Is One Of Your Trees Showing Signs of Distress?
Trees are a big part of our yard and replacing a decades old oak is easy…as long as you have a few decades to wait! A tree health assessment is the first step towards understanding why your tree is struggling and a tree risk assessment will help you determine if it is safe to leave a sick or damaged tree standing.
Tree Health Assessments and Tree Risk Assessments
Health Assessment
Starting at the base of your tree, your certified arborist will perform an in-depth assessment of the tree’s root system, soil, and surrounding environment. The trunk and crown will be visually inspected for signs of infestation or structural defect.
Tree Risk Assessment
Using the International Society of Arboriculture’s Tree Risk Assessment Standards, your arborist will assess the risk that your tree poses. This metric considers factors including the size of the tree, its current condition, and the possible consequences of catastrophic failure.
Diagnosis and Suggestions for Remediation
To conclude, your arborist will explain their findings and provide recommendations for moving forward. Our priority is always to preserve trees via cabling, bracing, or integrated pest management plans – but sometimes the only option for hazardous trees is tree removal.
Why Choose Sox & Freeman
Certified Arborists
At Sox & Freeman we aren’t just a few guys with chainsaws – every one of our crews is led by an ISA-certified arborist. This means that you’re working with tree experts who have the training, education, and experience to diagnose and treat health problems for both native species and ornamentals.
Long-term Relationships
Sox & Freeman has been in business for 75 years and some of our clients have been with us for three generations. Like the trees we work with, we take a long view of the world and prioritize developing long-term relationships over short-term gain.
An Ongoing Commitment to Training
We don’t rest on our laurels and are always training the next generation of arborists. At Sox & Freeman our non-certified crew members are given the time, training, and resources to become certified arborists via our Arborist Development Plan.
Insured For Peace Of Mind
No experienced arborist will say that their profession is without risk – and we’re as experienced as they come. To that end we safeguard both our crews and your property with industry leading insurance and workers compensation plans.
Tree Doctors - We Keep Trees Healthy
We love Columbia for its amazing tree cover and it is always our goal to preserve as many healthy trees as possible. Whether you just want to ensure your trees are growing well or have one you are concerned about, our arborists will help keep your trees healthy.
Trusted By The Midlands for 75 years!
Dave Ruddle
I wanted advice on a freshly planted tree and for my aging pear tree. Brandon was on time, friendly, courteous and knowledgeable with good suggestions. When done, I asked what the fee is for an the evaluation, he said nothing. I will be calling them back for any other tree service in the future and strongly recommend them.
John Wilkinson
First class. We had some work done on a huge, old oak tree that had overgrown our house and had some other issues. The Sox & Freeman team made some (much appreciated) suggestions that balanced the health of the tree with my original request. The difference between a professional & experienced arborist and … me! Everyone on the crew was friendly, courteous, and professional. We’ll definitely be hiring them again for future work. Highly recommend!
Art Spaziano
I recently had them take down a sweet gum tree in my back yard. I was concerned that they would tear up the lawn in the process of getting the pieces removed. It turned out that they were super careful and had all the right equipment to remove every trace of the tree without any damage.
KC Eriksson
These guys are arboreal ninjas, wizards with ropes, philosophers of the urban forest. Seriously good work, great client service, and customer education to boot. I’d have ’em come back again just to watch them work, and learn more from these guys. Bonus: not as expensive as I expected.
Catherine Savage
This company is incredible, their entire staff is amazing. The guy who took down our huge tree with his great team was extremely professional & super talented at his job. We could not be more impressed or happy with the way they took care of us. You must call this company if you really want the best tree service in SC.
Why should I work with a certified arborist?
At Sox & Freeman our crews always include an ISA-certified arborist. The International Society of Arboriculture sets standards for arboriculture (tree care) and requires training, testing, and continuing education to qualify for and maintain certification.
In many cases trees won’t show obvious signs of distress until it is too late to save them – perhaps 5 or even 10 years after the problem first set in! Our professional arborists have the training and experience to recognize problems early, allowing you to treat your trees instead of having to remove them!
What areas do you service?
We offer professional tree services across the South Carolina Midlands and the surrounding areas, including Blythewood, Cayce, Chapin, Columbia, Irmo, Lexington, and West Columbia.
We are Located at: 3615 Phillips Street, Columbia, SC 29203
How often should I get a tree health assessment?
We recommend having your tree health assessed every three years, or when you notice a tree losing its foliage unexpectedly, leaning, or otherwise looking sick.