What is a Certified Arborist and Why Should You Use One?

By Nancy Penrose

Alright, so first things first. What is an arborist? Well, to put it simply, an arborist is a professional who is highly trained in the science of planting, caring for and maintaining trees.

Ok, so what about a certified arborist? A certified arborist is someone who is highly seasoned and has been certified by the International Society of Arboriculture. The only way to become ISA-certified is to pass rigorous certification exams that test one’s knowledge about the various parts of arboriculture, the study of how trees grow and respond to their environment.

Why should I use a certified arborist?

Arborists are tree-care experts. In fact, they are required to have at least 3-years of experience within the field. They also are required to stay up-to-date on the most recent arboriculture techniques. When you use a certified arborist, you’re utilizing the experience, skills and know-how of these professionals so your trees can be properly taken care of on your property.

The trees on your property are an investment that effect the value of your property. Trees that are not taken care of properly can devalue your home and even make create safety hazards. On the flip side, if your trees are well-maintained and properly taken care of, the value of your home can increase and those around it will remain safe.

When you hire a certified arborist, you’ll feel assured that your tree professional knows how to perform any type of tree-care activity, such as pruning, removal, trimming, etc.

At Big Trees, we offer a one-year warranty and a free aftercare visit from our Board Certified Master Arborist when we install trees. Just contact us today at (866) 313-2333 to get started.

Nancy Penrose is owner of Big Trees Inc. (https://bigtreesupply.com), (tree nursery Snohomish, WA), one of the largest Seattle tree nurseries, specializing in large trees for sale and transplant tree service. Learn more about tree preservation at https://bigtreesupply.com/tree-care-maintenance/ and for more tips on tree care or installation go to privacytree.net. See our video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6vVhNW1XJI and connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Trees-Inc/193731105108.

Choosing the Right Place to Plant a Tree

By Nancy Penrose

Planting a tree is a great way to conserve energy, protect your property and clear the air. Additionally, trees preserve soil, provide food and add value to your home. Choosing the right location for your tree is vital and will help keep the tree in good health. So, how do you choose a good place? We outline our tips below.

Figure out the purpose of your tree

What will the function of your tree be? Do you want more shade to keep your home cool in the summer? A large leafy tree can do the trick. Or maybe you want to add some more privacy to your home, in which case evergreens are a great choice. First decide on the purpose of your tree and then you’ll be able to determine a location.

Finding the perfect location

Once you’ve figured out the purpose of your tree, you’ll need to find the perfect location so it can function as desired. They’ll need to be planted in a spot where they won’t be interfered with or damaged by surrounding structures. Your tree size will be a large determining factor on where the tree can go. Make sure the height doesn’t obstruct any views or risk contact with power lines, and that the root system doesn’t interfere with anything underground, like water pipes, the home’s foundation, or the sidewalk.

When a tree is planted correctly in a good location and cared for properly, it can become a lifelong addition to your home. On the other hand, if the tree is not planted correctly and isn’t well cared for, costly problems can occur.

At Big Trees, we can help you pick out a tree that will best suit your needs and give our expert opinion on where it should be planted. Just contact us today at (866) 313-2333 to get started.

Nancy Penrose is owner of Big Trees Inc. (https://www.bigtreesupply.com), (tree nursery Snohomish, WA), one of the largest Seattle tree nurseries, specializing in large trees for sale and transplant tree service. Learn more about tree preservation at https://bigtreesupply.com/tree-care-maintenance/ and for more tips on tree care or installation go to privacytree.net. See our video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6vVhNW1XJI and connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Trees-Inc/193731105108.

Big Trees Inc. Provides Large Tree Privacy Screen to Home

SNOHOMISH, WA: Big Trees Inc., (https://bigtreesupply.com/), a tree sales and transplant company, provided a large tree privacy screen, consisting of 10 trees, to the back yard of a home since a builder had recently removed the native forest.

A woman had called into Big Trees with her story of the forest having been knocked down behind her home to make way for three new houses. Disappointed with her new view, she decided to ask for help from Big Trees.

Big Trees suggested a variety of trees they had in their nursery at that time that could be delivered and installed with an irrigation system and warranty. After some options were presented and budgets were defined, one of the Big Trees staff went out to the property to help design where the trees should go along the fence line. Big Trees arranged for the delivery and installation of the 10 trees requested, ranging from 14-feet to 20-feet, resulting in restoring the privacy to the yard that had been lost.

“It’s wonderful getting to have a role in this kind of landscaping. Watching people’s faces when the large trees start to change their views is a really fun process.” said Nancy, owner of Big Trees.

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc., located in Snohomish, WA in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only deliver young trees, but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at http://www.bigtreesupply.com/blog/ or http://arboristblog.com/. They can be reached at 360-563-2700.

Big Trees Inc. Helps Relocate a Large Japanese Maple

SNOHOMISH, WA: Big Trees Inc., (https://bigtreesupply.com/), a tree sales and transplant company, was asked to help relocate a large Japanese Maple tree for a group of residents involved in a local school remodel.

The tree had a long standing heritage at the entrance to the school. When the school started its remodeling project, the locals decided to privately raise the funds to have this large tree moved to the entrance of the new school.

Big Trees was first contacted about this project in early December 2018. Once it was decided that this tree was a viable candidate for proper root balling and transplanting to the new proposed planting location, Big Trees generated some estimates for what the process might involve financially. A local group of volunteers began raising the funds to accommodate this transplant.

The Japanese Maple was originally planted in 1967, and has been seen as a heritage tree to most all who have attended the school over the years. It is now 20-feet tall by 20-feet wide with numerous trunks in a thick diameter. The tree weighed-in at around 25,000 pounds once it was properly dug and bound with burlap and rope. The tree was rigged and lifted onto a truck for transport to the new installation location. Once the crane was set up in the next location, the tree was lifted off of the transport vehicle and planted in its new planting environment.

The tree is going to receive ongoing supervision and care from the volunteers’ group who worked hard to raise the funds.

“This Japanese Maple will hopefully continue to welcome many more generations of students at the school’s new entrance, as it has done for the last 50 years in its former location.” said Todd Holmes, Big Trees’ Operation Manager.

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc., located in Snohomish, WA in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only deliver young trees, but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/ or http://arboristblog.com/. They can be reached at 360-563-2700.

BigTreeSupply.com: Spring Checklist for Taking Care of Your Trees

By Nancy Penrose

Winter is almost over and spring is in sight! This means it’s time to start thinking about tree care for your trees and ensure they’re in tip-top shape for spring and summer. Below, you’ll find a mini-checklist of steps you can take to see if your tree is healthy and what to do if certain signs appear.

1. Inspect your trees and shrubs
Rainfall and melting snow can add more water than normal and you may encounter standing water. Pay attention to your trees; if anything looks unusual, make sure to contact a professional tree arborist to determine the care that might be needed.

2. Prune any dead branches
Proper pruning is a must in order to protect your big trees from any branches that got damaged from the winter weather. Not to mention, pruning will help protect your home, cars, family and passersby from damaged branches that could fall.

3. Think about if you want to plant new trees
Now is the time to start thinking about planting new trees. If you’ve decided to plant a new tree, spring is a great time to do so! We highly recommend hiring a tree installation professional to help you on planting your new trees because there are several factors that come into play, such as where to safely plant it, planting it at the proper depth, etc.

Spring is such a joyful time for many of us! Let’s make sure your trees are healthy and safe. We are professionally trained to inspect trees, give them their proper treatment and plant new trees. Just contact us at (866) 313-2333 and we can go over your specific needs.

Nancy Penrose is owner of Big Trees Inc. (https://bigtreesupply.com), (tree nursery Snohomish, WA), one of the largest Seattle tree nurserys, specializing in large trees for sale and transplant tree service. Learn more about tree installation at https://bigtreesupply.com/planting-service/professional-planting-service/ and for more tips on tree care or tree installation go to http://arboristblog.com/blog/. See our video at https://vimeo.com/291609737 and connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Trees- Inc/193731105108.

BigTreeSupply.com: Why You Shouldn’t Neglect Damaged Trees

By Nancy Penrose


In today’s fast paced world, it’s easy to get busy with work and forget to pay attention to your trees. You may overlook damage or forget to properly maintain your trees. While it is totally understandable when life can be busy, we want to stress how important it is to assess damaged trees, especially big trees, and to maintain your trees properly.

What happens if I neglect a damaged tree?


First, it can be very harmful to your neighbors, children, family, pets and people passing by. When a tree is diseased, damaged or unstable, the branches are at risk of falling and can injure those nearby. The scary part is that it can happen suddenly and unpredictably.

Secondly, it can cause property damage if large branches, or even an entire tree, falls onto your car or your home, or worse, that of your neighbor’s.


Thirdly, damaged trees can also cause problems for nearby trees on your property. If a large branch falls on another tree, or if the tree disease from one tree spreads to another, things can get bad quickly.

At Big Trees, we are properly trained tree specialists and can inspect all types of trees and help find the correct solution for diseased or damaged trees. If your tree looks questionable in any way, let us come out and inspect it. Call us at (360) 563-2700 today.

Nancy Penrose is owner of Big Trees Inc. (https://bigtreesupply.com), (tree nursery Snohomish, WA), one of the largest Seattle tree nurseries, specializing in large trees for sale and transplant tree service. Learn more about tree preservation at https://bigtreesupply.com/tree-care-maintenance/ and for more tips on tree care or installation go to privacytree.net. See our video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6vVhNW1XJI and connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Trees- Inc/193731105108.

Big Trees Inc. Helps a Local University on Renovation Project

SNOHOMISH, WA: Big Trees Inc., (https://bigtreesupply.com/), a tree sales and transplant company, was recently contacted by a local university to help save existing trees from demolition during a large campus remodel.

Big Trees helped relocate the trees to a storage area and save them for future landscape use after the construction is complete. The university is well known for its specimen trees and plants and the reuse of these trees will be appreciated in the coming decades of new students, faculty and public garden tours.

There were eight large trees that needed to be dug, balled and burlapped, and maneuvered to a storage area located several hundred yards to the north of their current locations. Most of these trees weighed one to four tons or more, and included varieties such as Japanese Maples, Fernleaf Hinokis and a spreading Mugo Pine. In addition to the large trees, there were 17 heavy rocks that had been weathered and aged in the garden. These rocks, some weighing upwards of 8,000 pounds, were carefully unearthed from their positions and moved to storage as well.

“It’s very rewarding to everyone involved when we get to see trees with a long, cared for history be saved and valued for a new project,” says Todd Holmes, Big Trees’ Operation Manager. “These trees have a lot of character to offer a new building, to say nothing of the scaling and sizing complementation that some mature landscape trees and heavy-rock can bring to a view scape. It’s very exciting to come see the project once everything is wrapped up and recognize the value that the substantial trees and landscaping provides.”

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc., located in Snohomish, WA in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only deliver young trees, but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/ or http://arboristblog.com/. They can be reached at 360-563-2700.