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Atlanta Tree Service Company Southland Tree Offers Advice on Choosing a Tree Removal Firm

There are many factors that should be considered when you have the need for a qualified tree service company in the Atlanta area - the following content will lead you down the right path....

• Observe the type of pruning practices you like, then find out which company
does that type of work in the Atlanta Metro Area. Also
ask for referrals from your neighbors and garden centers.
• Verify that your arborist has insurance, is state licensed, and can give
references of other similar work. TIP: Authentic certificates of insurance
ONLY come from the insurance company.
• Determine if your Atlanta based arborist is qualified through specialized training, such as
formal education and/or certification.
• Ask your arborist or tree service professional to provide a written proposal for your project that covers the
scope of work, procedures to be followed, number of personnel for your job,
duration of the job, and how payment will be made.
• Unless you're comfortable with your present Atlanta tree service, have more than one
arborist look at your job; even if you have to pay a small estimation fee it will
be worth your extra effort.
• Be cautious of a company which is willing to lower prices to match the
competition, wants deposits, or recommends removals without good
justification.
• Beware of a company that recommends topping as a first choice.
• Verify that the quality of workmanship and ethical conduct of your arborist
meet your expectations and the International Society of Arboriculture's code of
ethics.
• Establish an on-going plan with your arborist to meet long term tree care needs.
REMEMBER: A tree takes a long time to grow but
only a short time to permanently disfigure.
Choosing a tree care service company can initially seem overwhelming. There are a variety of
tree companies which make the choice even more confusing. Here is a checklist to help you
choose the best tree care service company for your needs.
1. KNOWLEDGEABLE AND QUALIFIED
Does the tree care company employ certified arborists?
2. RESPONSIBLE APPROACH
Does the tree service use sensible products and adhere to strict safety standards?
3. RECOMMENDATIONS
Does the tree care company have a good reputation with your neighbors and in the community?
4. PROPER INSURANCE
Is the tree service company insured against damage and injury while on your property?
5. WRITTEN GUARANTEE
Does the tree care company have an unconditional guarantee?
6. SIZE

Is the tree service company large enough to respond to its customers in an emergency?
Take Precautions When Hiring Tree Services to Help With Storm Clean-Up - many are storm chasers and not qualified tree service and tree removal specialists...

Finding a qualified tree service is important protection for the homeowner. Sometimes less
credible tree companies follow storms for a quick buck and blow out of town as fast as the storm.
Knowing how to hire a reputable arborist can help prevent becoming a victim all over again.
A professionally trained arborist can determine if a tree can be saved. Even if the tree must be
removed, safety and training are still needed to prevent additional damage from the removal.
Most chainsaw injuries occur during storm cleanup.
In a time of disaster, a fast recovery is desirable, but not taking the time to hire a reputable tree
service may create greater problems in the future. The worst result of haste may be paying in
advance for tree work that is never completed. The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)
offers these tips on hiring an arborist.
How to find a qualified arborist
When searching for a tree care company, there are several things to look for before making a
selection.
• Certification-Ask if the arborists on staff hold an ISA certification. ISA offers a range of
certification credentials from Certified Tree Worker/Climber Specialist to Board
Certified Master Arborist. To be certified individuals must pass a voluntary
comprehensive exam. Certification must be maintained through continuing education,
which means they should be up-to-date on the latest in arboricultural technology and are
knowledgeable of acceptable practices.
• Licensing-Some states require licensing for tree Service Atlanta companies operating within that state. Louisiana and Mississippi, two states hit recently by hurricanes, both require tree companies to be licensed. Licensing usually requires passing an examination and earning continuing education credits. Check your state's requirements, and make sure
companies you are considering are in compliance. In some states licensing is the only
necessary requirement. Therefore, this could super-cede ISA Certification as a
requirement to look for; however, if a tree care company from out of state is offering
services you should look for ISA credentials.
• Professional Affiliation-Ask about membership in professional organizations such as the
International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and/or one of its chapters. There are also
state arborist associations such as the Louisiana Arborist Association (LAA), and the
Professional Arborist Association of Mississippi (PAAM). Affiliation with industry
organizations demonstrates a willingness to stay up-to-date on the latest techniques and
information.
• Advertisement- Check the local yellow pages directory, or newspaper for arborists who
list themselves as ISA Certified Arborists, state licensed, or who display the official logos
of professional membership. Also look for logos of business accreditation by
organizations such as The Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), who requires they
have an ISA Certified Arborist on staff. Most reputable tree care professionals do not go
door to door soliciting business, so avoid those companies that show up at your doorstep
offering to prune your trees. If a tree care company from out of state is advertising, it is
even more important to look for these logos of professional identification.
• Insurance- Ask for proof of insurance and then verify coverage with the insurance
company. A reputable arborist should have insurance to cover personal and property
damage as well as worker's compensation. If you hire an uninsured tree expert, you can
be held liable for any damages or injuries that occur while they are on the job. If you hire
a company that is from another state, verify that his insurance covers him for work done
in your state.
• References- Ask for references from past customers and do not hesitate to check them, or
to visit the locations where the company or individual has done tree care work.
• Estimates- Do not be afraid to ask for an estimate, and it is ok to get more than one
estimate. You should not always select the lowest bid. When examining the bids, you
should look at all specifications and credentials, and the work to be done to determine
which company will provide the best service with the skill and professionalism needed to
protect your investment. And most importantly get it in writing. Most reputable arborist
will have the customer sign a contract so be sure to review it and do not be afraid to ask
questions.
It is important to remember that good tree work by qualified professionals is worth the additional
expense; however, poor work, no matter the price paid, can cost you a great deal in the long run.
Professional prices should include liability and workman's compensation insurance, and may
also include the use of bucket trucks and equipment. There may also be pricing that includes
heavier specialty equipment that may be needed such as cranes, loaders, etc., or hardware that
may be installed in the tree. If you feel an estimate is high, do not hesitate to ask what the price
includes, you may realize you are getting much more bang for your buck than what a less
expensive tree service is offering. Visit us at Southland Tree for Reliable Atlanta Tree Service and for a free estimate and professional caring service.

