Tree removal: When to do it, how to find the right arborist

Arborist Benjamin Falk takes out a dead green ash tree in Boulder one killed by problems other than the emerald ash borer. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

Trees hang around the house so long, it's easy to think of them as members of your extended family. You cherish them deeply, right down to their roots.

But sometimes, they've got to go.

Fortunately, fewer feelings are at stake with an elm than, say, your cousin Frank, but the separation can be just as emotional.

So, the first thing to consider when you're thinking about getting rid of a tree is to not get rid of it at all. A professional arborist is likely to tell you as much.

"In this climate, every tree we have is important," said Israel Showvaker, an arborist with I & E Specialties Tree Care, a family-run company based in Aurora. "If you can save it, it's worth saving."

A lot of trees that look hopeless might just need a professional pruning to get them growing in the right direction. That aspen may have aphids, but that can be treated easily with natural pesticides or even a forceful spray from a hose. Even a tree that's been struck by lightning and left looking like something out of a horror movie deserves a second chance, Showvaker said.

"If it's cracked in half or the trunk is split, sometimes we can cable it so it grows back together," he said.

Of course, not all trees can be spared. Homeowners have to put safety first. Nobody wants a tree that drops a branch big enough to take out a corner of the house or the car windshield (or worse, the next-door neighbor's windshield).

That can mean taking out the precious Colorado blue spruce you planted 3 feet from the house decades ago to celebrate the birth of your first child.

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Tree removal: When to do it, how to find the right arborist