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"Many trees in the Kansas City area lost limbs or were left sagging under the weight of the heavy, wet snow.Local experts are warning homeowners to be wary of tree services that may offer to clear their yards.Dennis Patton of the Kansas State University Extension office in Johnson County said homeowners shouldn't let just anyone prune damaged trees.\"I know the owner of this property here already within 24 hours of the storm already had three people knock on their door saying, 'Hey, I can trim your tree,'\" he said.He said if workers aren't trained and don't know how to clean off chain saws and tree spikes, they can spread disease and kill off trees.\"If someone pruned an infected oak tree and came to your oak tree and pruned, you can spread the disease that way,\" said Patton.Dennis Patton said that's what happened after the city was hit with a massive ice storm in 2002 and he's afraid it will happen again with his storm.\"Most of what I get are the horror stories when the fly-by-night tree service came through and really butchered their tree,\" he said.He said homeowners shouldn't consider hiring any company that doesn't have a certified arborist on staff. He suggested asking to see proof of insurance for both the property and the workers.\"You know, people are always unfortunately looking to take advantage of people,\" he said. \"You also want to take your time, do your research, and make sure you hire a reputable firm.\"Experts said people with tree branches that are sagging or bending under the weight of the snow don't need to brush or shake the snow off unless the branch is over the house or a driveway.Patton said some companies try to sell customers things they won't need, including treating trees against emerald ash borers. He said that's important in Wyandotte and Platte counties, but people in Johnson and Jackson counties don't need it."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.kmbc.com/article/expert-be-careful-who-you-hire-to-treat-trees/3674588>