About the Author

Need video restoration services for tapes damaged by Katrina. NOLA or MS gulf coast area.?

I have a number of mini DV videotapes that were damaged during Katrina. They were in the trunk of my car (not as safe as I thought) and were submerged for a few hours in Bay St. Louis, MS. Have put off searching for a restoration service until now.
Does anyone know of a business in SE Louisiana or MS gulf coast that does these restoration services? I have seen websites from some companies in other states that claim to work, but I would hate to send off my tapes out of state.
Anyone with similar experience and good results? Local is great, but I would send them off if I had to, knowing they would do a good job.

try this grp:

http://www.finalvideoproduction.com/

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part 7 jessy and janas crazy adventure from california to lousiana in search of oil.mov

The Latest Insanity and Waste From Your Political Class

Reason magazine is a great magazine for those Americans that are concerned and interested about freedom in America. Their articles are well written, well researched, and are much more connected with reality than most options in the main stream media. Their numerical analyses are especially insightful, detailed but easy to understand.

Some bits of insanity from their latest issue include the following:

- According to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, about 10% of the annual $500 billion that the Federal government pays out in Medicare payments is fraudulent and improper. This estimated waste, $48 billion annually, apparently does not even include waste from Medicaid and Medicare Part D for drug prescriptions.

What is the government doing to cut down on this outrageous waste of taxpayer money? Apparently not too much, according to the GAO:

• Those in charge are not doing nearly enough to avoid similar fraud going forward.
• In 2007, the GAO also sounded the alarm on this same issue, apparently to no avail since those in charge of Medicare are still allowing $48 billion worth of fraud a year, four years after the initial report and warnings.
• The same problems exist today as in 2007 including poor management systems that cannot single out fraudulent payments.
• Other recommendations from  the 2007 GAO report have not been effectively followed up on.

As a result, Medicare suffers from "pervasive internal control deficiencies" and "it's complexity and susceptibility to improper payments, combined with its size, have led to serious management challenges.

If the GAO is right and $48 billion in waste a year could be eliminated, then over a 12 year period about $576 billion could be saved. If Obama is serious about trimming $4 TRILLION from the national debt over twelve years, than just fixing this single government problem would get him about 14% of the way there without raising anyone's taxes. If he could also clean up the fraud in Medicaid and Medicare Part D, it is not inconceivable that he could get closer to 20-25% of his debt reduction target.

- Currently, 44 states offer movie executives and companies financial and other incentives to film their movies in their states. However, given the tight economic times for just about every state government, they may want to reconsider these taxpayer giveaways based on the some simple analyses that have been done.

According to a Reason article, the state of Michigan has usually given movie makers a tax credit that was about 42%, on average, of the budget for films made in the state of Michigan. The state has spent $300 million since 2008 on these types of incentives and will have spent well over $400 million by the time the program ends in 2013.

What has Michigan gotten for these hundreds of millions of dollars? An analysis by the Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency found that the state spent $190.3 million in movie incentives in 2008 and 2009. As a result, they estimated that these movie endeavors created 6,217 part time jobs in support of the shootings. They assumed that 6,217 part time jobs are the equivalent of about 571 full time jobs, resulting in the simple math that each full time job equivalent cost $507,962 each. Not a really good economic program when it costs you half a million dollars to create one full time job equivalent.

