Warranty & Disclaimer
1. Our Commitment and the Limits of Tree Care
Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. provides science-based tree care, Plant Health Care, arborist consulting, planting, and related services using professional judgment, established arboricultural practices, and the conditions observed at the property. In this policy, "we," "us," and "our" mean Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. We stand behind the products and services we provide.
Client satisfaction is part of our service standard. Our goal is to earn and maintain a five-star level of service by giving legitimate concerns a real arboricultural review and a reasonable opportunity for correction. That commitment does not change the coverage periods, exclusions, or remedies stated in this policy unless Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. approves a written accommodation.
Trees and other plants are living organisms affected by existing condition, age, species, environment, weather, soil, water, construction, pests, disease, previous care, and other factors outside our control. A warranty does not guarantee survival, complete recovery, a particular appearance, or freedom from future problems. The specific remedies stated in this policy are the only warranty remedies promised.
2. Documents That Apply
The Terms and Conditions, the Warranty and Disclaimer, the approved estimate, work order, invoice, and service-specific instructions supplied by Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. in writing must be read together. The estimate or work order controls the approved scope and price. The Warranty and Disclaimer controls warranty coverage, exclusions, and remedies. The Terms and Conditions control scheduling, access, payment, and other administrative terms. A more specific written service term controls for that service. A later change controls only when it is confirmed in writing by Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. and accepted by the client.
Plant Health Care treatments are covered unless the applicable estimate or line item clearly states No Warranty. A planting warranty applies only when the applicable estimate or line item expressly includes it. An expanded remedy or additional promise must be confirmed in writing by an authorized representative of Eric Putnam BCMA Inc.
Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may approve written accommodations to particular administrative or warranty policies for municipal, commercial, governmental, institutional, or other entities whose procurement, access, insurance, or contracting requirements differ from ordinary residential service. An accommodation applies only to the identified client, service, and written term.
3. Limited Plant Health Care Treatment Warranty
Covered services and warranty periods
A covered standalone treatment warranty begins on the date the covered service is performed. Standalone Biostimulant and Root Zone Mitigation treatments are covered for up to 12 months. Standalone pest-related treatments are covered for up to 9 months. Recurring treatment packages use the separate visit-to-visit periods stated below. In estimate or workorder contains more than one type of treatment, each treatment objective keeps the warranty period that applies to that component unless it is part of a recurring package. A different written period or a written No Warranty term in the applicable line item controls for that service.
For this policy, Root Zone Mitigation treatment means soil, root-zone, or related treatment work identified as Root Zone Mitigation in the approved line item. Manual Plant Health Care services identified in Section 4 remain subject to the separate 20-business-day workmanship warranty.
Treatment coverage is also subject to the additional exclusions in Section 14. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may waive one or more of those exclusions in writing at its discretion based on the circumstances. A waiver applies only to the specific treatment, condition, or issue identified and does not waive any other exclusion or modify any other term.
Recurring treatment package warranty periods
Recurring Biannual, Quarterly, and Twice-Quarterly treatment packages use visit-to-visit warranty periods while the contracted program is active. This package rule applies whether a visit includes a Biostimulant treatment, Root Zone Mitigation treatment, pest treatment, or a combination stated in the approved package.
Each completed package treatment begins a limited interval for that visit: up to six months for a Biannual visit, three months for a Quarterly visit, and 1.5 months, or approximately six weeks, for a Twice-Quarterly visit. The interval ordinarily ends when the next contracted treatment is performed or when the interval expires, whichever occurs first. Each pest-treatment component retains its 4-6 week response period between scheduled visits. After the final paid treatment included in the completed contract, the standard final-treatment period applies to that last treatment: up to 12 months for a Biostimulant or Root Zone Mitigation component and up to 9 months for a pest-treatment component, unless the line item states a different period or No Warranty. A retreatment does not renew or extend any interval.
If the client cancels a yearly recurring-treatment agreement before all scheduled visits are completed, the most recent completed visit retains coverage only through the date range when the next contracted visit would have been due. Cancellation does not convert that visit to the longer final-treatment warranty. For example, if a Biannual agreement is canceled after the first visit, that visit remains covered only for up to six months; a Quarterly visit remains covered only for up to three months; and a Twice-Quarterly visit remains covered only for approximately six weeks. The standard 12-month or 9-month final-treatment period applies only after the final paid treatment in a completed yearly contract, unless Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. authorizes a different written accommodation.
Recurring packages are intended to be renewed annually and may be offered with or without an Insect Protection Package. When expressly included, the Insect Protection Package covers the listed target pests: aphids, gall-forming insects, lace bugs, leaf beetles, leafhoppers, leaf miners, mealybugs, planthoppers, psyllids, sawfly larvae, scale insects, spittlebugs, weevils, and whiteflies. A pest outside that list, a pest not identified in the approved package, or a condition requiring a materially different treatment is a new condition and may require an additional charge. For example, successful control of webworms does not create warranty coverage for later pink-striped oakworm activity. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may, at its discretion, provide an accommodation treatment for a different pest, but that accommodation does not expand or renew the package warranty unless stated in writing.
