Monday, June 9, 2014

It's been a HOT start to the season...

It's been a hot start to the summer, but  A+ Tree & Crane is getting A+ work done with perfection!! We always operate within the OSHA required safe distance for operating the crane near  high voltage power lines, as well as all OSHA safety requirements that are standard to the tree service industry. 


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Here we are cutting trees in Chapel Hill with crane near University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.The pine tree in front of the house was removed in two sections. The maple tree was removed as one entire tree in one cut.
Along with our strict adherence to safety regulations, A+ Tree & Crane always takes precautions to prevent damage. The use of heavy tree removal equipment like cranes, wood chippers, and bobcats can tear up grass and crack driveways. We always make sure to take proper precautions while setting up for the job to ensure that we leave your property even more beautiful than the way we found it!

For more information about our safety standards, visit our homepage at www.aplustrees.com





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 Crane is set up in the street to prevent damage to the yard & driveway.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Tornado Watch Issued

Wanted to share this weather update from WRAL with the A+ Tree & Crane Community.These storms can cause major damage to your home, car, and other valuable assets. Please take the proper precautions and stay safe everyone! 

Damage from Wake County's last wind storm. 
 — The National Weather Service has issued tornado watches for several counties, including Wake, Johnston, Lee and Moore, as severe thunderstorms capable of producing hail and strong winds are expected to move through the area Tuesday.                                   


The watches, which are in effect until 9 p.m. cover, 22 counties in central and eastern North Carolina. Edgecombe, Franklin, Halifax, Hoke, Nash, Wayne and Wilson counties are also affected.
Tornado watch for April 29, 2014
The state is under an elevated risk for severe weather as a storm system that has killed more than 30 people in the Midwest and Southeast on Sunday and Monday moves into the area.
A flash flood watch is also in effect for much of central North Carolina in anticipation of 2 to 3 inches of rain in the next 24 to 36 hours. The watch begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday and runs through early Thursday.
Thunderstorm activity was expected to pick up later in the afternoon south and west of Raleigh and spread northward before moving out of the state later Tuesday night.
"There is a frontal boundary sitting over North Carolina, and the question is how far north does it slide today," WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said. "The farther north it is, the bigger chance for storms across our entire viewing area. Our biggest threats today will be from straight-line winds and hail, but we can't rule out a tornado."
Gardner said that the areas most likely to experience strong to severe thunderstorms are still going to be those across Mississippi and Alabama.
Wednesday could bring to North Carolina a better chance of damaging winds and tornadoes.
"We could see storms ramp up quicker and earlier in the day, and our chance to see an isolated tornado goes up a bit," Gardner said.
Rain showers will linger in the eastern half of the area on Thursday, but no severe weather is expected.
Sunshine and cooler temperatures in the low 70s will return on Friday and linger through the weekend.
The weekend will be dry, and temperatures will climb back to low 80s by Monday.
The latest round of severe weather comes just days after eight confirmed tornadoes touched down in eastern North Carolina, killing an 11-month-old boy in Chowan County and damaging hundreds of homes and businesses.
More than 30 people from Oklahoma to Alabama were killed Sunday and Monday as the storm system hopscotched across pushed through Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.
A half-mile-wide tornado carved an 80-mile path of destruction through the suburbs of Little Rock, Ark., killing at least 15. Tornadoes or severe storms also killed one person each in Oklahoma and Iowa on Sunday and at least seven in Kentucky.
Areas south of Raleigh experienced some severe weather Monday as parts of Moore, Hoke and Cumberland counties saw thunderstorms with quarter-sized hail and winds gusting up to 60 mph. http://www.wral.com/storms-could-bring-damaging-winds-hail-to-nc/13601833/

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

A+ Google+ Review

THANKS FOR THE AWESOME REVIEW!

I wanted to share a recent customer's testimonial with you because when searching for the right tree service, its always important to hear a customer's opinion. Take a look at all of our Google+ reviews at: https://plus.google.com/103940396438121574497/about



Raleigh, NC
A+ Tree and Crane Service just completed a job of removing 37 trees from my home, mostly quite large (10"-25" trunks, typically 80-100+ feet tall), including stump grinding. Six trees required use of a crane due to proximity to house, driveway and shrubbery. A+ was very responsive--from estimate to removal in just over a week. I was very impressed with the skill and teamwork exhibited by the crew (ranging from 5 to 7 people). It was a well-orchestrated effort with each team member knowing what to do, when, and where to be to make the whole job go smoothly. I noticed they even have a system of hand signals to communicate over the noise created when all the equipment is running (chipper, chain saws, crane, stump grinder). Two team members were particularly impressive--the tree climber who so skillfully dismantled the trees from the top down, and the bobcat operator/team leader who so expertly and efficiently transported all the cut trees and debris--even doing a bit of landscape/drainage repair work for us. Tree work can be dangerous work and this team seemed to take safety very seriously. All in all, it was a very impressive and smooth operation. The cost was reasonable and the quick response to our project was also a factor in selecting A+. Ken and Angel can get you started. They also checked in during and after the work to make sure I was satisfied. I was.



