About the Company

My name is Robert "Whitey" Walker and I am an Arborist certified by the International Society of Aboriculture. A certification from the ISA indicates that I have been educated in all aspects of tree care and adhere to the ISA's code of ethics. Our work also adheres to ANSI Standards and Best Management Practices regulating tree care operations. This means that your tree work will be completed professionally, correctly and safely. Our company specializes mostly in proper pruning and hazardous tree removals but we also perform many other aspects of tree care including disease identification and treatments, Emerald Ash Borer treatments by trunk injection, hazard tree risk assessment, and more. You can read about all the services we offer on the Services page.

Why Walker?

Educated

We're Safe

Everything I’ve ever done in my lifetime, I’ve tried to do to the best of my abilities. Although I’ve been around tree work since a very young age, I had a lot to learn. Just like everything else in the world, the science and practices of arboriculture have evolved. The first step I took when I decided to make a career of arboriculture and start my own business, was to get educated. I signed up for the International Society of Arboriculture’s arborist certification class, a 16 week class covering the fundamentals of every aspect of tree care- Biology, Identification, Soil Science, Water Management, Tree Nutrition and Fertilization, Tree Selection, Installation and Establishment, Pruning, Tree Support and Lightning Protection, Diagnosis and Plant Disorders, Plant Health Care, Tree Assessment and Risk Management, Trees and Construction, Urban Forestry, Tree Worker Safety and Climbing and Working in Trees. In order to maintain ISA’s arborist certification I must accumulate 30 continuing education credits every three years. So I’m continually getting smarter. I didn’t stop there. I also took the ISA’s Tree Risk Assessment Qualification Course, The Tree Care Industry Association’s Electrical Hazard Awareness Program, I’ve attended numerous seminars on safe tree rigging and climbing techniques and even took a class on Tree and Neighbor Law.

I own and have studied all of the American National Standards on the various aspects of tree care, collected lots of books on tree diseases and disorders, and spend much of my time in the evening online learning more about trees, tree climbing and tree work. I am also on the City of Burlington's Tree Advisory Board.

Tree work and logging is the 2nd most deadly job in the world. This is due to the fact that so many people don’t wear PPE and aren’t knowledgeable in safe work practices. To be professional at something, you do it by the rules. American National Standards Institutes ANSI Z133 “Safe Practices for Tree Care Operations” states Personal Protective Equipment must be worn during arboriculture operations. We wear required helmet, eye and ear protection at all times during tree work. ANSI Z133 covers much more than just PPE. It covers all aspects of safe tree care operations and we do our best to follow those standards.

We have invested in the latest gear and studied the latest techniques to do tree work in the most efficient way possible. One example is our use of cranes. We are the only company in the area to regularly utilize a crane in tree work. Although renting a crane is expensive, on very large trees or trees in difficult locations, the savings in labor more that make up for it. It allows us to pick very large parts of the tree and deliver them right to the chipper, saving time, thus saving labor costs, with almost no impact on the property. We also have wireless fulltime Bluetooth communication in our helmets. Everyone on the jobsite is in constant communication and knows exactly what is needed from them. There is no yelling, and when you see us work it looks like we were pre-programmed to accomplish the task. There is just not hardly any time wasted. To the client, this means we are on the job less time, we are likely going to cost less money. Especially on the more technically difficult jobs.

Most efficient techniques and equipment

Rigging gear

Crane removal of 9 trees in one day

We climb 'em

It is not always necessary, and not always possible to get our big bucket truck in your yard. In many cases, such as pruning jobs, the boom and bucket cannot negotiate its way through branches to properly do the job, and climbing is actually more efficient. I’ve studied, attended instructional courses, and attended climbing competitions with the best climbers in the world to learn the latest techniques for efficient and safe tree climbing. We only use “spikes” or tree gaffs if the tree is being removed. It is unhealthy for the tree and improper practice to use spikes to prune a tree. Do not let anyone ever do this to your tree. With our modern equipment and techniques I can actually climb 50’ straight up a rope in about 20 seconds. And no, we aren’t crazy or have huge testicles. With modern climbing gear, PPE and knowledge of proper techniques we are not in any real danger of falling or getting hurt. Climbing is simply an integral part of professional arboriculture.