Coverage ends when the first of the following occurs:
· The written treatment objective or reasonably expected response is achieved.
· The applicable 12-month or 9-month period expires, unless another written period applies.
· The treated tree dies or is removed.
· A stated exclusion or client-controlled condition materially prevents evaluation or further treatment.
· Another provider materially alters the covered tree or condition before we have a reasonable opportunity to inspect it.
How treatment effectiveness is evaluated
The covered objective is the response described in the approved estimate, work order, or later written communication. If no specific response is written, we evaluate the reasonable response associated with the original treatment objective. We determine effectiveness from the available observations, photographs, treatment history, timing, species, season, site conditions, and professional judgment.
Biostimulant and Root Zone Mitigation treatments. Stressed trees often produce short shoot extensions with leaves or buds spaced close together. A primary indicator of improving vigor is longer new growth and greater spacing between successive leaves or buds, known as internodal growth. The 12-month period allows time to observe new growth through an appropriate growing cycle. When season, species, dormancy, pruning, or other conditions limit visible new growth, we may also consider bud development, canopy condition, shoot extension, root-zone conditions, soil response, and the written treatment objective.
Pest treatments. We evaluate whether the pest originally treated remains present and alive after a 4-6 week response period. Dead insects, carcasses, cast skins, residue, or other remains do not by themselves show treatment failure. The 9-month period is intended to provide effective control of the originally identified pest during the practical control window of commonly used systemic treatments, which may include imidacloprid or dinotefuran. Product, formulation, application method, tree condition, pest pressure, and site conditions affect residual performance. Product labeling and applicable Texas Department of Agriculture requirements control every application. We cannot exceed a labeled rate, concentration, application interval, annual maximum, or other legal limit merely to provide warranty service. See the EPA pesticide-label guidance.
Original target pest, reinfestation, and different pests. During the active 9-month standalone pest-treatment warranty, the originally identified target pest remains eligible for no-charge reassessment and an additional application of the originally purchased pest treatment when we determine retreatment is appropriate and legally permitted. This includes incomplete initial control and later resurgence or reinfestation by the same identified pest. A later return does not necessarily mean the original application failed; systemic concentration, new emergence, migration, pest pressure, tree growth, and site conditions can affect later control. A pest that was not originally identified, or a condition requiring a different product, treatment, or objective, is a new condition and may require an additional charge. For example, webworms and pink-striped oakworms are different target pests even though both are caterpillars. We determine identity and coverage from the insect, life stage, normal life cycle, timing, treatment history, and available evidence. We may provide an accommodation treatment for a newly identified pest at our discretion, but it is not an automatic warranty remedy.
Covered retreatment remedy
If a covered treatment does not produce the reasonably expected response, we may provide additional applications of the originally purchased treatment at no additional treatment charge when we determine retreatment is appropriate. The timing, quantity, product, and method remain subject to professional judgment, seasonal and site conditions, the product label, applicable law, Texas Department of Agriculture requirements, and all legal application limits. No warranty requires an unlawful over-application or an application inconsistent with the label.
Any reassessment or retreatment is provided under, and only during, the warranty period for the original paid treatment. A retreatment does not restart, renew, extend, or create a new warranty period, and the retreatment itself carries no separate warranty. This remains true if we perform more than one retreatment. After the warranty period for the original paid treatment expires, additional treatment requires a new paid service. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may, at its discretion and based on the circumstances, waive the new-service charge and provide an additional treatment as a warranty accommodation. Unless we expressly agree otherwise in writing, that accommodation does not renew or extend the expired warranty or create continuing coverage.
The treatment warranty ordinarily has no cash value and does not create an automatic right to a refund, reimbursement, credit, replacement tree, tree removal, payment toward removal, payment for work by another provider, or compensation for appearance, property value, shade, use, or enjoyment. We must be given a reasonable opportunity to inspect, reassess, retreat, correct, or otherwise make the situation right. If a legitimate arboricultural problem remains unresolved, the client is genuinely dissatisfied, and we determine that no reasonable service remedy is available, Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may, at its discretion, authorize a full or partial refund or account credit for the affected service. That accommodation is not guaranteed, does not admit fault or liability, and does not expand another warranty.
Treatment response, reassessments, and inspections
Biostimulant and Root Zone Mitigation treatments ordinarily require three months before a meaningful biological change can be evaluated. A client-requested reassessment during the first three months is subject to a $150 arborist visit fee. The fee covers travel, observation, and professional evaluation and is separate from any covered retreatment. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may waive the fee in writing at its discretion based on urgency, supplied photographs, the treatment history, or other circumstances.
For a pest treatment, if live examples of the originally identified target pest remain during the 4-6 week response period, the client may request a reassessment at no charge. We will reassess the treated condition and may provide an additional application of the originally purchased pest treatment at no charge when we determine retreatment is appropriate. A request made before four weeks may be premature because the treatment has not had the full response period. For Biostimulant and Root Zone Mitigation treatments, after three months and while the applicable warranty remains active, the client may request a reassessment at no charge.