Monday, March 17, 2014

4 STEPS TO ID HAZARDOUS TREES


Protect your property: 4 steps to identify hazardous trees

Our estimators assess the property and
decide to use a crane to remove this fallen tree
in Wake Forest, NC
March 17, 2014--Raleigh, NC--A week after that terrible ice storm and we are still busy cleaning up. For the unfortunate homeowners whose trees fell upon their houses, now begins the often tedious process of paying for the repairs through their insurance companies. The cost of removing trees that have fallen on the roof of a house, driveway, or sidewalk is usually covered by homeowners insurance.  A+ Tree & Crane Services is familiar with handing these cases, and we can help expedite the process by getting you in touch with our contacts and completing paperwork for your insurance company. More importantly, we try to stop these problems from occurring in the first place.

Many cases of fallen trees are ‘freak accidents,’ meaning that an otherwise healthy tree snapped under the weight of built-up ice. This is especially common for pine trees, which have a naturally softer, malleable wood compared to sturdy oaks and maples. In other cases, trees weakened by disease or previous damages are likely to fall in extreme weather. The good news, however, is that these disasters can be preventable by simple stroll around the yard. With the rainy quickly approaching, here are some tips so that you can protect your property from damage.






1. Take a walk around your property looking for obvious damage or disease. Starting at the base of the tree, search the surrounding ground for exposed roots and noticeable holes in the soil under the trunk. It is normal for some species to have roots above the soil level, but too much exposure lets in moisture and pests. Check for root damage and ‘root rot.’ With the edge of your shoe, scrape the base of the tree and any roots. If the texture is soft and easily breaks off, then the root system is decaying, and the tree must be removed immediately. Examine the bark of the trunk, looking for small holes and termite damage, sap-like build-up, or rotting. These are red flags indicating that the interior of the trunk has started to deteriorate. Travel further up the tree towards the largest limbs, ensuring that the integrity of these branches do not show signs of disease. Make note of the smaller, extending branches. If the ends of any of these limbs have snapped off, then there is a good chance that the tree is damaged.

2. Consider the structure of the larger trees in your yard. If the otherwise healthy tree seems to lean to one side, or one side of the tree supports most or all of the weight, consider trimming the heavier branches to redistribute the weight. We do not advise removing large portions of the tree because it will ultimately kill the tree. This practice known as ‘tree topping’ results in the tree being removed altogether down the road.

3. Examine the location of your trees in regards to the gradient of your yard and proximity to structures. Trees growing on a hill are susceptible to soil erosion, which could loosen the root system and cause the tree to fall. Limbs near power lines can fall and knock out electricity to your home and neighbors. Keep trees trimmed back from your house and driveway to prevent damages to your property.

4. Schedule an appointment with a professional tree service to provide a full consultation of your property. Our certified arborists will assess the trees on and around your property to advise you of hazardous and potentially dangerous trees.





Visit www.aplustrees.com for more information 

Monday, March 10, 2014

ICE STORM CAUSES DAMAGE IN NC


A+ TREE & CRANE ASSISTS IN ICE STORM DAMAGE CLEAN-UP & EMERGENCY TREE REMOVALS IN ALAMANCE, ORANGE, DURHAM COUNTIES, NC

March 10, 2014--Raleigh, NC: An ice storm that swept through North Carolina on the evening of March 6th and into the late afternoon on March 7th caused power outages, downed trees, and terribly slick road conditions. Ice and wind brought down trees on top of homes and power lines in many cities west of Raleigh, including Mebane, Hillsborough, Durham, and Chapel Hill, NC. 

We brought a large crane to Chapel Hill on the day of the storm.






