Peacock Tree Preservation

I am so impressed. If you want the most knowledgeable, capable, professional and thoughtful care for your trees — preserving or removing — these guys are it.
Stephen Peacock was referred to me 10 years ago by the Urban Forestry group at the City when I asked who is best at preserving trees. We have 17 Douglas firs, several big leaf elms, and various other trees on our inner city lot, including this grand fir that the builder had damaged when he built the house 12 years ago. Stephen has helped us with many of our trees, but the grand fir has been our major concern from the start. It sat between two driveways, above two houses, entwined by several utility wires. He’s been doing checkups for years — no charge except when they actually get up in the trees to do work. This year it was clear the grand fir finally had to come down.
Jason, the supervisor, came the day before and did a checkup of other trees on the lot. He found a big «widow maker» (a loose branch hanging high in one of the trees) which was positioned above our little sitting area, and advised me on several other trees that were struggling with the drought. He checked in with our neighbors and confirmed the estimate. The team arrived the next morning. Before anything else, they removed the widow maker. Then they worked expertly (amazing skill involved), diligently and carefully all day. The whole team always had their hard hats on, they were clearly following protocols for the safety of the team, houses, passers by and utilities. By the end of the day, all the branches were off, no wires affected, no yelling or cursing, the wood all piled neatly at the base. They carefully brought down the rest of the tree over the next day and a half. My neighbors all remarked on how skilled they were — and polite.
They are the best!

I have an absolutely glorious and «significant» (officially) tree rooted in my front yard. It’s a varigated Beech. I worship it as good treehuggers do.
A particular utility company needed to cut it back away from the electrical wires. Well, frankly, I’ve seen their handiwork around my neighborhood. You remember the movie Scissorhands? Wish he were there. Needless to say, a lot of their ahem, trimming usually looks like a set for a bad Tim Burton movie. The trees look like a dinosaur had walked down the street taking big bites out of them, seriously.
I fret every time this utility company threatens, ok, not threatens, but lets me know, they are coming to give my tree a haircut.
This is when I get Mr. Peacock on the line and he takes it from there. I cannot be there when this meeting between the utility company and Steve Peacock meet. I really have a hard time watching limbs getting hacked off and the noise. well don’t get me started on the mayhem description.
Well, when all was said and done, my husband and I are headed home. All I can think of is what my poor tree is going to look like because Mr. Peacock is only going to be able to do so much to influence, advise, in this situation. We turn the corner and I am looking down the street and the tree looks no different so far. We get out of the car and look up at the tree. We are now thinking, hmm. they must have had to change the appointment because we do not see that anything was done. The tree still is retaining its shape and looks as wonderful as it always has. Oh, but wait, my husband says, I see a few cuts of some branches. We continue to take a look and the work has been done because there are no heavy limbs touching the wires, yet it’s as if a professional arborist had done all the work. I hope Steve also managed to teach them a thing or two while he suggested which branches to cut and which to leave.
It really does not need to be a chainsaw massacre. You work with the tree. It’s not there to threaten the electrical wires.