Reassessments are scheduled according to urgency, site conditions, route availability, and ordinary scheduling capacity. If photographs or other information show that a tree appears to be actively dying or experiencing another urgent decline, we may, in our discretion, approve and schedule a visit earlier than three months at no charge. We determine whether the available information supports an urgent visit.
The client should not authorize another company to alter the covered tree or condition while waiting for inspection unless immediate action is reasonably necessary to protect people or property.
4. Manual Plant Health Care Workmanship Warranty
Manual Plant Health Care services, including root-flare exposure, mulch removal, girdling-root surgery, and similar hands-on root-zone work, carry a 20-business-day workmanship warranty. Business days are Monday through Friday on days our office is operating. A concern that the work did not match the approved written scope or was performed improperly must be reported within 20 business days after completion.
We must be given a reasonable opportunity to inspect and, when appropriate, correct covered work before another provider changes or completes it. This workmanship warranty does not guarantee root regeneration, future tree condition, survival, or a particular biological response.
Root-flare excavation and debris
Root-flare excavation and mulch-removal work can generate substantial soil, mulch, roots, and yard debris. Because these are soil-working services that may include air excavation or hydroblasting, some residual soil or temporary mess is inherent even when the crew performs reasonable cleanup.
Removed mulch and yard debris are not hauled away unless the approved estimate or work order states otherwise. Plant Health Care trucks have limited bed capacity because they carry treatment and safety equipment. Our ordinary practice is to place removable debris in heavy-duty contractor bags and leave the bags at or near the curb for the client's municipal or private heavy-trash pickup. Debris removal may be arranged for an additional written charge. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may waive that charge or arrange a later pickup when circumstances warrant, including when the local municipality does not accept bagged yard waste.
5. Six-Month Limited Planting Warranty
When coverage applies
Tree and plant material installed by Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. is not automatically warranted. A six-month limited planting warranty applies only when it is expressly included in the approved estimate, work order, or planting line item. The initial period begins on the installation date.
Coverage requires a properly installed and functioning irrigation system on a dedicated irrigation zone, with appropriately sized and positioned bubblers and an automatic timer or controller unit, together with compliance with the written watering and care instructions. The dedicated zone must allow the planted tree or plant to receive water at the frequency, duration, and delivery rate required for establishment without being controlled by the watering needs of unrelated landscape areas. The client must monitor the system and promptly report interruptions, leaks, controller changes, or inadequate water delivery.
An irrigation system installed by Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. for a new planting is classified as temporary. It runs from an available outdoor water spigot and is designed to support the tree's establishment period, which is approximately three years. That design-life description is not a separate three-year equipment, maintenance, or planting warranty. The installation workmanship of a temporary irrigation system supplied and installed by Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. carries a 20-business-day workmanship warranty. A concern that the installation did not match the approved written scope or was performed improperly must be reported within 20 business days after installation. Any longer irrigation equipment warranty or maintenance service must be stated separately in writing. The client remains responsible for keeping the spigot on, maintaining water service, monitoring operation, and promptly notifying us of a problem.
Temporary irrigation timers or controller units are battery powered. The first set of batteries is expected to last longer than the six-month planting-warranty period under ordinary conditions, but battery life is not guaranteed and varies with the timer, settings, battery quality, temperature, use, and site conditions. The client must regularly confirm that the timer, controller, valves, and bubblers are operating and delivering water as required. Batteries should be replaced every six months, or sooner when low power, unreliable operation, or another issue is observed, to support reliable irrigation.
Planting-hole and root-ball preparation
Our planting method is based on lateral root development. We locate the root flare, dig a shallow and broad planting hole that is generally two to three times the width of the root ball when site conditions allow, keep the root ball on firm existing or recompacted soil, and position the root flare at or slightly above finished grade as appropriate for drainage and settlement. Broad, loosened sidewalls support outward root growth into surrounding soil. See ISA public tree-planting guidance.
We inspect the root ball and perform girdling-root surgery, root-ball shaving, surface scraping, or removal of excess soil when the condition of the root ball requires it. These steps address circling, matted, buried, defective, or improperly oriented roots before installation and are part of a quality planting when applicable.
The excavated native site soil is ordinarily used as backfill. We do not ordinarily create a secondary planting medium or add organic backfill because an abrupt soil interface can interfere with water movement and outward root establishment. Soil amendments may be incorporated at our discretion when site conditions, testing, or the approved planting objective supports their use.
Figure 1. Planting detail for compacted or poorly drained soil. Source: Urban Tree Foundation; hosted in the International Society of Arboriculture CAD drawing library. View the source drawing.
Mulch and related landscape work
Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. is an arborist-led tree-care company, not a landscape contractor. Mulch is not automatically included with planting because many mulching requests are aesthetic, site-wide landscape decisions and because unnecessary mulch placement can create disposal and maintenance issues. Mulch is installed only when it is included in the approved written scope, and it must be kept away from the trunk and root flare.
We may occasionally perform mulching or other landscape-type work when stated in writing. That work carries the same 20-business-day workmanship warranty: a concern that the completed work did not match the written scope or was performed improperly must be reported within 20 business days after completion.
