Ireland is known for its greenery whether it be grass or trees, the colour green is synonymous with this country.
The beautiful emerald isle as many tourists describe can be seen in all its splendour throughout the 12 months of the year.
However, as we all know, trees can grow in the most awkward of places and in some cases can become a danger to society. High winds in Ireland have seen many trees fall on roads or break powerlines or indeed they can just grow and block sunlight into a domestic dwelling.
Tree and hedge management is a specialised area that involves working across such industries as commercial and agricultural, while there is also a lot of domestic work involved also.
Carrying out this specific skillset are a specialised set of companies located across the country and for this month’s edition of Irish Tractor & Agri, we profile a business which caters for the tree and hedge management service for counties such as Mayo, Galway, Roscommon, Leitrim, Sligo and more.
S&S Tree Services is based in Claremorris, Co Mayo and it was established by Shane Morley and Sean Regan in 2013. Despite being only in its third year of existence, both men brought a wealth of experience to the business.
Services provided include dangerous tree removal, overgrown hedging, site clearance, tree felling, tree surveys, organic waste shredding, stump removal, palm trees and pruned site maintenance.
“We both would have a background in tree and hedge management, having worked in the industry for many years. In 2013, we decided to set up our own business and we’re delighted with the way things have been going since,” said Shane.
As stated, the company specialise in tree and hedge management and this sees them involved in numerous jobs throughout their catchment area.
Such is the reputation of the company, the ESB have put their faith in us to look after all their work in the counties mentioned above, while we also work for the likes of Leitrim County Council.
“S&S have an ongoing contract with the ESB mainly working in the Connaught region clearing vegetation around powerlines. We also provide an emergency call out service in the event of storm damage which has been a regular occurrence this winter.
S&S also do lot of work for domestic and agricultural customers.
“We employ a highly skilled and dedicated workforce. We would have a crew working on domestic and agricultural work all the time, while the other crews would look after the ESB and councils.
“Our job mainly entails tree and hedge management and we can remove or trim overgrown trees and hedges. We provide a service that is both cost effective and efficient.”
S&S stated that health and safety is top priority and is an important part of the business and something that they don’t take lightly.
“The work is rarely the same as we could be out in a field one day and on the side of the road the next. Health and safety is paramount. A safety manager comes into us a couple of times a week and it is up to us to have everything up to date and in order. Operating chainsaws can be a dangerous occupation but thankfully we’ve never had an accident and that is something that we intend to maintain. We are also NPTC-certified, trained in manual handling, first aid, CSCS traffic management and anyone that we take on has to have this course done or be fully trained by S&S and be competent to do their job.”
Many may think that to operate in this business all that’s needed is a chainsaw and a ladder but nothing could be further from the truth as S&S Tree Services have put a major investment into the business.
“This is a skilled trade and you need the proper machinery to carry out the work and that involves far more than just a chainsaw.
“We have a wide variety of machinery which include wood chippers, hoist’s, hedge cutters, stump grinders, excavator with timber grab and other tools necessary to carry out all aspects of tree services. No one is allowed up a tree or MEWP (Mobile Elevated Work Platform) without having completed NPTC CS38, CS39, CS40, CS41 and CS47 courses and a safety harness must be worn at all times while climbing or while operating a MEWP.A grounds man is also required with an aerial rescue course while observing the climb. The majority of the wood we cut is either left to the customer for firewood or put through the chipper and sent for recycling.
S&S revealed that when it comes to chainsaws there is only one brand that they will use and that is the renowned Stihl saw.
“There is no other saw on the market that comes close to the Stihl, it is the most endurable and reliable saw that there is and we wouldn’t use anything else. You certainly get value for money with them.”
Since being established S&S Tree Services has forged a stellar reputation in its specialist field of tree management and S&S concluded that they are actively seeking new customers as the business continues to grow.
“Business is going well and we have got a lot of work through word of mouth, which is probably the best form of advertisement there is. We intend to expand this year and hopefully we will be taking on more staff during the year.”
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our hard working staff and loyal customers.
S&S Tree Services
Claremorris,
Co Mayo
Mayo Office – 094 9505066
Galway Office – 091 423681
Sligo Office – 071 9314192
Shane – 087 631 9313
Sean – 087 964 0902
Email: [email protected]
Website www.sandstreeservice.ie
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 3, March 2016
