By Meaghan O’Neal
Special to The Laker/Lutz News
Buck Rollings is passionate about making trees healthy and safe, and his employees at Omega Tree Service share that commitment.
Buck, a certified arborist, is the owner of Omega Tree Service — a commercial tree trimming company that has been in business for more than 30 years. Buck bought the business four years ago when he retired from the U.S. Marines Corps after 20 years of service.
With the business came crew members who had worked at Omega for many years.
“I was very fortunate to keep the crew that came with Omega,” said Buck. “Not only are these employees exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable, they’ve become like family because we spend so much time working together.”
Having an experienced crew is invaluable, Buck explains, because they keep alive the craftsmanship of tree trimming by training younger employees.
“Tree trimming is an art that is dying — a skill that can’t be found in books. It’s something you learn by doing,” Buck explains. “There’s a huge difference between having the knowledge of how a tree should look, and then actually being able to trim a tree safely and accurately.”
Once you understand how trees should be trimmed, it’s troubling when you see trees that are trimmed incorrectly, Buck says.
“There’s only one way to trim trees, and that’s the right way,” says Buck.
All of Omega’s crew members are certified, and all participate in ongoing training with other arborist in the area, as well as enrolling in programs taught by the University of South Florida. In addition, Omega Tree Service is a member of the International Society of Arborist.
Because felling trees and trimming massive tree limbs can be extremely dangerous, Omega’s employees are trained to avoid accidents and know how to leave a tree so it’s safe for customers.
“Trimming trees improperly doesn’t just make them less appealing visually, but it can actually make them very dangerous to homeowners. That is why we put so much time into training and making sure our work is done correctly,” said Buck.
Another priority of Buck and his staff is prolonging the longevity of their customers’ trees.
“We are very passionate about finding ways to preserve trees, instead of doing major work just for the money,” he said.
With Omega’s extensive experience and equipment, it primarily focuses on larger tree trimming jobs. Buck and his crew do a lot of work in Lutz and Land O’ Lakes because there are so many mature, older trees in this area.
813-931-4741 • www.OmegaTreesTampaBay.com