Root ball staking method and coverage
When staking is required, our standard method is to secure the root ball below grade with wooden stakes or dowels installed at or through the outer root-ball area as appropriate for the tree size and site. We use root-ball staking instead of attaching aboveground support to the trunk because it stabilizes the root ball while allowing natural trunk movement, places no straps or wires around the trunk, avoids support-system girdling of the trunk, and ordinarily does not require later removal.
Figure 2. Conceptual below-grade root-ball staking method. Dowel number, size, and installation method vary with tree and root-ball size. Source: Edward F. Gilman, University of Florida IFAS Extension, Tree staking systems.
Root-ball staking supplied and installed by Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. carries the same six-month planting warranty for installation workmanship and defects in supplied staking materials. If covered staking fails because of defective materials or improper installation during that period, we will repair, reinstall, or replace the affected staking. This coverage does not guarantee that the tree will remain upright or undamaged during severe weather, impact, root-ball failure, soil movement, or another force outside the intended function of the system.
Covered planting remedy
If covered material dies during the initial six-month period and no exclusion applies, we will provide one complete replacement at no additional charge. The remedy includes the same or reasonably comparable species and nursery size, subject to availability and site suitability, together with ordinary delivery, labor, equipment, removal of the failed warranted material when necessary, installation, and completion of the replacement work. It does not include an upgrade, unrelated site work, or restoration beyond the original approved scope.
If available evidence shows that an act or omission by Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. directly caused the covered tree or plant to die, we may waive an otherwise applicable planting exclusion or remedy limitation and provide an appropriate written accommodation. Tree establishment is normally successful when our planting procedures are completed as specified and the client maintains the required irrigation and care, but no living plant can be guaranteed against every biological or environmental outcome.
The replacement tree or plant is the final remedy under the original six-month planting warranty. No new six-month planting warranty begins on the replacement installation date, and the replacement tree or plant is not eligible for a second replacement unless Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. authorizes otherwise in writing. This limitation does not reduce our obligation to complete the replacement installation included in the original warranty remedy.
Planting exclusions
The planting warranty does not apply when improper irrigation materially caused or contributed to the loss. Improper irrigation includes a system that was turned off, interrupted, malfunctioning, not reaching the root ball, altered after planting, or operated at a frequency or duration inconsistent with the instructions or site conditions. We may evaluate controller settings or history, soil moisture, emitter placement, photographs, weather, and other reasonably available evidence.
Coverage also excludes damage or loss caused or materially affected by:
· Overpruning, improper pruning, or removal of required support materials without authorization.
· Herbicide, pesticide, fertilizer, salt, or another product not applied or authorized by us.
· Vehicle, mowing, construction, utility, animal, vandalism, theft, relocation, or other physical damage.
· Excavation, grading, fill soil, drainage changes, compaction, or root-zone disturbance.
· Hurricanes, tropical storms, high winds, lightning, flooding, drought, extreme heat, freezes, or other severe weather.
· A general exclusion in Section 14 that materially affects the planting.
6. General Tree Care and Structural Support
Twenty-business-day general workmanship notice
Any concern that completed pruning, removal, stump grinding, cleanup, mulching, landscape-type work, tree-swing installation, or other general tree-care work did not match the written scope or was performed improperly must be reported within 20 business days after completion. Business days are Monday through Friday on days our office is operating. We must be given a reasonable opportunity to inspect and, when appropriate, correct covered work before another provider changes it.
Pruning addresses the written objectives, branches, clearance, size thresholds, or portions. It does not guarantee a particular shape, symmetry, sunlight level, future growth pattern, or elimination of future branch failure. Removal, stump grinding, cleanup, hauling, restoration, and related work include only the items stated in the approved estimate or work order.
Six-month cabling, bolting, bracing, leaning-tree guying, and tree-straightening warranty
Cabling, bolting, bracing, leaning-tree guying systems, tree straightening, and other structural-support services carry a six-month warranty covering installation workmanship and defects in equipment supplied by Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. If a covered component fails because of defective equipment or improper installation during that period, we will repair, reinstall, or replace the covered component and provide the ordinary labor and equipment required to complete that repair.
A structural-support system is intended to reduce a stated risk, not eliminate it. This warranty does not guarantee that the supported tree or limb will not crack, break, fall, or otherwise fail. It does not cover damage caused by severe weather, impact, unauthorized alteration, work by others, tree failure, or forces outside the intended design of the system. Inspection, adjustment, maintenance, and replacement after the six-month period are included only when stated in writing.
Tree-swing hardware installation
Tree-swing installation requires professional selection of an appropriate tree, limb, attachment location, hardware size, and installation method. A qualified climber accesses the selected limb, drills through it, installs a properly sized threaded rod with an eye nut or a forged eye bolt secured with a nut on the opposite side, and hangs a galvanized chain to the attachment height. We do not wrap ropes, straps, cables, or other permanent attachments around the limb because an encircling attachment can constrict and girdle the limb as it grows.
