Client in Spokane insisted I leave a dead elm standing, now the city is involved

Had a job last spring where the homeowner refused to let me take down a large elm that was clearly dead and dropping branches. She said it was a memorial to her late husband who planted it 30 years ago. I explained the safety risks three times but she wouldn't budge. Fast forward to two weeks ago, a big limb came down on her neighbor's shed, and now the city arborist is requiring removal at her expense. Has anyone else dealt with a client who just won't listen about hazard trees?

4 comments

4 Comments

adam_patel4d ago

That reminds me of a lady in Portland I talked to last summer who kept a rotting maple because her kid used to climb it. The whole trunk was hollowed out by carpenter ants, and she still argued it was fine. Sometimes you just can't talk people out of sentiment, even when the tree is literally falling apart.

lindal133d ago

Sometimes you just can't talk people out of sentiment" really hit me. I read an article a while back about how people bond with trees the same way they bond with pets, seeing them as part of the family. That explains why logic just bounces off, no matter how much the tree is caving in.

faithcampbell3d ago

Wait, @daniel_martin are you saying I'm the one who ends up with the ant farm after we take down the tree? lol I swear I've had jobs where the homeowner cries more than when their goldfish died, and I'm just standing there with my chainsaw thinking "this thing is basically a hazard at this point." Guess I shouldn't judge too hard though, I still have a stuffed animal from when I was a kid that's held together with duct tape and prayers.

daniel_martin3d ago

Haha yeah that's wild. Guess that tree earned its spot in the will before it earned a trip to the chipper. Hope the kid got some good memories out of it before the whole thing turned into a giant ant farm.