Ficus Nitida - damaged

12 years ago

I had a beautiful 30' Nitida Ficus in my front yard. I believe the out of state landlord who owns the house next to mine hired someone to "trim" the tree. Whoever attacked my tree cut it in half across the width of the tree; not on the sides where a tree would normally be trimmed. My tree was beautiful and full of some sort of tiny birds that sing all the time. My husband said there may have been hundreds of birds nesting in our tree. This tree was 9' tall when we bought the house. I need an approximate value for the tree. I do not know how to value a full grown tree. I can't find pricing for a small, immature ficus much less for one as tall as mine. Any suggestions of how to estimate value would be greatly appreciated. I have hired an arborist to care for it but he won't give me an estimate of it's worth. Is that strange or normal for an arborist? maybe I need a different arborist?

Comments (2)

aztreelvr
12 years ago
Poor tree! This is just another example of untrained landscapers permanently disfiguring trees across the Valley. Too bad that company didn't take the time to send their staff to professional training instead of 'on the job' training that is passed down from someone doing it wrong.

There are lots of opportunities and many aren't expensive. Smartscape, for example, is about $75 for all 8 classes. The Arizona Community Tree Council holds trainings throughout the year (a Palm Tree class is coming up on April 11 and covers biology, pruning and safety).

Not all certified arborists have experience in appraising trees. Have you contacted your insurance company? You may need to use replacement value by finding the price of a tree close to the size of yours at a local nursery. A quick internet search found a 48 inch box Ficus nitida for sale for $850. You'll need to factor in installation costs as well.

Good Luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tree values
richsd
12 years ago
I agree. I see lots of butchered trees here in San Diego area also- very sad.