KENT COUNTY, Mich. — After extreme weather comes an extreme influx of calls for tree removal companies.
That's no different for Chris Lautenbach, one of four sales arborists for SavATree's Grand Rapids branch.
“I've got six [calls] currently, and I've done probably that many," Lautenbach said early Tuesday afternoon.
It's Lautenbach's job to assess what kind of help the community needs and how many people need that help.
“When clients call, everybody’s version of a bad day can be different," he said. “Is a tree in the house? Is it on the house? Is it on a car blocking a driveway? What level of problem do we have and how best to get crews there to address it?"
In addition to the team of arborists, SavATree also had four crews across West Michigan tending to those immediate needs. Sometimes the problems are obvious, and other times, the problems are waiting to be revealed.
“At the end of the day, that's the bigger question," he said. "The downed limbs around the ground ... it's an inconvenience. In this particular case, the tree standing there is a problem.”
Lautenbach mentioned how even if a tree is still standing, it can be compromised and should be taken down eventually.
"If it’s making noise, if it’s creaking or cracking or that kind of thing, that’s probably the easiest trigger," he said.
Lautenbach will draft a quote for the immediate need and a separate one for any additional work that could be done later.
Then it's on to a new home with a new problem. Although, after doing this since 1998, it's nothing he hasn't seen before.
“I’ve seen some really ugly stuff in my day, so it takes some really ugly stuff to get my attention," he said.
The assessment process isn't limited to just the day after a storm. Lautenbach said it can take days to get through the emergency portion and weeks, sometimes even months, to get through the remedial work.
So their job is just getting started.
SavATree, which has 99 branches nationally, recently partnered with West Michigan Tree Services, which has been operating in the area for 90 years. You can look at the company's storm damage flyer, which provides more information on what they do and how you can prevent future storm damage:
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