The Tree Doctor – Des Moines Tree Service Professionals

Leading tree service provider in Des Moines, Iowa.

Tree Care Services in Des Moines, Iowa

At The Tree Doctor, we are one of the highest rated tree services in Des Moines. Serving the entire Des Moines metro area for over 11 years now, we offer all tree services. This includes; Tree Trimming, Tree Removal, Tree Pruning, Tree Planting, Tree Spading, Tree Sales (Arboretum), Seasoned Firewood Sales, Mulch Sales, Stump Removal, Land Clearing, Mulching, Bush Shaping, Brush Removal and Haul Away, Tree Health Consultation, and Tree Deep Root Fertilization.

We are proud to serve Des Moines, West Des Moines, Norwalk, Urbandale, Johnston, Pleasant Hill, Ankeny, Grimes, Waukee, Indianola, Bondurant, Altoona, and other surrounding areas. At The Tree Doctor we specialize in all of the facets of Arboriculture to meet your needs. Below we break down what we do and why we do it better than others.

Tree Removal in Des Moines Iowa

Removing a tree in Des Moines is not as simple as merely grabbing a chainsaw and felling a tree. If done right, there are several high tech tools, ropes, and gadgets to aid us in the removal of the tree. We strive on improving our crews proficiency while keeping them safe. What the tree services of old used to do for removing a tree is known as “natural crotch” rigging and removal. This old school practice was the first of its kind using physics to help remove trees or limbs safely to the ground. In a nutshell this involves taking a rope, tying an arboricultural knot around a limb to secure it, and using the natural friction of a limbs crotch to give the arborist on the ground control over the limb. If the limb was larger in caliper, it would be wrapped around the limb, a half hitch or marl would be added, then finishing the connection with a running bowline. From there the rope would go through a crotch (preferably higher than the limb) and down to the arborist on the ground. The arborist would then wrap the rope around the base of the tree for added friction. The size of the limb being removed would determine the way and how many wraps the arborist would put around the trunk of the tree for removal. Using this practice allows for a safer removal of a tree and gives the arborists removing the tree more control than simply notching the tree and piecing it out. The downside to this method and the reasoning for technology advancements in this industry is simple; we needed ease of use and reduced wear on our equipment.

The Tree Doctor performs superior tree removal in Des Moines using a plethora of the most advanced arboriculture equipment currently available. There are hundreds of pieces of equipment we can add on to our forestry trucks for our guys and gals to use. However there are 3 very important pieces of equipment all bucket trucks should have as they greatly improve the safety and efficiency of any tree removal no matter its size.

3 Main Pieces of Arboricultural Equipment

  1. Port-A-Wrap Whoopie Sling combo
  2. Rigging Ropes (arboricultural approved with high tensile strength)
  3. Rigging Blocks/Pulleys

With these three pieces of equipment alone, our crews can be creative enough to remove your tree in such as way to increase efficiency and safety, while reducing wear on crews, equipment, and the potential harm to your property. Instead of using a natural crotch in the tree for directional control and friction we use a pulley or a friction block. Coming out of the pulley the rope continues down the tree and wraps into the Port-A-Wrap. Depending on the size of the limb that we are removing our crews will either wrap the rope around the Port-A-Wrap ½ – 6+ times. The more times we wrap the rope around the Port-A-Wrap, the more friction and control we have over the limb. This is simple, the larger/heavier the limb, the more wraps, the smaller/lighter the limb, the less wraps. If there is a need to swing a branch over a structure our arborist on the ground can simply add less wraps in the device and once the limb clears the structure the arborist will let go of the rope and the limb will glide to the ground hopefully hitting their target drop zone. The way The Tree Doctor prefers to remove limbs during a tree removal is with zip line technology. Incorporating zip line technology for tree removals allows The Tree Doctor to control the trajectory of the limb via the angle from the cutting point to the ground where the limb will rest. Zip line tree removal is much safer than the arborist on the ground simply timing the release of a limb, hoping to strike the drop zone. Without zip line technology, the arborist timing the release of the limb could hold on too long. The result will be the limb swinging back to the pendulum point, which is assumed to be over the structure. If this happens the limb could swing back into the structure causing damage. We are one of few elite companies performing tree removal services in Des Moines that offer this type of removal. It may take additional time for the tree to be removed, however the end result will be the same; the removal of the tree without the potential damage to the property. SUCCESS!

Advanced Arboricultural Equipment

  1. Redirect Loops
  2. Friction Blocks/Pulleys
  3. DDRT & SRT Climbing Equipment
  4. Zip Line Technology
  5. Snake Anchor & Snake Tail

These are simply a few examples of some of the robust tree removal equipment The Tree Doctor stocks on our forestry trucks. Please ask the Foreman on site if you would like a more in depth explanation to some of the tree equipment they will use for your tree removal project.

Our Specialization

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  •  Tree Removal
  • Master Arborist Consultations
      Tree Trimming
    Tree Sampling
      Tree Pruning
    Soil Sampling
      Tree Planting/Moving
    Analysis of biotic/abiotic influences
      Tree Sales (Arboretum)
    Root Collar Excavation (Airspade)
      Seasoned Firewood Sales
    Girdling Root Syndrome Management
      Organic Mulch Sales
    Vertical Mulching
      Stump Removal (grinding)
    Radial Trenching (Soil Amendments)
      Land Clearing
    Tree Injection (root flare)
      Proper Tree Mulching/Moving
    Foliar Application (leaves)
      Bush Shaping
    Deep root injection (sub soil roots)
      Brush/Debris Removal
    Reduction/Suppression Pruning
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