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Their business goes out on a green limb
H&A Tree Services promotes itself as a green tree remover
1B tree 3

It’s been said that going into business is going out on a limb.

That would be a completely accurate statement for Jamie Hammer and Adam Alt.

The two own H&A Tree Services LLC, which opened May 1 as an environmentally sensitive tree removal firm.

“I logged with a kid I went to school with,” said Hammer, who has 10 years experience in logging. “He travels a lot, and I don’t prefer that.”

“A lot of it comes back to we really love the outdoors,” said Alt. “We wanted to take a little different approach to it. No one else was intentionally green-friendly.”

For instance, H&A climbs up trees to cut off branches using chainsaws that are 20 percent more efficient than older chainsaws. The chainsaws’ bar and chain oil is biodegradable.

“Every time we completely remove a tree, we plant a tree, either on the homeowner’s property or we have acreage where we plant as well,” said Alt. “My kids love the outdoors. I love the outdoors. I want them to still have the outdoors when they’re older.”

Hammer and Alt are busy now trimming and removing trees. They expect tree removals to pick up in mid-summer, with tree planting and trimming taking place this fall. H&A also does planting, hedging and forestry management.

“You work your butt off in the summer, and hopefully in winter you make enough to see it through,” said Hammer.

H&A spent Thursday and Friday at the home of John Dutcher, or more accurately on his front lawn. Dutcher had a spruce tree removed.

“When I came here that was about that tall,” he said, holding his hand up four feet. The tree grew to 50 to 60 feet tall, and Dutcher didn’t want the tree to fall onto his house in high winds.

“Every tree has its own challenges,” said Hammer.

“Never underestimate a tree,” said Alt. Dutcher’s tree removal was delayed a day because of winds that picked up in the afternoon. The tree, however, becomes more stable after its lower branches are removed, because the tree doesn’t have to support the weight of the branches.

“I’ve worked factory work; I’ve worked retail,” said Alt. “I like to be my own boss, and I don’t like being stuck indoors all day. My dad was his own business owner, and I learned a lot from him in how to run my own business.

“It is a joy to go to work each day. My family can see what I do, and the kids love it. It’s neat to see when you go into business that you’re not alone. We believe the American dream still exists — to go into business if you’re willing to work hard at it. We want to earn this.”