At least once a month, we get a request for topping someone's trees. The reasons are myriad. On the surface, topping doesn't seem like a bad idea. You get to keep your tree and have it out of your way. In reality, though, topping is a terrible practice, and we try to dissuade all our clients from having it done.

Ultimately, a hazard tree is one in which the weight of a tree – or a part of the tree – exceeds the tree’s structural integrity (in a branch, trunk or roots). When assessing your tree for risks, we evaluate the likelihood of the tree failing, the environment that contributes to failure, and the target (the part of your property that would sustain damage).

It's official: We're now in the business of selling live edge slabs! Throughout our years of arborist work, we've amassed a fine collection of logs—maple, walnut, cherry, birch and more—that are now slabs, ready for your home improvement project.

Once upon a time, I was not a Lumberjill, but a writer. I was poor but creatively fulfilled and somewhat prolific. I wrote a lot. Now, with a thriving business and family, I rarely have time to pick up the proverbial pen. But the folks at the Sandpoint Reader give me reason to, holding space for a regular column called "The Lumberjill."