, aerial assessments and written appraisals.
Do you provide free wood chips?
Yes, we are always happy to leave the wood chips we generate at the site if requested. It is highly beneficial to return the organic matter to the soil it came from whenever possible. You can join our Free Chip List by filling our Contact Form. Typically, we just dump them wherever is closest to where we are working that day to save gas and time/effort. Depending on your location you could get them right away or be waiting a while. If you don’t want to wait we do also deliver wood chips for a fee ranging from $50-150 depending on distance.
What time will the crew arrive?
We start our work day between 8-9 a.m., usually aiming to arrive at the job site at 8:30am. If your job is the second or third of the day it can be hard to know the exact starting time as it is dependent on how long the first job takes to complete. We can usually estimate within an hour or two. There is no need for you to be home for the work to take place, but you are welcome to request the work to be done with you present.
How do you bill?
Following the completion of the work, we will send you an invoice that you can reference to then pay by cash or check. If you would prefer, the crew can take payment in person, once the work has been completed. We will still make an invoice to be stored as a record of the work and payment. We do not accept credit card payments at this time, though we are working on getting this up and running.
Is the wood from my tree worth anything?
While we have had customers manage to sell the firewood rounds that we have left behind using websites like Craigslist or Facebook, we don’t personally sell firewood. Taking it away and donating it requires more time and effort on our part so the cheapest option is usually just cut it into rounds and leave it for someone who actually wants it. This could be a neighbor or a charitable organization like the Gleaners (Mary’s river Gleaners: 541- 497-9019, Philomath Gleaners: 541-929-2499) or Wood Share program (541-971-2172).
The main exception to this are especially high value species like Black Walnut. There are companies that will assess and buy walnut logs (Gobi Walnut: 503-477-6744) which can help to offset the cost of removal. We can also sometimes provide a discount on these types of jobs if we take the logs and mill them ourselves.
What's wrong with my tree?
Here are some of the more common tree health issues that we see. This is meant to be a starting point, but every tree should be evaluated individually, especially considering the changing climate and continual spread of pests and pathogens.
Fir die off
One of our most common jobs of the last few years has been removal of dead and dying Douglas and grand firs in the hills around Corvallis. Customers always want to know what was responsible for the death of their trees and if there is anything they can do to prevent the loss of more trees. The following is our best understanding of what we are seeing based on my experience, evolving science, and other opinions we've gathered.
The main driving factor appears to be drought and heat stress. After a relatively wet historical period, combined with the suppression of fire in the Willamette valley, fir trees moved down out of the foothills and began to dominate closer into town. Very few of the fir stands immediately surrounding Corvallis are more than 40-60 years old. After a period of gradually warmer and drier summers in the early 2000’s we were hit with severe drought between 2014-16’ and again in 2019-2020. During both periods we noticed a lot of widespread fir decline, especially in areas with thinner, rockier soils and more Southern aspects. One other aspect that further exacerbated die-off was sites with heavy, wet, saturated soils in the winter, especially areas with bashaw clay, where firs were unable to root in deeply enough to survive the long dry summers.
While environmental conditions may be driving the mortality, we have also observed an uptick in secondary pests, which can opportunistically infect drought stressed trees. Many of the dead firs we end up removing have at least some signs of beetle activity. The most common being the Douglas-fir beetle (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae) or flatheaded fir borers (Phaenops drummondi). There are also a host of fungi which can opportunistically infect drought-stressed trees and cause disease, including cow-pie fungus (Phaeolus schweinitzii) and Swiss needle cast (Phaeocryptopus gaeumanni). In a healthy stand these apparent tree killers would be unlikely to cause much damage but in their weakened state the trees are unable to fight them off.