The client must supply the preferred swing. If it is present at installation, we will attach it as included in the written scope. If it is not present, we may leave the chain longer than necessary so the client can cut or adjust it when the swing is ready. A later trip solely to shorten the chain is not included unless stated in writing. Pricing ordinarily includes the specified hardware, chain, climbing labor, installation, and attachment of an available client-supplied swing as one completed service.
Tree-swing work carries the 20-business-day workmanship warranty. It does not warrant the client-supplied swing or guarantee the future condition, strength, or safety of the tree or limb. All company-supplied metal swing hardware will be galvanized unless the written line item specifies another corrosion-resistant material. Light surface rust can develop with age and is not by itself a structural defect, although material corrosion, loosening, tree growth, decay, cracks, or other changes require inspection before continued use. The client is responsible for monitoring the swing, chain, hardware, and tree and discontinuing use when a concern is observed.
7. Client Responsibilities and Payment
Warranty service depends on timely communication and a reasonable opportunity for us to observe changing conditions. The client must:
· Provide reasonable access to the property and covered tree, planting, treatment area, or equipment.
· Report a new or substantially worsening concern as soon as reasonably possible.
· Provide requested photographs, service details, irrigation information, and relevant site history.
· Allow us to inspect before another provider performs work or applies a product related to the covered condition, except in a genuine safety emergency.
· Follow watering, irrigation, monitoring, aftercare, and maintenance instructions.
· Disclose herbicide applications, construction, excavation, irrigation problems, prior treatments, and intervening work.
The client account must be paid in full before Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. is required to provide a reassessment, retreatment, replacement planting, corrective work, or other warranty service. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may waive this requirement in writing while investigating or remedying the reported issue. A waiver applies only to the identified issue and does not waive the unpaid balance or change any other term.
8. Materials, Applications, Rain, and Weather
Products are applied according to labeling, legal requirements, the application method, site conditions, and professional judgment. Product-specific label directions and written service instructions control when a different rain interval or application condition is required. Rain does not automatically mean a treatment failed or must be repeated.
For liquid applications to which a rainfast period is relevant, our general field benchmark is that accumulated rain under 0.25 inch during the first 1.5 hours after treatment does not by itself require retreatment. Light rain may rewet the treated material and allow absorption to continue after drying had slowed or paused it. After at least 1.5 hours, the application is generally treated as rainfast for our evaluation, and typical rain volumes ordinarily do not materially disrupt it.
These figures are evaluation benchmarks, not a universal promise for every product or application. We consider the product label, treatment method, rainfall timing and intensity, runoff, site conditions, treatment objective, and legal application limits before deciding whether retreatment is appropriate.
Biostimulants and other treatment mixtures may vary in color and are often very dark. Dark mixtures may temporarily discolor or stain concrete, masonry, stone, wood, fabric, painted surfaces, and other materials, especially porous surfaces. To reduce this risk, our crews may prewash appropriate surfaces and rinse them before, during, and after treatment. These precautions reduce the likelihood and severity of staining but cannot prevent every mark or discoloration. Any temporary discoloration typically fades with time, although the timing varies by surface, formulation, weather, irrigation, cleaning, and environmental conditions. Root-zone and soil treatments may extend through a broader landscape area rather than only around one trunk.
Weather, emergencies, unsafe conditions, equipment issues, and circumstances outside our reasonable control may delay or reschedule appointments. A weather or scheduling delay does not invalidate an approved estimate or create a separate warranty claim.
9. Diagnostic and Professional Limitations
Arboriculture requires professional judgment based on information and conditions available at the time. Findings and recommendations may rely on visible symptoms, accessible portions of the tree, site history supplied by the client, surrounding targets, soil and root-zone conditions, and the tools or testing included in the agreed scope.
Consulting arborist qualifications and the Eric Putnam Standard
Every consulting arborist who evaluates a property and prepares an estimate for Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. is an ISA Certified Arborist® or holds a higher ISA credential and may hold additional qualifications. ISA credential holders are subject to the ISA Code of Ethics. Our internal policy also requires a duty of care to educate clients thoroughly, become familiar with the relevant landscape, cultural practices, and site history, and prepare a detailed written scope. We refer to this service expectation as the Eric Putnam Standard.
A free estimate is an abbreviated ground-based evaluation for identified potential work. It uses many of the same observational principles as a Level 2 inspection because the client meets with an ISA Certified Arborist® or higher, but it is not a complete paid Level 2 inspection, written report, testing service, or comprehensive risk assessment unless the estimate states otherwise.
Certified arborists remain human and can make mistakes, miss concealed conditions, or reach an initial diagnosis that later evidence does not support. If a treatment or other action does not produce the expected response, we may revise the diagnosis and recommend a different treatment, test, inspection, or service. A materially different service may carry an additional charge that must be approved by the client. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may waive all or part of that additional charge in writing based on the circumstances. The purpose of the warranty is to give us a structured opportunity to investigate and correct legitimate service issues.
