Insurance Protection & Safety

Workmen’s Compensation & General Liability Coverage

Tree service work is among the most hazardous of all professions. According to SCA Today (the official newsletter of the Society of Commercial Arborculture) the odds of a tree service worker being seriously injured or killed in any given year are about 1 in120. That equates to a fatality and injury rate for tree service workers that is three times higher than that of a police officer or fire fighter.

Despite these facts, many tree service companies have discontinued their coverage, leaving both their workers and their customers at risk. A recent survey of tree service companies operating in the Long Island area revealed that less than 50 % carried both workmen’s compensation and general liability insurance coverage.

How does this affect you? With the average tree service worker injury claim approaching $25,000 and severe injury costs at substantially higher rates….you may be the one at risk. For if a tree service worker is severely injured on your job and they don’t have workmen’s compensation coverage, the injured worker will likely seek compensation from you.

Don’t devastate your financial future. There is only one way to be sure that the tree service company you choose has worker’s compensation and general liability insurance coverage. Insist that they provide a Certificate of Insurance.

St. Croix Tree Service protects our customers with Workmen’s Compensation and General Liability coverage of $5,000,000 and we document this coverage with a Certificate of Insurance.

Our Safety Record

Our safety record is unparalleled. We train our tree service workers to follow all safety procedures so that there will be no accidents, no injuries and no damage to your property.

Property Protection Guarantee

The St. Croix Tree Service Property Protection Guarantee means that if our equipment or our workers damage your property, you will be completely covered by our insurance and you will not incur any out of pocket expense.

 

Customer Bill Of Rights

Even though tree service companies should be licensed in our area, there are still "fly-by-night" tree service companies that often violate the rights of their customers. We set the standards for the tree service industry by creating the Customer Bill of Rights. This document details what customers should expect from a tree service company.

  • As a St. Croix Tree Service customer, we firmly believe you have the following rights:
  • You have a right to expect that your tree service company will show up when they say they will and finish your job in a timely manner.
  • You have a right to expect that all work will be completed to your satisfaction.
  • You have a right to a fair and reasonable price.
  • You have a right to expect that a Certified Arborist will be consulted during all appropriate phases of your job.
  • You have a right to expect that your tree service company will adhere to National Arborist Association pruning standards and not engage in unprofessional tree care tactics.
  • You have a right to expect that only knowledgeable, experienced tree service workers will be allowed to work on your property.
  • You have a right to expect all tree service workers will adhere to a strict code of conduct that includes no drinking, no foul language and no horseplay.
  • You have a right to expect that all tree service workers will follow on the job safety standards and wear brightly colored uniforms, so that they are visible to their co-workers, pedestrians and passing motorists.
  • You have a right to expect that the tree service workers on your job will posses the required communication skills to address your questions and concerns.
  • You have a right to expect your tree service company to clean up their mess when the work is done.
  • You have a right to expect that your tree service company will operate in an environmentally friendly manner by recycling nearly 100% of all the trees and brush they remove from your property.

 

State Of The Art Equipment

St. Croix Tree Service uses only state of the art equipment, specifically designed for high-production tree service work. That means we can work more efficiently and get your job completed faster than almost all of our competitors. With a fleet of equipment that includes bucket trucks, cranes, log loaders, tractors, stump grinders and wood chippers… we can safely handle any job, big or small.

Bucket Trucks—The bucket truck is used to lift tree service workers high in the air, so they can safely work on trees that can’t be reached from the ground. It is an absolutely essential vehicle for any tree service company, due to the extreme heights and difficult locations in which we are required to work. To insure that our bucket trucks are kept in good working order, we submit to a rigorous, annual safety inspection by the truck’s manufacturer.

Cranes—Used for difficult tree removal, we have access to high capacity cranes that can lift large sections of trees over or around buildings, when we do not have the option of letting the cut tree sections fall to the ground. Cranes save considerable time on the job and they are much safer for tree service workers to use than conventional tree removal methods. Crane use also protects our client’s valuable property from damage.

Log Loaders—Also referred to as “knuckle cranes” log loaders are specifically designed to load logs. These machines, which can lift up to 3 ½ tons, are known as “back-savers” because they can quickly and safely lift loads that would otherwise require hours of manual labor.

Tractors—We use two distinctly different types of tractors, both with specialized attachments for tree service work. One is a compact tractor with “turf- friendly” tires. It is used to pick up brush and logs in areas where access it tight. Our second type of tractor is a large, heavy-duty tractor, used primarily for lot and land clearing.

Stump Grinders—After a dead or unwanted tree has been removed, stump grinders can either grind down or totally remove the stump. Many of our competitors use outdated “tow behind” stump grinders, which are large, slow, machines that need to be hooked to the back of a truck in order to work. We use only self-propelled stump grinders, that are small enough to fit through tight spaces, yet powerful enough to quickly grind any stump.

Wood Chippers—Most wood chippers can only grind up brush. Our wood chippers are different. They are not just brush chippers but heavy duty chippers designed to quickly grind brush and logs up to 18 inches in diameter into quality mulch.