Preparing a property for a tree crew divides into two halves, and only one of them saves real money. Moving vehicles, furniture, planters, hoses and low fencing out of the work area saves the crew time and saves your belongings. Marking what is buried saves a repair bill: the septic tank and leach field, the well and its line, invisible fence wire, irrigation heads, low-voltage lighting, and any feed to a shed or gate. Dig Safe notification covers utility-owned services before grinding, but everything a previous owner installed is invisible to everyone but you, and buried infrastructure is the item most often forgotten and the most expensive to hit. Beyond that: unlock gates and check they open fully, keep pets and children indoors for the whole visit, tell the neighbours and settle any access agreement in writing beforehand, and photograph the lawn and driveway before anyone arrives.
The marking half is what saves money
- 2. Unlock gates and identify septic, irrigation, lighting, invisible fences and other hidden site features.
- 3. Keep pets and children indoors or outside the work area.
- 4. Confirm neighboring access or boundary permissions in writing when needed.
- 5. Review logs, chips, stump work, lawn protection and final cleanup before the crew begins.
The pre-visit checklist
Everything on this list is free and takes under an hour. The items in the bottom half are the ones that cost real money when they are skipped.
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Vehicles off the drive and out of the drop zone | A chip truck plus chipper needs room to sit and to turn |
| Furniture, planters, hoses, feeders moved | Anything left gets worked around, or damaged |
| Gates unlocked and checked to open fully | A gate that opens sixty degrees is narrower than its measurement |
| Pets and children indoors | The hazard zone is far larger than the area under the tree |
| Septic tank and leach field marked | Concentrated weight damages them invisibly and expensively |
| Well and well line marked | Not covered by Dig Safe |
| Invisible fence and irrigation marked | Private lines are the ones that actually get hit |
| Neighbour told, access agreed in writing | A crew cannot enter land it has no right to be on |
| Before-photos of lawn, drive and beds | Settles any later question in either direction |
Buried infrastructure is the most commonly forgotten item and the most expensive one to hit.
What to locate before the crew arrives
Most of this list is free and takes under an hour. The marking half is the part that saves real money.
- Where the septic tank and leach field are
- Where the well and its line run
- Invisible fence, irrigation and lighting circuits
- Which gates are on the route, and how wide they open
- Whether a neighbour's land is needed for access
What a crew cannot see or do for you
A crew cannot see anything buried and cannot enter land it has no right to be on. Both of those are yours to sort before the morning of the work.
12 questions this raises
What should I move before the crew arrives?+
Vehicles off the driveway and well away from the drop zone, garden furniture, planters, hoses, bird feeders, low fencing, ornaments and anything decorative under the canopy. If it can be lifted, lift it — a crew will work around what is left, but every obstacle slows the job and the things that get damaged are usually the things nobody thought to move.
What is the single most important thing to mark?+
Buried infrastructure, because it is invisible and expensive. Septic tank lids and the leach field, the well and its line, invisible fence wire, irrigation heads and lines, low-voltage lighting, and any feed to a shed, barn or gate. Dig Safe notification covers the public utilities before any grinding; everything a previous owner installed is yours to flag.
Does the whole driveway need to be clear?+
Usually more of it than you expect. A chip truck plus a chipper is a long combination that needs somewhere to sit and somewhere to turn, and a stump grinder may need to pass beside it. Ask which vehicles are coming and how much space they need, then clear that rather than guessing — a crew that has to shuffle vehicles all morning is a crew doing less tree work.
Should I unlock gates in advance?+
Yes, and check they open fully and stay open. A gate that opens to sixty degrees because a bush has grown behind it is effectively narrower than its measurement, and the crew finds that out at the worst moment. Also check the route beyond it for anything that has appeared since you last measured — a new raised bed, a compost bin, a rain barrel.
What about pets and children?+
Indoors, for the whole visit, not just while cutting is happening. A live site has a chipper running, loaded ropes, material coming down and vehicles reversing, and the danger area extends well past the ground beneath the canopy. This is also why crews will stop work if someone wanders into the area, which costs everyone time.
Does someone need to be at the property during the work?+
It helps to be there at the start, to walk the job and confirm the scope in person, and it helps to be reachable during. Ten minutes at the tree with the person doing the cutting eliminates most of the disputes that arise afterwards about what was supposed to happen. You generally do not need to be present for the whole visit.
What about my neighbour's property?+
Tell them the work is happening, and settle any access question in advance. No crew may place a chipper, release a limb or set a bucket on ground it has no right to be on, so if the safest plan runs across the neighbouring lot, that permission has to be settled beforehand. Written is better than a conversation over the fence.
Should I take photographs before the work?+
It is worth five minutes. Photograph the lawn, the driveway surface, any beds and hardscape near the work area, and any existing damage — a cracked flag, a rutted patch, a dent in a fence. If there is a question afterwards about what was there before, that record settles it quickly and without argument in either direction.
How much marking will the lawn take?+
Some marking is normal, and the amount depends far more on ground conditions than on care. Ground that is frozen or genuinely dry will take machines that would tear up wet turf. Ask what will drive on the grass, what protection is used, and who repairs ruts if they appear — and if the lawn matters and the job is not urgent, ask about a winter date.
Does weather on the day postpone the job?+
Drizzle rarely halts a crew; wind and lightning do. Saturated ground can postpone anything involving heavy equipment on a lawn, because working then leaves damage that lasts. A crew that reschedules for ground conditions is protecting your property, not being difficult — the ones who drive on regardless are the ones who leave ruts.
Do I need to do anything about the power to my house?+
Point out the service drop from the pole to the house, because it crosses the yard at a height branches reach and it is easy to miss when looking up at a tree. If any part of the work is near it, that is the utility's equipment and it is arranged with them in advance rather than worked around on the day.
What should I have decided before they start?+
The chip destination, the fate of the logs, whether the stump is in and how deep, and the state you expect the ground left in. Those four decisions change the price and the day's plan, and settling them at the estimate rather than mid-job is the difference between a smooth visit and a renegotiation in the driveway.
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