I’ve recently came across a quote by Elon Musk that reads “you get paid in direct proportion to the difficulty of the problems you solve.” After reading that, I thought of ways in which I could apply it to the practicing arborist, because the thought seemed nice. Arborists are certainly problem solvers, as most arborists would agree. When considering the many specific dilemmas with trees, it is important that we understand those problems we encounter on multiple levels. That is, a scientific/biological level, as well as on an emotional level, and sometimes an economical and logistical level. Understanding the Big Problems can lead to better system of problem solving, and also to bigger profits from that process.

Big Problem #1: My tree is sick

Diagnosing a sick tree can either be easy, or hard. Some health issues, such as leaf spots and nutrient deficiencies are easily identifiable for the pathologists in the room. Many times, they are, at worst, easily mitigated; and at best, merely aesthetic. A soil test can produce hard numbers, too, in a given situation. These types of diagnostic tools (tree vital signs and local cooperative extension services) are cheap, simple, and very efficient in determining a sound plan for the future health of a tree. Other ailments can be more difficult to track and diagnose, like old construction damage, chemical spills or other secretive abiotic disorders that loom under the cover of darkness. These harder fought battles, for anyone that is in business and profit oriented, sometimes pay better. They require more forensic and investigative reporting, more research, talking to neighbors, witnesses, cash bribes to anyone one with any information. The bigger the problem, the bigger the bill. In laymen’s terms: time equals money.

There will be emotional ties to certain trees in some cases, when people need real results in order to sleep at night, knowing their tree is on a sound path to recovery. Other tree owners merely look to their tree as if it were an easter egg or a cornucopia: seasonal, wonderful, and eventually, in the way. Understanding the emotional connections that people have to their trees can very quickly identify what’s at stake in the relationship. Be sure to keep your understanding of trees and your understanding of people’s emotions separate. The perception and handling of those two entities will culminate in a bill, which you hand to the tree owner once the work is done.

Big Problem #2: My tree is dead

With this problem, there are three questions I’m typically asking myself upon arriving at the scene. Question One is “Is the tree a Bald Cypress or Dawn Redwood?”. Question Two is “How dead is it?” because all arborists know there are many different levels of mortality when considering a dead tree, from sound, solid static mass to a steaming pile of bio-char. And Question Three is “Is there room for the crane?” Dead trees can be serious problems and can cause a real threat to the safety of the community around them. Addressing dead trees seems a daring and adventuresome thing, or at least that’s how it’s marketed: the nastiest removal, the funkiest of wood, the hornets’ nest on a smoldering August afternoon. Having the right tool for accessing dead trees and working them safely is serious business. There are some arborists who only do removals, just as there are some people who only drink Bourbon. A connoisseur, if you will. In this line of work big payments are sometimes required because of a long intermission of negligence, a high level of liability and the crucial maintenance of a steady hand and an alert atmosphere.

Big Problem #3: I hate that tree

This problem of hate is the jester of the bunch, and is a dark road we sometimes have to walk alone, or sometimes, maybe it is a long train a’coming down the tracks. But how can someone say that: that they hate a tree! It must be something else. It is. They hate their neighbor, who owns the tree, they hate mowing grass (and therefore the difficulty of walking around the tree that’s in the way), they hate that they planted the right tree in the wrong spot, or that they planted the wrong tree in the right spot, or that the tree grew bigger than they expected, they hate the flowers of the tree, they love the flowers of the tree but hate that they fall off too quick, they hate the squirrels that love the tree, and the birds that never cease to sing, they hate the huge roots of the tree that clog the drains and raise up the sidewalk, they hate the bees that pollinate the tree, they hate that the tree might fall over, and they hate the leaves that they have to rake up, they hate that they lose sunlight on the pool around five o’clock, they hate how the tree scratches the roof in the wind, they hate the way it sways in a storm, it is worrisome and imposing, this tree. But remember, hate is a problem involving long, billable hours. By listening to the trail of hate, maybe we can lead tree owners back into the light, with invoices written in their own, dried-up tears.

Identifying any of the three Big Problems existing between people and trees can be an arborist’s greatest cognitive tool. And if we are paid in proportion to the difficulty of the problems we solve, maybe we are kings, maybe we are beggars. Either way, may your cup runneth’ over.