And Michigan is not alone. The state of Louisiana has been one state that has actually been increasing its budget for attracting film makers to their state. In Louisiana, film makers can get up to 35% in production and labor incentives for their film projects. This budget has been growing despite the fact that a 2005 state legislative analyst's finding and analysis estimated that the state recouped only about 16-18% of its investment.

Makes you wonder why these simple types of analysis are not done long before the state government and the politicians that operate it waste hundreds of millions of dollars. How many more such state programs exist and how many Federal programs exist, programs that waste taxpayer money and seem to exist only because they already exist. Wouldn't it be better to get government smaller and focused on only essential needs and let favored industries like movie production pay their fair share? Think about how much taxpayer money could be saved and how tax increases are not even necessary when you start clearing out these types of wasteful programs.

- Neil Strauss wrote a book called "The Game," which apparently details the best way to pick up women. According to Reason, Strauss claims that the FBI has hired him to train agents on the use of his pick-up techniques to elicit information from terrorists. Now that water boarding is no longer used I guess we have to fall back on lines such as "What's you sign?", "Come to Gitmo often?", and "I love your burka." I find it hard to believe that pick up lines and techniques are gong to be effective at anything except wasting taxpayer dollars.

- On January 26, 2011, Mexican authorities seized a nine foot tall, trailer mounted catapult that they say was used to hurl marijuana packets over the Arizona border fence. No need to illegally cross over into the United States when you can just use a crude ancient weapon to fling the illegal drugs into the country. By the way, the entire fence on the border has already cost taxpayers well over a $1 billion but apparently can be defeated by a medieval contraption that costs far less than $1 billion to build.

The article goes on to recount the many ways drug smugglers get their product into this country beyond catapulting including false bottom gas tanks, clothes laced with liquefied cocaine and boa constrictors who have been been forced to down packets of heroin.

Given that the never ending war on drugs is over forty years old and the originality of drug smugglers seems just as never ending, maybe it is a good time to finally have an adult discussion and plan on the never ending drug plague in this country, a discussion that needs to include decriminalization, legalization, and enhanced addict treatment approaches.

- Recently, police officers in Sarasota were having trouble with drug dealers in an apartment complex in town, the Mediterranean Apartments. Drug use and violence was wide spread in the area and in the complex but police could not nail down who the actual dealers were. That is when they found a favorable judge who issued a warrant to end all warrants, and possibly the fourth Amendment to the Constitution. The warrant allowed police to search EVERYONE who entered the complex, even if there was not probable cause.

While police said "no innocent people" lived in or frequented the complex, of the dozen people that were arbitrarily stopped, only four were charged with a drug crime. This obviously shows the police based their ridiculous assumption on faulty information if two thirds of the people stopped and their fourth Amendment rights violated were not guilty of any drug offenses.

It is very scary when the police assume you are guilty until proven innocent and a judge allows them to get away with it. However, there is justice since an attorney of one of the four arrested probably has a strong case for throwing the arrest out of court as a violation of his client's Constitutional rights. Thus, this charade may not get any drug dealers any prison time while it chipped away another piece of freedom from our Constitutional rights.

But Reason magazine does not have a monopoly on government insanity. Consider the following items from just one issue of The Week magazine.

- The government and the political class have handled the Federal government's involvement in the domestic real estate market so wretchedly that the American taxpayer has already paid out $150 billion to cover up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's losses, with more bills to come. This information comes form an article in The Atlantic by Daniel Indiviglio, as summarized in the May 13, 2011 issue of The Week.

This means that on average, every U.S. household has already paid out about $1,300 to cover the incompetence of these two Federal housing organizations. Mr. Indiviglio's solution? Get the government and the political class out of the housing market altogether and let private industry fail or succeed in that market according to their own abilities, without the help or aid of the U.S. taxpayer.

- Chrysler announced that it earned $116 million in profits in the first quarter of 2011. At this rate of $116 million a quarter, Chrysler will pay back the $5.8 billion it owes the American taxpayer in bailout money in about twelve and half years, assuming that all of its profits go to the bailout payback. Not a very good investment by any measure, if you have to wait twelve years just to get back the original money you forked out like the taxpayer did for Chrysler.

Waste, waste, waste, and destruction of Constitutional rights. A busy month for the government and the political class but not a good month for taxpayers and liberty.

About the Author

Walter "Bruno" Korschek is the author of the book, "Love My Country, Loathe My Government. - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom and Destroying The American Political Class," which is available at www.loathemygovernment.com and online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Our daily dialog on freedom in American can be joined at www.loathemygovernment.blogspot.com.

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The job search catalog: A selected bibliography ...

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