Berkshire Tree Service’s Nick Jefferson and Alex Weber prepare to feed a branch into a wood chipper as part of their days-long effort to clear debris from the Northeast March 14. From April 6th there was still a lot to dispose of.
On the final page of quotes and statements potential customers will read about tree services, the Kelley brothers add a little something extra: the dictionary definition of the word “patience.”
Noah Kelley, co-owner of Pittsfield-based Kelley Brothers Tree Service, said patience is key for her customers over the next few months as this is peak season. When the snow begins to melt, the call begins.
So Kelley Brothers is working its way through the backlog of timely moves and regular customers, planning new customers nearly two months in advance.
“Usually,” Kelley said, “we get bombarded with calls somewhere in late March, early April. It’s not a major problem, it just happens the same way every year. We always think we’re ready for it, and we’re not.”
It’s not just his company, Kelley said. This time of year contractors in most industries are bombarded with bids for projects as the weather improves.
But this busy time of year was less than routinely predictable, as this year’s warming was preceded by trouble-mongering weather: a March 14 nor’easter that felled trees and snapped branches large and small across the country.
This was the heaviest snowstorm the Berkshires have experienced in 12 years. Every city got that much snow
Shaun Grady, Pittsfield traffic manager, said the city has been scrambling to clear down fallen branches over the past three weeks and has requested additional help from Northern Tree Services to handle the heavy workload. They prioritize “hangers” or dangling branches that may pose a threat to dwellers and as many badly damaged trees as possible.
No fewer than two or three Northern Tree Services employees have been on duty in the city for the past few weeks. Grady said the work was nearing the point where transportation agency employees could do things themselves.
The workload was extreme. “There haven’t been any yet [Pittsfield] Neighborhood we didn’t have to touch,” Grady said.
Not only was the snow heavy and deep, the timing of this Northeast was unfortunate.
“It’s never like that,” said Peter Beaudoin, owner of Berkshire Tree Service. “This storm was 100 percent untimely.”
Beaudoin put his crews to work Thursday to give the Lakecrest condos in Pittsfield a thorough clean. His crew has been there for the past three days and would be returning for another tomorrow, but the problem is widespread.
The crew has another 20 to 25 places they could be, Beaudoin said. Lately, he added, trying to feed everyone has required a seven-day work week.
Beaudoin said he’ll get out the day he gets a call to make an offer, but will assign a crew based on urgency. Just last week, his team tore down fallen trees from houses.
Much like the city, he must prioritize tasks by severity. Impassable limbs in driveways and anything preventing emergency responders from assisting usually top the list, he said.
Berkshire Tree Service had a few situations like this caused by the storm and urgently cleared driveways so first responders could check a burglar or fire alarm for people who weren’t home. He takes those calls 24 hours a day, Beaudoin said.
He estimated that if someone came to him with a non-urgent assignment, it would take him about two weeks to get a crew out.
The storm took its toll in Berkshire County. Jim Stakenas, who lives across the street from Clarksburg City Hall, said the storm downed a tree and several canopies and branches in his yard and driveway. But no residue bothered him.
“My arborist, Troy’s Tree Service, came out to clear the property,” Stakenas said. “And my neighbor came out early with a chainsaw so I could get out of my driveway.”
This tree stood in Jim Stakenas’ front yard after the March 14th Nor’easter, which toppled several treetops and damaged a popular maple tree on the property.
State plows had pushed branches from the road into Stakenas’ driveway, so he had to saw his way out.
State officials came two or three days after the storm “and timely collected large chunks along the road,” he said.
Tree splinters missed the cars, the house and a shed. Despite this, a large maple of emotional significance fell in the backyard.
“My family and I love that maple tree in the backyard,” Stakenas said, “and we feel lost there. But we were lucky.”
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