The HOA complied by asking their landscaper to trim the trees. The landscaping company assured them they had the knowledge to complete the job correctly.
The result was about 15 trees that were "Hatracked"! The HOA is now being compelled by the local Code Enforcement to dig up and replace all the trees involved. You can imagine this is an expensive lesson!
What's wrong with hatracking?
It's more than just bad aesthetics. What I'm referring to as "Hatracking" is severe over pruning. Some unscrupulous companies sell this service as "Hurricane Pruning". But, it's actually detrimental to the trees as they'll re-grow branches with weak attachment that are actually MORE likely to break during a hurricane or other storm. Hatracking makes a tree MORE DANGEROUS!
I asked Tim, the owner of Mid Florida Tree Service about this situation. Here's his reply to me:
Yes. We see a lot of times where homeowners, condominiums, homeowners associations and apartments, etc. call us out because they received a letter from their Insurance company stating that they need to have all the trees trimmed back from overhanging their house or structure. We then, as certified arborist, have to inform and educate our clients that the tree industry is regulated. The insurance company cannot make them break the law by improperly and over trimming their trees.
We will trim their trees properly and then provide written documentation that the trees have been trimmed per ANSI A300 standards and the local tree ordinance.
So, if you are a home owner or the responsible party for an HOA or Apartment Complex and your insurance company asks you to trim your trees, Be sure you contact a certified arborist, like Mid Florida Tree Service, and have them professionally trim your trees in compliance with ANSI A300 standards and your local ordinances.
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