Unless specialized testing is included, an evaluation may not identify concealed decay, internal defects, hidden roots, underground conditions, inaccessible canopy conditions, latent disease, recent chemical exposure, or another condition that is not reasonably observable. Similar symptoms can have different causes. We may revise a diagnosis or recommendation when new information becomes available. A materially different paid service requires client approval.
An evaluation, consultation, report, treatment, recommendation, or structural-support service does not guarantee future tree condition, survival, absence of defects, or freedom from future branch or whole-tree failure. No tree can be made entirely risk-free.
Level 2 and Level 3 inspections
Level 2 and Level 3 inspections are paid services. Most paid arborist consultations are Level 2 basic inspections performed from the ground. A Level 2 inspection considers the tree's overall health, visible structure, site conditions, and other conditions reasonably observable from the ground within the approved scope.
A Level 3 advanced inspection is a separate paid service that may be recommended after a Level 2 inspection or a free estimate. When aerial inspection is included, a qualified tree climber inspects specified upper-canopy areas, including branch unions, cavities, decay, suspected topside rot, and other conditions identified in the approved scope. The estimate or work order controls the inspection methods, areas, access, documentation, and price.
A Level 2 or Level 3 inspection is a one-time observational service and carries no warranty. It describes conditions reasonably observable within the approved scope at the time of inspection. No inspection can reveal every condition, and concealed or internal defects may exist without visible external signs. The inspection does not eliminate all risk or guarantee safety, future tree condition, survival, or freedom from branch or whole-tree failure. Additional inspection, monitoring, testing, or work is included only when stated in writing.
10. Arborist Reports
Arborist reports are written professional deliverables prepared for the purpose and scope stated in the approved estimate or work order. Reports typically require two to four weeks to complete after the necessary consultation, inspection, records, photographs, testing, and other requested information are available. This is an ordinary estimate, not a guaranteed deadline. Urgency, complexity, additional research, third-party information, revisions to the requested scope, and current workload may affect completion time.
Report preparation starts at $350 and uses a scaling price structure. Pricing may be significantly higher based on complexity, level of involvement, research, exhibits, inspections, meetings, expert analysis, and writing time. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. prepares high-level and legal-grade arborist reports that may support major lawsuits, insurance claims, property-damage disputes, municipal matters, and other high-stakes proceedings. The report fee is generally separate from a paid consultation used to identify the report purpose, questions, evidence, and required scope. The approved estimate or work order controls the report scope and price.
Reports may address most arboricultural subjects, including property damage, insurance disputes, ANSI A300-related pruning or clearance concerns, dangerous trees outside the client's control, unauthorized land clearing, tree-health documentation for neighbors or homeowners associations, tree-removal permit applications, defense of companies against tree-damage allegations, tree mitigation and disposition, tree-survey findings, and Level 2 or Level 3 tree-risk inspections. The examples do not expand the approved scope of a particular report.
Unless a different written payment arrangement applies, the report is prepared first, the report invoice is issued when the report is complete, the invoice must be paid, and the final report is then released to the client. A draft, verbal discussion, invoice, or payment does not expand the approved scope.
An arborist report does not guarantee acceptance, approval, payment, settlement, permit issuance, insurance coverage, a favorable legal or administrative result, action by a neighbor or homeowners association, or any other outcome for which the report is used. No outcome warranty applies. A concern about how the report was written, an alleged factual inaccuracy, or a requested correction based on information that was inaccurate or incomplete must be reported within 20 business days after the report is delivered. The limited remedy is our review and, when we determine it is appropriate and within the approved scope, correction of the covered report language or factual entry. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may waive the 20-business-day notice requirement in writing at its discretion.
11. Disease Testing and Third-Party Laboratory Services
Disease testing is a paid diagnostic service used when observations, history, species, symptoms, or site conditions give us a reasonable basis to suspect the specific disease or disorder named in the approved estimate or work order. We generally do not recommend laboratory testing without a suspected target condition. A field suspicion supports the decision to test, but it is not a confirmed diagnosis and does not guarantee a positive laboratory result.
For a 3rd Party Lethal Bronzing of Palm Testing Service, the approved line item identifies the palm or palms and location to be sampled. A qualified arborist or climber collects internal palm tissue from the upper trunk area and prepares the material for overnight shipment to the Texas A&M Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. Sampling may require climbing, drilling at multiple locations, tool sanitation, separate labeled sample bags, cooled packaging, overnight shipment, and sealing sampling holes with wooden dowels. The approved line item and the receiving laboratory's current instructions control the exact number, diameter, depth, placement, handling, packaging, and shipping schedule for samples. Samples are ordinarily collected and shipped Monday through Wednesday to reduce the risk of late-week transit delays, deterioration, or delayed laboratory receipt.
Payment is due when Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. completes the agreed sample-collection, drilling, wound-sealing, preparation, packaging, and shipment work, not when laboratory results are returned. A negative result does not create a right to a refund. A negative result means the target pathogen was not detected in the submitted sample under the laboratory's method; it does not guarantee that the tree or plant is free of every disease or disorder. Additional sampling, repeat testing, or testing for another disease may be recommended at an additional approved charge. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may waive all or part of that additional charge in writing at its discretion.