                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      On the day of the storm, A+ Tree & Crane Services brought in a large crane to remove trees off the roof tops, placed tarps over the roofs of many of the houses to prevent water damage, and continued on to respond to emergency tree service calls from our customers. A+ Tree & Crane traveled west from Chapel Hill towards Mebane and Hillsborough, removing trees along the way while the freezing rain and snow continued to fall. The roads were littered with trees that had fallen under the weight of the ice. We cut trees off downed power lines and cleared some streets of downed trees and snow to get our cranes and truck crews in to the locations. When we arrived to an emergency call, we got to work using our grapple truck to remove trees from houses of one of our previous customers during the first day of the ice storm. 

When the storm finally cleared up, there was still plenty of tree work left to be done. Customers in Chapel Hill called to have fallen trees cut & removed from their homes, and we used a crane boom to remove some of these trees. The day after the storm, A+ Tree & Crane were able to bring out more tree service equipment in the calmer weather to remove trees from homes in Mebane.
Grapple Truck removing tree from roof during the storm.
For more information about our services, visit our webpage at www.aplustrees.com
After storm tree removal in Mebane, NC

Thursday, February 13, 2014

A+ Tree & Crane Snow Removal

Snow Removal 

Raleigh, NC

After the major winter storm hit, commercial property owners contacted us to clear up parking lots and access roads. See more of our other services at www.aplustrees.com


BEFORE: A+ Tree & Crane Services is in motion moving out the snow from the big ice and snow storm in Raleigh, North Carolina.

A+ Work in Progress

Snow Removal is in progress

AFTER: snow removal has been completed by A+ Tree &  Crane Services. What a fine job! Please call on us for your snow removal projects 919-854-0020.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Wind Storm Clean-Up in Raleigh, Cary, & Wake Forest

www.aplustrees.com

A+ Tree and Crane Services Inc: 24/7 Emergency Services



High winds last Saturday caused major problems to trees and homeowners throughout Wake County and beyond. 





Jan 1, 2013-Raleigh, NC--A+ Tree and Crane prepared for a long weekend after dangerously high-speed winds and heavy rainfall were forecasted. So, as soon as the calls started coming in, the crew worked hard into the night on Saturday and Sunday providing emergency tree removal and tree trimming services.

From Saturday afternoon until the early hours of the morning, A+ traveled throughout Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, Chapel Hill, Apex, and Fuquay-Varina to begin cleaning up after the vicious storm. Our prime concerns were taking down trees off houses and tarping homes to prevent further water damage.  

Storm damage clean up, Tree Services Raleigh, 24 hour emergency services     
Crane Setting up Emergency Tree Service





Crane, Crew and Equipment Providing Late-Night Tree Service














Sunday morning brought tons more emergency tree service requests from the previous night, along with a long list of customers in need of tree trimming. The high velocity winds from the night before had twisted trees like wet rags. Customers woke to find split trees resting atop their houses and their yards in complete shambles. With a fleet of our top-notch equipment such as cranes, grapple trucks, skid steers, wood chippers and stump grinders in tow, we kept on the move from city to city to respond to storm damage calls in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, Chapel Hill, Apex, and Fuquay-Varina.

Storm damage clean up, Tree Services Raleigh, 24 hour emergency services
Removing Wind Damaged Tree



Although the exciting weather is over, such a powerful storm wreaked havoc in a mere matter of seconds. For days after a big storm, customers continue calling about their trees that took a few extra days to fall. Before the next storm hits, educate yourself; learn how to prepare your yard for extreme conditions; protect yourself and your property from future damages.


Storm damage clean up, Tree Services Raleigh, 24 hour emergency servicesHere are some safety tips:

Storm damage clean up, Tree Services Raleigh, 24 hour emergency services
Know your tree species. 
Do not top your trees.
Beware of potential hazards. 
  • Cracks in the trunks of major limbs
  • Hollow, aged, and decayed trees
  • Conks on trunk or mushrooms at the base of the tree
  • Dead branches
  • Carpenter ants, honey bees, woodpeckers, and other animals which live in decayed or hollow trees
  • One-sided or significantly leaning trees
Take action to remedy potential targets. 
  • Branches that hang over the house, near the roof
  • Branches in close proximity to power lines
Take precautions to prevent damage. 
  • Remove dead, diseased, or damaged limbs.
  • Consider removing trees with large cavities of decay.
  • Leaning trees may indicate a root problem; have them inspected.
  • Branches too close to your house, a building, or the street should be pruned to provide clearance.
  • Branches that are too close or touching utility lines need to be pruned or removed. If this work is needed, report it to your local utility company--DO NOT prune the tree yourself.
          For Publications and more information about this topic, visit www.isa-arbor.com