ABOVE: Terry Armon, left, and Joe Thate stand with a large tree which Thate Tree Service took down after a lightning bolt struck the tree in Armon’s yard in Blue Earth. Submitted photo.

FAIRMONT – For tree services in Fairmont, the demand from customers has been constant for the last few years.

Thate’s Tree Service Owner John Thate said their work includes trimming trees, treating them for various problems, taking down trees and everything in between.

“Getting a cat out of the tree, the tree is on fire,” he said. “The tree’s splitting, the tree’s on my house, in the lake, on the boat. We try and come up with a plan to solve whatever it is that the customer needs.”

It is an all-year business for Thate. After the slower winter season, he said spring is when things tend to ratchet up as they have this year.

“Everyone’s looking to get their projects done,” Thate said. “It’s like storm season right now, because any given day, I could respond to a dozen calls. Looking at projects, responding to emerald ash.”

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is the name of the game right now. It kills an ash tree within five years, leaving it brittle and vulnerable to wind storms. Thate said the problem is widespread.

EAB was first found in Martin County, in Welcome, in 2018 and found at Heritage Acres in Fairmont in 2022.

“It’s everywhere we go,” he said. “Some areas are further along in the infestation than others. In Welcome, they’ve had it established longer than other places. I’m seeing it in every location. I think last year, the only two counties that DNR had not found it in were Palo Alto and Emmett. It was there, they just hadn’t trapped the insects yet.”

Of all his business, Thate said around 90 percent of his business is from private landowners. Taking down a tree can vary from $500 to $5,000 per tree. He said this is due to a variety of factors.

“It’s going to be the size, location of the tree, the type of equipment and the number of crew members to do the job,” Thate said. “We could go from crane-assisted tree removal with a 45-ton crane, climbers, crawler lifts, or Air Rail trucks. Then all the equipment to process it. Cutting a tree down, put it in a truck and haul it away. Every job is different.”

Compared to Boxelder, Willow, or other types of trees, Thate said Ash trees can carry an extra element of danger.

“The farther along the tree is in infection, it becomes dead and brittle,” he said. “Pretty soon it becomes difficult as far as safety goes to say, ‘Climb a large dead ash tree that could fail when you’re in the tree.'”

Out in the field, Kimmet Tree Service Owner David Kimmet said he has seen a lot of dead ash trees.

“You drive to all these little towns like Northrop, there are ash trees that have been there for two to three years dead,” he said. “In Welcome, there are 200 to300 dead ash trees up for four years.”

Kimmet said having these trees up so long past their death is very dangerous due to how their condition deteriorates.

“Once the leaves are not there, it’s much better to take them down for safety,” he said. “Those are on people’s properties. You get a big storm and those trees are dead and compromised, they’re going over. It’s cheaper to take down a tree than if it smashes your house.”

Even so, Kimmet recognizes project money has dried up for many home and business owners in the last few years. Not only from his experiences out in the field but also with his own business.

“I bought a boom truck in 2022 for $180,000, and it went up to $205,000 now,” Kimmet said. “That’s a lot. One-handed chainsaws used to be $650, now they’re $900.”

In addition to tree removal, Kimmet Tree Service can remove stumps and place dirt so grass grows in its place. Kimmet said they do anything revolving around trees, as well as some landscaping for tree projects.

Right now, Ash trees make up around 80 percent of the trees he works on. Kimmet said the word has been spread continuously regarding Emerald Ash Borer and the damage they can do if not dealt with. He said the price of a tree removal can be greatly impacted by placement.

“Trees out in the open are going to be way cheaper than trees over a garage, house, or sidewalk,” Kimmet said. “Is it cracked, damaged, does it threaten your life? All of that plays into it. You go up on a tree by a house that has some pressure to it, that’s dangerous. Tree cutting is one of the most dangerous jobs out there.”

To better meet with clients and answer questions, Kimmet said he is in the process of setting up an office inside the 307 North State Street Speedway Gas Station. He said it will be ready to go within the next month.

“People that come in can ask questions, and it’s good advertisement,” Kimmet said. “A lot of people go into the gas stations and have questions.”

For more information, visit https://thatetree.com/ or https://www.kimmettreeservice.com/.

*Editor’s note: This article ran in the Sentinel’s Spring Home and Garden section on April 29,2025.