Laboratory testing is performed by a third party. Turnaround time and results depend on sample condition, disease distribution and activity, shipping conditions, laboratory processing, and the limitations of the selected test. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. does not guarantee a particular result, turnaround time, diagnosis, treatment recommendation, or outcome. Disease testing is a one-time diagnostic service and carries no result warranty. A concern that our collection, labeling, packaging, or shipment work did not match the written scope or was performed improperly must be reported within 20 business days after that work is completed. That workmanship notice does not make Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. responsible for laboratory or carrier actions outside our control.
12. Tree Surveying, Cataloging, and Urban Forestry
Tree surveying, tree cataloging, inventories, mapping, and related urban-forestry services document trees and their locations, attributes, condition, recommendations, or other information stated in the approved estimate or work order. The written description of the estimate or work order controls the property area, trees included, data fields, inspection level, deliverables, mapping format, assumptions, exclusions, and price.
Residential tree-surveying and cataloging work is billed at $150 per hour. This includes a private residential owner who wants tree locations, approximate relationship to property features or rough property-line information, trunk size, critical root zones, or tree condition documented at the inspection level stated in the estimate, including a homeowner preparing for a remodel. Commercial clients, contractors, cities, municipalities, governmental entities, and similar organizational clients are billed at $250 per hour unless a different written rate applies.
During the associated free estimate, we estimate the total billable hours and written scope. The final bill may vary by up to 20% above or below the estimated hours when the written scope has not changed. If the scope changes, we will identify and agree in writing to a revised number of billable hours before proceeding with the changed work. Drive time may be billable depending on distance and will be disclosed and agreed to in writing before charges are incurred.
When included in the approved scope, we use sub-centimeter-capable GPS equipment to document tree locations. Actual field accuracy can be affected by canopy density, satellite availability and geometry, buildings, terrain, signal obstruction, equipment conditions, and other site factors. Tree-location data is not a legal boundary survey and does not establish ownership, easements, property lines, or survey monuments unless the written scope expressly states otherwise and the work is performed by a legally authorized provider.
A concern about a covered inaccuracy in the delivered survey, catalog, inventory, map, or related urban-forestry deliverable must be reported within 20 business days after delivery. The limited remedy is our review and, when we determine it is appropriate and within the approved scope, correction of the covered data or deliverable. This does not guarantee third-party acceptance, government approval, exact boundary placement, or identification of conditions outside the agreed inspection level. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may waive the 20-business-day notice requirement in writing at its discretion.
13. Personnel and Onsite Supervision
Work will be performed by trained employees or thoroughly vetted subcontractors working for or under the direction of Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. We do not knowingly send untrained personnel to perform specialized work independently. Our subcontractors are long-standing business partners, affiliated family-operated service companies, or vetted firms whose work we are willing to place under the Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. name. The consulting arborist's accurate written scope and detailed instructions usually provide the direction trained personnel need to complete the work correctly. The applicable workmanship warranty provides the client a defined remedy if covered work does not match that scope.
An ISA Board Certified Master Arborist® or ISA Certified Arborist® is not automatically present throughout every service. Continuous on-site attendance by an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist® or ISA Certified Arborist® must be arranged in advance and may require an additional fee.
14. General Warranty Exclusions
Unless a written service-specific warranty states otherwise, coverage does not apply to damage, decline, interference, or loss caused or materially affected by:
· Hurricanes, tropical storms, high winds, lightning, flooding, drought, extreme heat, freezes, or severe weather.
· Construction, excavation, trenching, grading, fill soil, soil removal, compaction, utilities, drainage changes, or root damage.
· Failure to follow irrigation or care instructions, irrigation shutoff or malfunction, or a material watering change.
· Herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, salts, contaminants, or products not applied or authorized by us.
· Pruning, removal, root work, treatment, or intervention by another company or person that materially affects the covered condition.
· Vehicle, mowing, construction, utility, animal, vandalism, intentional, or other physical injury.
· A pest not identified in the covered treatment, a different disease, injury, or condition unrelated to the original objective, or a pest requiring a materially different treatment, except when the pest is expressly included in an active recurring Insect Protection Package.
· Incomplete, inaccurate, or undisclosed site history.
· Preexisting damage, irreversible decline, advanced decay, structural weakness, or a condition the covered service could not reasonably reverse.
· Natural biological variation, normal aging, or an individual tree's response.
· Failure to follow maintenance, monitoring, access, or aftercare instructions.
15. Consultations, Cancellations, Access, and Travel
Paid consultation
The standard fee for a diagnostic arborist consultation is $150 unless a different amount, credit, discount, or waiver is confirmed in writing. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may credit a paid consultation to the client account at our discretion. A free estimate is intended to evaluate and price identified work, including a proposed tree survey, tree-cataloging project, diagnostic test, or disease test. The survey, cataloging, sample collection, laboratory testing, diagnosis, interpretation, report preparation, and other specialized work are billable services unless the approved estimate states otherwise.
