Recently, Magnolia Tree Service was engaged to do pruning of trees throughout the complex. While some minimal pruning was done in the past, it was inconsistent and the tall maples had not been pruned away from the buildings for quite some time.
Magnolia Tree Service has a certified arborist, so they are well positioned to do quality pruning with a rich depth of knowledge. They were also considerably less expensive than other certified arborists in the area.
During the pruning process, Magnolia discovered a number of issues that council is now dealing with.
First, it was noted that the large and old willows located in the southwest corner of the complex, behind units 52 and 53, were in a bit of trouble. Because of their age, the large branches had become stressed to the point that three branches had broken and were held in place by the foliage and branches underneath, ready to fall on anyone walking the path underneath if there had been a windstorm. Needless to say, council assigned the company to cut those broken branches.
In addition, Magnolia noted that one willow, located directly behind unit 52, was rotten to a height of about five feet above the ground. This meant it could easily collapse in a heavy wind, which could have caused injury to someone underneath and damage to the building if it fell the wrong way. It was most likely to have fallen onto the fence, causing the fence to break. Council assigned the company to request a permit from the City of Richmond to remove that tree.
While pruning the cherry trees that run through various walkways and around the amenities room, Magnolia noted three dead cherry trees and recommended that we remove them. Because of the cost, this will likely wait until the spring when the strata has a new budget.
A dead alder was also noted in the southwest region behind the playground. Because its size was well below the threshold requiring a permit, council assigned the company to remove it.
Magnolia’s owner informed council that some of the previous pruning work had not been done correctly at some point in the past, causing some issues. This kept new growth from taking place in the proper way, leading to stunted development over the past couple of years. Most likely this was due to landscapers being asked to do the pruning for the sake of reducing cost.
This post is also available in:
