About Bob Lee & Sons Tree Service

Bob Lee & Sons Tree Service, in Payson, AZ, is a professional tree service and logging company that specializes in logging, healthy forest initiatives, thinning, wildfire prevention, and hazardous tree removal, has always been a family affair. If Bob Lee planted the seed, his son, Dale has turned it into a forest. Starting in the early 1980s as a local tree service, the company has now expanded its territory to cover most of Northern and Central Arizona. “In the beginning we worked mostly in the Rim country and White Mountain areas, but have recently seen a demand for our services in other areas throughout Arizona,” said Dale Lee, owner.

About the Founder
Founder, Bob Lee began his career as a uranium miner, but in the early 1980s, prices of uranium dropped and the mines closed. Lee found himself unemployed. A contractor friend in Payson called Lee and told him about the U.S. Forest Service mistletoe removal project near See Canyon. “We came out, looked at the project, and instantly fell in love with the Payson area,” recalled Lee. And so, in 1983, Lee opened Payson’s first tree service, aptly named Bob Lee Tree Service.

For the first five years, Lee cobbled together enough jobs to support his family and build a reputation in the community. At 67 years old, after running a successful business for 22 years, Lee decided to retire. That’s when son, Dale Lee stepped in. “I couldn’t see my dad’s business coming to a halt,” said the younger Lee, who took over his father’s business in September 2003, and renamed it Bob Lee & Sons Tree Service. “I felt very strongly that we should make a second- generation business. We plan to make a third-generation business as well.”

After acquisition of the business, Bob Lee & Sons expanded its service territory to include most of Central Arizona. We own and operate state-of-the-art equipment including aerial equipment, land clearing equipment, chipping or grinding equipment, and small scale logging equipment. Through the years, Dale Lee’s business has grown in several new and challenging directions. “None of this would have been possible without the help of my family and close friends,” said Dale Lee. “We were able to expand our horizons with the hard work and the expertise that comes with 30 years of experience. We do anything from a single tree removal to removing thousands of trees on forest service, private lands, commercial and residential properties” said Lee.

About the Owner
Dale Lee works closely with government agencies and individual clients to promote healthy forest initiatives and wildfire protection. Bob Lee & Sons Tree Service has also made huge strides in the wild land firefighting service industry, both on rehab, contract falling, and initial attack scenarios. Bob Lee & Sons Tree Service offers wild land fire rehab services. The company’s expertise is especially important when maintenance and prevention are a priority after a fire. Fire line fuels must be chipped, and then spread over the burnt land. In time, the chips retain water and turn to mulch, helping new trees and foliage grow. We also use our chippers to turn green waste into useable products such as mulch, chips for dust control, and electrical energy.

Bob Lee & Sons Tree Service also takes pride in their in their hazardous tree removal skills- removing trees without damaging houses or property. “Our customers are amazed that we can take trees down without harming structures or damaging foliage or their property.” Due to our technical expertise, we hold safety as a top priority. We have an exemplary safety record and are constantly focused on education and developments in our industry. As a complete tree service, we are committed to providing you with the best information regarding arbor care, including fertilization, practical and corrective pruning techniques, and all other aspects of tree diagnosis and treatment. Bob Lee & Sons Tree Service is committed to serving our community. We will continue to strive to bring quality workmanship and technical expertise that our industry requires. “We want to continue Dad’s legacy of providing quality customer service at a fair price. Thank you, dad for your love and support.” –Dale Lee

Why Choose Bob Lee & Sons Tree Service?
· We are licensed and insured.
· We are a second-generation tree company with thirty years of experience and excel in competitive pricing.
· We have the equipment to do any size tree project. No tree project is too small whether it is Residential, Commercial, Land Clearing or Small Logging.
· We are experts in Aerial tree pruning/thinning/removal and we are staffed with technical/trained tree professionals.
· Our Firewise Assessors are qualified and experienced for your Firewise prescriptions. We work along with the Forest Services, Fire Departments, Municipalities, Insurance Companies and Home Owner Associations.
· We have a start to finish tree project procedure. Starting from your initial phone call to our office, to our free on site estimate, customer approval of project, scheduling, completion of project, to our post project follow-up.
· Our policy is 100% customer satisfaction, with highly trained personnel and quality Customer Service.

Service Areas
Ahwatukee · Anthem · Apache Junction · Avondale · Camp Verde · Carefree· Casa Grande · Cave Creek · Chandler · Chino Valley · Coolidge · Cottonwood · Deer Valley · Flagstaff · Fountain Hills · Glendale · Goodyear · Greer · Heber · Lakeside · Litchfield Park · Mesa · Overgaard · Paradise Valley · Payson · Peoria · Phoenix · Pine · Pinetop · Prescott · Prescott Valley · Scottsdale · Sedona · Show Low · Snowflake · Strawberry · Sun City · Sun City West · Surprise · Taylor · Tempe · Tolleson · Williams

Professional Tree & Logging Services

Our Tree & Logging Services

Our staff is dedicated to using the most efficient practices and equipment to aid in all of your tree care needs. We offer:

· Logging Services in Flagstaff and Williams, AZ
· Crane Work
· Land Clearing
· Technical Falling
· Hazardous Tree Removal
· Palm Tree Maintenance & Removal
· Corrective Pruning
· Hauling & Chipping Services
· Firewise Assessments
· Fuel Reduction Programs
· Certified Wildland Firefighters
· Landscape Design & Maintenance
· Golf Courses
· Hardscape Services
· Stump grinding and excavation
· Small and large prescribed burning

Firewise Assessment

Our accredited assessors will help you develop a firewise plan. Our assessors specialize in fuels reduction, structure protection and creating defensible space. Every wildland firefighting agency agrees that creating defensible space is one of the best actions you can take to protect your home from the dangers of wildfire.

Much of the Southwest is considered a high-hazard fire environment. Many areas in Arizona possess all of the ingrediants necessary to support large, intense and uncontrollable wildfires. Our ability to live more safely depends on pre-fire activities. These are actions taken before a wildfire occurs.

Pre-fire Activities Often Include:
· A maintained landscape
· Use of Firewise plant materials
· Reduced vegetation around the property perimeter
· Fire-resistant roofing materials
· Fuel reduction (removing excess vegetation)
· Proper thinning and pruning
· Creating survivable space around homes
· Preventing “ladder fuels” that spread fire
Download an Informational PDF in the Nav Bar Above

Hot Tip - Pruning

There are only a few valid reasons to prune a tree in the urban landscape:
· Promote tree’s health
· Reduce hazards to people
· Train a young tree
· Increase or decrease flowers/fruit

Pruning/training young trees
(first 3 years on the site)
Proper pruning when the tree is young will result in a mature tree that is structurally stronger, lives longer, and is less costly to maintain.

A. PRUNING YOUR TREE AT PLANTING TIME:
There is no need to prune a newly-planted tree unless branches have been damaged. It has been found that removing tips and buds of young trees slows root growth. If trees are left unpruned, expanding buds and new leaves help root expansion and tree establishment. Damaged branches can be removed at their point of origin, or they can be cut back to a lateral branch that will provide foliage and help establishment the first season.

Pruning (cont.)

B. YOUNG TREE HEALTH AND STRUCTURE:
A word of caution: different tree species grow at different rates. Your tree may not seem to be adding any height or spread for the first year or so. Check the irrigation design and frequency, keep the soil mulched, and avoid compacting the root zone. Resist the urge to prune a young tree simply to “force” new growth. Such growth is weakly attached, rarely looks good, and will require additional maintenance later in the tree’s life.
Conversely, overwatering and overfeeding a young tree may result in fast growth that appears to need pruning each year. Cutting back on irrigation after the first summer, particularly if the species is adapted to your climate, can slow growth and maintain a more balanced tree that requires less maintenance.

Pruning or ruining?
There is an old saying among professional arborists in connection with tree pruning, “If in doubt, don’t prune.” Nature has a unique way of allowing trees to develop natural forms that balance shoot growth with root zone health. When this natural form is destroyed, trees will react accordingly — by producing rank, weakly-attached growth, elongation of existing shoots, reduced vigor, increased susceptibility to insect or disease problems, or consumption of stored carbohydrates.
There is always a reaction. If even one limb is removed from a tree, there should be a reason for doing so. Anyone who prunes for the sake of pruning “because everyone else is” will undoubtedly cause problems that will be difficult to correct in later years.
On the other hand, careful selective pruning for any of the valid reasons listed will produce a healthy, beautiful tree that will enhance your landscape and improve the quality of life in your neighborhood for years to come.

Hot Tip - Hazard Tree Assessment

What is a Hazard Tree?
A tree is considered hazardous when it has a structural defect that predisposes it to failure and the tree is located near a target.
· A target is an area where personal injury or property damage could occur if the tree, or a portion of the tree fails.
· Targets include sidewalks, walkways, roads, vehicles, structures, campsites, playgrounds or any other area where people are likely to gather.
· Structurally sound and healthy trees may also be hazardous if they interfere with utilities, roadways, walkways, raise sidewalks or obstruct motorist vision.
· Common hazards include dead trees, dead branches, stubs from topping cuts, broken branches (hangers), multiple leaders, tight angled crotches and an unbalanced crown.

Hazardous Situations
1. When a tree is in poor health and dying, we call it in “decline”.
2. A dead, dying or diseased tree can be an extreme hazard, no matter where it is located.
3. Some trees will never recuperate from the combined stresses placed on them, but will take months, even years to become fully dead. There comes a time when, no matter what you do, the tree will die, so being aware of the tell-tale signs of insect damage, diseases and decline will save you the risk of having a hazard tree in a public place.
4. Catching the signs early may prevent the loss of a valuable specimen.
5. Healthy trees are flexible and limber in storms, however, sick trees are much more brittle and limbs will snap and break with the wind instead of swaying with it. These limbs will snap, as might the entire tree, causing property damage, personal injury and possibly a cut in service.

Liability
Property owners / managers have a legal obligation to (1) periodically inspect trees for unsafe conditions, (2) correct unsafe conditions immediately upon detection or (3) contact the proper authority immediately upon detection.

Hot Tip - Pine Bark Beetles

Pine bark beetles in Arizona are generally of the genus Ips or Dendroctonus. However, several other genera also attack pine, including: Hylastes, Hylurgops, and Pityogenes. Often several species will attack at the same time. Identification of specific beetle species can be difficult. Identification can be aided by knowing the host species attacked, time of year, and the design of the galleries (tunnels) created by the adults and larvae.

Bark beetles contribute to the death of thousands of ponderosa pines in Arizona each year. Most often when larger trees are attacked and killed they have been weakened by drought, lightning, construction activity or they have been growing on poor sites. Of special concern is the loss of high-value trees at home sites or in developed recreation areas.

Evidence of infestation
Fading foliage in the tree is often the first sign of a beetle attack. Trees attacked by Ips spp. typically fade from the top of the crown downward, while Dendroctonus spp. killed trees fade from the bottom of the crown upward. The needles change from green to a light straw color within a few weeks to one year after attack and eventually become brown or red. Dust caused by boring in the bark crevices and at the tree base is another sign. Often, numerous small pitch tubes globules of pitch ³/4 to 1 ¹/4 ” diameter) appear on the trunk of infested trees.
This article was written by Tom DeGomez, County Agent and Deborah Young, Associate Director.