Some true stories, all local—A man knocks on the door of a house, and when greeted by the owner, offers to take down four dead trees in the yard. The homeowner agrees, and the man proceeds to make deep cuts in all the trees. Going back to the first one, he fells the tree, only he drops it across SCE power lines, breaking them. Before anyone else reacts, he jumps in his truck and leaves. The homeowner finds the tree and the wires down, and the man gone. The homeowner then gets a real professional to take down the remaining trees, and pays SCE for the damage to their wires.

A homeowner has a large limb over his carport that he wants removed. He chooses an unlicensed contractor who bids half of what the licensed contractor bid. The contractor then drops the limb on the carport, causing considerable damage. He walks away, leaving the homeowner to cover the cost of repairs.

A homeowner hires a contractor who claims to be licensed, but is not. He asks for the money upfront. He cuts down several trees, leaves them lying on the ground, and disappears. A licensed contractor is brought in to clean up and dispose of the trees.

There is no question that a homeowner can save money, at least initially, by hiring unlicensed contractors to take down trees. It is also true, as the stories show, that there are some very large risks involved, and breaking power lines is not the greatest of them.

Licensed contractors have higher costs because they pay taxes, buy insurance, and pay for workers' compensation. Tree work is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. A legitimate business accounts for this risk by carrying general insurance to protect themselves and the homeowner in case of accidents, and by carrying workers' compensation to pay for medical care in the event that a worker is injured on the job. A business that does not have these protections is putting themselves, their workers, and the homeowner at risk. Most homeowner insurance policies will not cover damages or injuries caused by unlicensed and uninsured contractors.

State law requires a business license if the job done costs $500 or more. Hiring someone to rakes your leaves for a few hundred dollars is very different from asking someone to climb or cut a tree. The types of licenses to look for are a state contractors license (general, landscaping, or tree service), and a Licensed Timber Operator-A (LTO-A). The state business license requires knowledge of general business practice as well as proof of experience and competence in the field. State contractors licenses can be easily checked on line at cslb.ca.gov. The LTO-A requires relevant knowledge of state environmental rules set out in the Forest Practice Act, designed to protect natural resources affected by logging, whether animal, soil, or water. Both licenses require a commitment of time, effort, and money, on the part of the contractor, and they assure the public of a fundamental professionalism for those who carry them. The Mountain Community Fire Safe Council requires both a state contractors license as well as the LTO-A from all our approved contractors.

So for your own sake, as well as your neighbors and professional tree fallers, please use licensed contractors. Sleep easy at night.