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Pacific Madrona Removal – Kirkland, WA The Pacific Madrona (Arbutus menziesii)  has one of the largest habitat ranges in North America. Populations of these unique trees are found along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia down to Mexico. In Canada, they are referred to as Arbutus. Here in Washington, we call them Madrona. From Oregon south, they are commonly referred to as Madrone. These trees prefer the forest edge with a mixture of sun and shade. They do not tolerate dr

Removal of Hollow Lombardy Poplar – North Seattle, WA Lombardy Poplar (Populus nigra ‘Italica’)  trees can grow up to 150 feet tall. They are often planted in rows as “living walls” and privacy screens. Trees within the Populus genus, including Cottonwoods, Poplars and Aspen, are known for rapid growth and then rapid decline. This particular tree was located in a large cemetery in North Seattle. It had been previously pruned to remove dead limbs. The tree was declining furthe

Hazard Reduction Pruning of Large Red Oak – Seattle, WA One of the largest and oldest Red Oaks (Quercus rubra) in the city of Seattle is rooted in a residential parking strip in Capitol Hill. With a trunk nearly 5 feet in diameter, this spectacular tree is nearly 120 years old. The massive canopy of this oak over the house spreads over 100 feet across a busy city street and six residential properties. In 2016, the property closest to the base of the tree was redeveloped. The

Analysis of Big Leaf Maple Failure – Kirkland, WA This Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) had failed before we arrived. The tree was...

Assessment of Apple Tree with Large Tree House – Kenmore, WA Many years ago, the client began building a tree house in an old apple tree. The project evolved and it became a three-story structure with significant weight. Was the Apple tree healthy, stable and strong enough for this use? Tree133 was asked to inspect the tree and provide guidance. This was an unusual project because the tree house was built in a relatively small tree. The homeowner had some structural engineeri

Damage Assessment for a Large Douglas-Fir – Lynnwood, WA An elementary school was in process of building a new science classroom. The excavation and construction occurred within the dripline of two large Douglas-Firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii) that were each more than 30 inches diameter and over 100 feet tall. The term “dripline” describes the outer limit of branches and foliage. The area inside is the zone of greatest importance for tree health and stability. Root loss or damag

At TCI Expo 2019, Craig was invited into the the TreeStuff Micro Rigging Lab to demonstrate climbing and rigging for professional arborists. Watch as he explains rigging systems to reduce force in the tree and improve climbing safety. Contact Tree133  for specialized technical services and arborist skills training.

In this webinar for tree care professionals, Craig offers techniques for proper work positioning along with tips on making your tree climbing experience safer and easier. To learn more about professional training support for your team, contact Tree133 today ! Recorded on 5/29/20 at Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park in Seattle, WA.

If you live in or around Seattle, you might have seen our "big blue truck" and maybe our dog, Jack - he's the best "backseat driver" in the crew. The truck has served us well... but even with outstanding service and maintenance from the experts at Jeff's Auto - Sandpoint , it is time to retire this 16-year-old workhorse. So... We have just acquired a "new-to-us" truck. While it looks a bit burlier than planned, it provides Tree133 with the power and reliability we need to pul

We're excited to announce that Joanna Bachmann has joined the Tree133 team! Since our founding, Joanna has been supporting Craig and the...

If you are a climbing arborist, when was the last time you inspected your gear? Is there something in your bag that needs to be retired or replaced? Craig was invited to chat with Tchukki Anderson at TCIA about gear inspection for tree care professionals. Follow this link to listen on your preferred platform. Craig and Tree133 are committed to sharing our knowledge to help fellow arborists improve skills and safety on the job. Submit a training inquiry  to learn how we can h

August 2020: TCIA Magazine "In our roles as business leaders, supervisors, gear inspectors and safety trainers, we see tons of climbing gear. An alarming portion of that gear is unmaintained, poorly configured or beyond its reasonable service life. Those observations led us to ask, who is responsible for the condition of a climber’s life-safety equipment? Is it the climber or the company? Who is responsible when climbing gear fails? With a combined 23 years in this profession

Tree133 has worked on this beautiful Japanese laceleaf maple (Acer palmatum) for the past few years. In fall of 2019, we removed dead/decaying foliage and interior deadwood as well as a few damaged interior limbs (abraded by other branches). That first phase greatly improved the tree’s appearance and we noticed better foliage conditions the following spring. This January, we performed light raising and thinning to improve light/airflow throughout the canopy and expose a bit

In this webinar for professional arborists, Craig Bachmann reviews proper cutting techniques and angles. Contact Tree133  for specialized technical services and arborist skills training.

In this March 2021 episode of the Tree Thinking podcast, Craig Bachmann talked with the team about the value of mentorship, the future of arboriculture as a profession and what it means to build a tree service company toward preservation, instead of the temptation of cash grab removals. Craig and Tree133 are committed to sharing our knowledge to help fellow arborists improve skills and safety on the job. Submit a training inquiry to learn how we can help improve skills for y

Have you ever seen a tree that looks like it's propped up on legs? The tree likely grew on debris or sprouted on a nurse log, rather than rooting directly in the ground. This Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)  in the Lake City neighborhood in North Seattle had died and was going to be removed. It was possible to excavate around the roots and actually see the structure and nurse log. For 40-50 years, the nurse log provided ground cover and reduced soil erosion around the r

Leyland cypress  (Cupressus x leylandii) is a hybrid species resulting from a cross between the Alaskan cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkantensis) and the Monterey cypress (Cupressocyparis macrocarpa) .   It is a popular choice for privacy screening because of its extremely fast growth rate - quickly growing 40-60 feet high and over 15 feet wide. In prime growing conditions, they can reach 100 feet tall and 50 feet wide. In the Pacific Northwest, Leyland cypress is often an inexpens

Check out Craig's newest article for tree care professionals in this month's TCI Magazine: Thinking Critically About Life Safety...

A canopy anchor is a climbing system that anchors the rope in the canopy of a tree. While a moving rope system (MRS) typically uses a...

Birds, insects and small mammals all use trees for nests, nurseries, storage areas, foraging, roosting, and perching. If a tree needs to be removed, rather than cutting it to the ground, it may be possible to retain valuable habitat with a wildlife habitat snag. In this video, Karsten  explains how arborists help preserve urban wildlife habitat, imitate wood breaks that happen naturally and create bird boxes to provide nesting cavities. Want to learn more about snag trees? Li