Cancellation and rescheduling
A cancellation must be communicated to our office at least 24 hours before the scheduled appointment or service. A cancellation received less than 24 hours before an estimate appointment or a scheduled Plant Health Care, general tree-care, planting, or other service provided by Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may be charged a $150 cancellation fee. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may waive the fee in writing based on the circumstances.
A request to move an appointment or service to a specific active replacement date is treated as a rescheduling request, not a cancellation, when our office confirms the new date. The $150 cancellation fee does not apply to that confirmed rescheduling. If the client gives timely notice and we cannot reasonably accommodate the requested change, a scheduling limitation on our side does not create a cancellation fee. A request that does not identify an active replacement date, or for which no new date is confirmed, may be treated as a cancellation. If a $150 cancellation fee is charged because no replacement date was identified and a later date is agreed to, the paid fee will be credited to the client account toward the rescheduled service or work approved from the rescheduled estimate. The credit is not a cash refund and applies only to work already approved or later agreed to in writing. We may waive the credit limitation or fee in writing at our discretion.
The $150 fee may also apply when we arrive or dispatch and the work has already been completed, another provider is performing the contracted work without timely cancellation, the client is unavailable when required, or another client-controlled site-readiness issue prevents the scheduled appointment or service. This includes a free-estimate appointment because the estimator must have a meaningful opportunity to evaluate the requested work and present our recommended scope and pricing. The fee helps offset the costs already committed to acquiring and serving the appointment, including advertising, search-engine and geographic visibility work, intake and scheduling staff, arborist routing, reserved professional time, dispatch preparation, onsite waiting, and the lost opportunity to serve another client. No more than one $150 local cancellation or site-readiness fee will be assessed for the same failed dispatch.
Controlled access and required water
The client must arrange entry through any locked gate, private guard entrance, or other controlled access point. If the arborist or crew arrives and cannot obtain the agreed access because the client or authorized representative is unavailable, a $150 site-readiness fee applies for the reserved and onsite crew time. Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. may waive the fee in writing based on the circumstances.
Pets or other animals must be secured so that our arborist or crew can enter and perform the scheduled work safely. If a pet or animal prevents access or safe performance and is not secured within a reasonable time after we contact the client or site representative, a $150 site-readiness fee may be charged for the reserved, dispatched, and onsite time.
Most Plant Health Care work, including treatments and root-flare services, requires running water so the crew can fill its spray tank and perform required washdown. When client-supplied water is required, the client must provide a functioning and accessible outdoor water source. If water has been shut off or the required spigot is locked and water is not made available within 30 minutes after the crew contacts the client or site representative, a $150 site-readiness fee may be charged for the crew's dispatch and onsite time.
The water-readiness fee does not apply at an active construction site when the lack of running water should reasonably have been identified by Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. consulting arborist staff during the estimate. The fee may apply if water was verified and was later shut off, locked, removed, or otherwise made unavailable by a condition outside our control.
Travel fee
Travel immediately outside our ordinary service area is usually quoted at $150. More distant travel may be quoted up to $300, and extensive travel may be higher based on distance, travel method, airfare, ground transportation, lodging, and other reasonable costs. Travel fees may apply to consulting arborists and to Plant Health Care crews because our treatments are specialized and we may travel to perform a premium treatment already prescribed by a consulting ISA Certified Arborist® or higher. The applicable fee will be disclosed in writing before the appointment or service is confirmed.
If a chargeable trip has begun or nonrefundable travel costs have been incurred, a later cancellation does not eliminate the disclosed travel fee or those disclosed nonrefundable costs. A local cancellation or site-readiness fee and a disclosed travel fee may both apply when they cover different costs.
16. How to Request Warranty Service
Contact our office as soon as a covered concern is observed. Phone: 832-385-1836. Email: Contact@EricPutnamBCMA.com.
Please provide:
· Client name and property address.
· Estimate, work order, invoice, or service date, when available.
· The tree, planting, equipment, or landscape area involved.
· A description of what changed and when it was first observed.
· Current photographs, when available.
· Information about irrigation, weather, herbicide exposure, construction, pruning, or work performed after the original service.
We must be given a reasonable opportunity to review the concern before another company alters the covered tree, condition, or equipment, except when immediate action is reasonably necessary to protect people or property.
17. Final Terms
This policy must be read together with the Terms and Conditions, approved estimate, work order, invoice, and service-specific instructions supplied by Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. in writing.
Written accommodations may be made for municipal, commercial, governmental, institutional, or other entities when approved by an authorized representative of Eric Putnam BCMA Inc. Proof of current insurance coverage and a downloadable certificate of liability insurance may be requested from our office and are intended to be available through a dedicated public insurance page on our website.
Read the companion Terms and Conditions. The current online version of this policy is available at the Warranty and Disclaimer webpage.
The companion Terms and Conditions of Service govern scheduling, access, payment, fees, and acceptance. Nothing in this policy is intended to eliminate a right or remedy that cannot lawfully be limited. Any provision determined to be unenforceable will be applied only to the maximum extent permitted without affecting the remaining provisions.
Effective date: 09/24/2026 at 3 pm
To read the old Warranty & Disclaimer, Click Here
