Palm Tree Trimming Deaths Can Be Prevented

To local homeowners who employed Roberto Garcia, the 35-year-old Glendora tree trimmer seemed like a responsible worker with years of experience.

He was punctual, professional and courteous, said Glendora resident Sally Reclusado, whose yard Garcia maintained for more three years.

“He was respectful and made sure that he understood exactly what we wanted him to do,” said Reclusado. “Palm trees were his specialty.”

as he attempted to trim a 50-foot palm tree in the 200 block of W. Bennett St., when hundreds of pounds of dead palm fronds fell on top of him, trapping him against the tree and suffocating him.

While responding Los Angeles County firefighters called Garcia’s death an accident, similar incidents are reported each year at an alarming rate, according to an official with the Tree Care Industry Association.

“It’s common of enough to be of concern,” said Peter Gerstenberger, TCIA’s senior advisor for safety, compliance and standards. “I have seen at least seven of these incidents reported in the media in a year.”

He said most of the incidents occur in Southern California, with some cases in Arizona and Nevada. But most of the cases usually result in the tree trimmer’s death.

“There are certainly ways of avoiding that hazard,” said Gerstenberger.

Gerstenberger said property owners should always keep up with the maintenance of their palm trees and have their trees regularly trimmed.

When more than three years of dead palm fronds accumulate in a palm tree, the heavy frond skirt can become a deadly hazard.

“The whole skirt can let go suddenly and unexpectedly and fall. It can damage property, people, pets – anything that might be underneath it,” said Gerstenberger.

But property owners should also be more aware of who is trimming their trees, added Gerstenberger.

In California, tree trimmers are required be licensed contractors. If a property owner hires an unlicensed contractor, the property owner can be held liable for any injuries or death that may occur during a job.

“A person may look like they have the equipment, but they might not have the necessary knowledge or right equipment to do the job safely,” said Gerstenberger. “Homeowners can incur an incredible liability if something terrible should happen.”

It is unknown whether Garcia possessed a legal contractor license. OSHA, the main federal agency, which enforces safety and health legislation, is investigating the case.

The California Department of Public Health also issued a safety notice advising homeowners to make sure their contracted tree trimmer is accredited in safe palm tree trimming practices with organizations such as TCIA or the International Society of Arboriculture.

With the dangers involved in trimming palm trees, Gerstenberger advised property owners to be more aware of how contractors plan to do the job.

If a palm tree has more than three years of accumulated dead palm fronds, tree trimmers should not be climbing the tree with spikes and a lanyard, said Gerstenberger. When a tree trimmer is strapped to a tree with a lanyard, that person will be trapped if a frond skirt should fall.

Instead, Gerstenberger recommends contractors use an aerial lift or access line to ascend to the top of a tree.

“Tree trimming is one of the riskiest tasks and it shouldn’t be taken lightly by the consumer,” said Gustenberger.