While there are some cultural practices that can be employed to improve the health of a stand like thinning out sickly trees then chipping and leaving the mulch to build organic matter and hold soil moisture, many of these firs are simply not going to survive our future climate outlook. There has been an emphasis on taking back some of these fir dominated areas and returning them to more open, native hardwood and oak dominated landscapes. This has been conducted both privately and publicly (recently at Chip Ross park) and has the potential to greatly increase biodiversity and wildlife habitat while simultaneously reducing the danger from wildfire when compared to the Douglas-fir monoculture plantations that surround Corvallis. To that end when an ailing fir does need to be removed for safety around houses, we love to leave some type of habitat snag and recommend a better site adapted species for replanting when practical.
Birch die back
Most commonly caused by bronze birch boring beetles (Agrilus anxius). These beetles lay their eggs on the surface of the bark and their larvae bore into the trees cambium disrupting the trees flow of nutrients and water while they feed. It can be hard to detect until branch tips begin to wilt and die and the mature larvae bore their way out to continue their cycle, leaving behind distinct brown or black exit holes.
Depending on how advanced the infestation in bronze birch borers has become, their presence can often be fatal to the tree. Aside from pruning out the affected branches and other cultural practices like increased water and mulch the most effective technique to preserve an affected tree is through the regular annual application of systemic pesticides. We don’t currently provide chemical applications, but we can recommend Inavale lawn, tree and shrub care for this service: 541-609-8364.
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Walnuts
Walnuts, especially English walnuts are susceptible to a variety of diseases. One new and concerning disease in our area accounting for significant walnut dieback is Thousand Canker disease (TCD). This disease results when the tiny Walnut Twig Beetle (Pityophthorus juglandis ) bores into the small young walnut branches and infects it with a fungus, (Geosmithia morbid). While thousand Canker disease has been responsible for killing Walnut trees in our area it is often not fatal to the tree and doesn’t necessarily indicate the need for removal. Affected branches can be pruned out for the health of the tree and systemic pesticides can be used in more advanced cases to eliminate larvae in the tree. Given a chance many walnuts will recover from this disease but pruning can be helpful in removing hazards created by dead branches.
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Emerald ash borer
There are many ash trees throughout the Willamette valley and surrounding areas, including the native Oregon ash, Fraxinus latifolia, which are all currently threatened by the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis. These invasive beetles, native to Asia, first arrived in the US in Michigan in 2002, but in 2022 first sightings were made in Oregon in Forest Grove. These beetles have been known to decimate ash populations at a very alarming rate. Recognizing signs of EAB is crucial to limiting the spread of the beetle, and trees that are thought to be infested should be removed.
Signs of EAB on an ash tree:
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The most obvious sign is, of course, the presence of the small metallic green, bullet shaped beetle itself. You can also attempt to look for their cream colored larvae, made up of bell-shaped segments
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As adults emerge from under the bark, they create a perfect capital D-shaped exit hole. These holes are small, about 1/8 diameter and can be oriented any direction.
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Boring beetles create “galleries” beneath the bark, and you can actually identify what insect is doing it, based on the shapes of these galleries. EAB creates an “S-shaped” gallery.
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General ash tree die-back, including excessive water-sprout growth, canopy defoliation, and bark splitting
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If you do find signs of EAB, while we can help you in a removal project, you should also reach out to the Oregon invasive species hotline by calling 1-866-INVADER
Mediterranean Oak Borer
In recent years, there have been more and more sightings of the invasive Mediterranean oak borer (MOB) infesting Oregon white oaks. These are beetles that cause damage to trees by inoculating their tunnels with fungi which will become their food source, and in turn, blocking water and nutrient pathways. Once infected, it is likely that the tree will die without intervention.
Signs of MOB in oaks:
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Flagging or die back of individual branches, starting from the top and spreading downward.
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“Frass”, what looks like sawdust, from their “boring” activity at the base of the tree.
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Entry/exit holes in the bark. These holes are extremely small (1/16th of an inch) and difficult to spot.
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Keep in mind there are a number of other pests and pathogens that can have similar impacts on oak trees that are not lethal to the tree. Give us a call if you are noticing any of these symptoms, and we can evaluate what actions should be taken.
