For David Raines, owner of Raines Tree Care in Bentonville, Arkansas – a TCIA member company since 2015 – the morning of May 26 started out like any other Sunday, until he saw the stream of text messages from family and friends asking if he was OK.

“I slept through the storm – it was just north of my home,” Raines says of the EF-2 and EF-3 tornadoes that hit Benton County in the wee hours of Sunday morning this past Memorial Day weekend. “When I woke up to a bunch of texts, I realized it must have been a pretty big deal.”
The ISA Certified Arborist had no idea just how big a deal it was until he jumped in his truck that morning and headed to his long-term commercial client, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, to assess the damage. The museum sits on 100 acres of heavily forested property, and Raines and his regular crew of six full-time employees have been maintaining the trees there since 2013. “It was hit incredibly bad,” he says. “Museum Way (the main road in) was completely blocked by downed trees. There was devastation everywhere. I’m standing there with a saw in my hand thinking, ‘There’s no way, we can’t possibly handle this on our own.’

“It was very emotional,” Raines continues. “The first two weeks I cried every day, just seeing the destruction and devastation and the trees down that we’d been caring for for years. I’ve heard that the storm cost $7 million in debris removal alone.”

Reaching out for help

According to Raines, one of the first calls he received was from his close friend, Chad Bryant, owner of Tree Gorilla Tree Care Experts, a three-year TCIA member company in Little Rock, and Raines’s partner in running the Natural State Tree Climbing Championship in Arkansas. “I don’t know how I would have done it during those first days without Chad’s help,” he says. “He stayed with us probably 10 days.”

Raines also put out a general call for help on his personal Facebook page, drawing on his network of professional arborist and tree-climbing friendships. His message was short and sweet. “Raines Tree Care needs additional crews in Bentonville to help with storm cleanup. Message me if you want to get involved.”

The responses were immediate and promising, like, “Hey buddy, if there is anything me and my crew can do, let us know,” and “I would absolutely come down and help” and “I’m out in it. Holler if you get in a pickle.”

“Some people brought their whole company with them,” he adds. “One guy, Cameron Lundin, brought his knuckle-boom grapple-saw crane all the way from Wisconsin, and a couple of his colleagues joined him. He has a fantastic operation there in Madison, and great equipment.”

Kendall Webb, CTSP, owner of Busy Bees Tree Service, a second-year TCIA member company in Kirbyville, Missouri, brought his stick crane. And a personal friend from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ephraim Taylor, CTSP – owner of Paragon Tree Care – brought along his mini skid, grapple truck and a crew of five. “I haven’t had to rent any equipment yet,” says Raines.

Taking care of business

“We’re not a big company, and we’re not storm chasers,” says Raines. “It’s very challenging work and not something I look forward to. We went from a 12-week backlog to six months after the storm hit. We went from a normal day of having six people in production to as many as 25. And I think we’ll be working at Crystal Bridges for at least another two months.

“First we had the challenges of getting big trees off houses and buildings,” he adds. “Now (at Crystal Bridges), we’re out there in ravines and challenging terrain.

“I cannot take any new accounts, I can only service those who are on my current client list, and we had some pretty disappointed people when they called and learned we couldn’t help them,” he continues. “As often as I could, I’d refer them to another good company in the area.”

A community effort

According to Raines, the devastating tornadoes drew his community together in ways that were truly inspiring. In addition to a shared sense of grief, his friends, neighbors and fellow arborists pulled together from the beginning to help get the work done. “I had people asking, ‘What do you need?’ and ‘What can I bring?’”

In addition to needing a couple of cranes and other equipment, Raines faced the need for housing for the contractors who came from out of state. “We’re out in the country, and we needed places to put people up. I had some space in my shop, so some people were able to stay there,” he explains. “Then we have a neighbor who let us use her renovated trailer home with three bedrooms and two baths, for free. I have one client who owns some Airbnbs, and they let us have one for $100 a night – and it’s really a nice place.

“I also provided lunches for everyone,” Raines notes. “It keeps people happy and working, and most important, it helps with morale. My niece and her friend ran the lunches out (to job sites). We did a lot of Firehouse Subs. The manager arranged a way for us to do easy online ordering – they helped tremendously!”

Raines says, “If I only focus on the negative of this, it’s going to bring me down. Just talking about it today and remembering the good things, the way people came together, really helps.”

Another tough job

During those first weeks, while Raines was busy coordinating the crews and making sure everything was running smoothly and safely, his office staff was working hard to prioritize the needs of his company’s residential clients.

“Prioritizing is a tough one when it comes to our residential customers,” he says. “One of the most important things is being a sympathetic listener. Our office manager, Lory Gutierrez, is the most amazing, kind person you’ll ever talk to. And we also brought on Amanda Luster, who is another very kind person. Both of them are qualified enough to determine who needs the most immediate attention, mostly by looking at client photos they send us.”

Raines also stresses that staying in communication with clients is important, to make sure they keep informed of progress. “And we try to keep one of our own crew members on every crew going out, so there’s always a representative from Raines Tree Care on site. It’s just another assurance for our customers who are used to the way we do things.”

Embracing contractors

When asked if he encountered any problems created by outside companies – basically storm chasers – coming into Benton County to work, Raines says absolutely not. “They were welcome to be here as far as I was concerned. Let me tell you, if I’m driving around and I see a company wearing proper PPE and doing good work, with trucks that look good and maybe are marked with ISA or TCIA logos, I’m going to stop and introduce myself and talk to them. If I feel like they’re a quality company doing work to our standards, I’ll give them some good leads and send them some jobs.”

Raines says he knows of one company in his area that may be doing some storm chasing. “I’m just not into that,” he says. “We keep such a big backlog of work year-round that we don’t need that work. It’s not part of my business model, and I don’t want it to be. Besides, our crew members are family people with spouses, and I want them to be home at night.”

Some big challenges

Not being able to address every need was among Raines’ biggest emotional challenges in the beginning, he says. “I realized I just can’t. I wanted to, and that’s a personal thing, but I just can’t.

“Early on we did a hard push, 13 straight days of long hours,” he notes. “But I also realized in the beginning that this is a marathon. I told my people that we would work regular hours and have weekends off, and that if you need time off, you just tell me. Our customers are good people, they understand.
“Another big challenge is keeping our tools and equipment up and operational. Today our aerial lift is out and needs a part. I just bought a new truck to keep up with the work. And we also have the challenges of managing multiple crews.”

The silver lining

Raines becomes reflective as he talks about his experiences over the past couple of months. “Watching my crew grow and mature during this storm has been mind blowing,” he says. “And I’m not taking anything away from them when I say this, because they were already there, I’m just seeing them through a new lens.

“Now I just say, ‘Here’s your task,’ and it gets done and I don’t think about it again. I’m incredibly impressed. I think it’s pride in ownership. It’s our area and our trees. We’ve loved and cared for these trees together for years.”

Raines adds, “I’m a very hands-on owner, and let’s just say that now I know I can take a vacation.”

He concludes by saying, “I’ve seen positive impacts in our community, and I’ve seen growth through this personally and within my company. We’re a family-oriented business, and I’ll say this – I can’t wait for this year’s Christmas party!”

Patricia Chaudoin has been a freelance writer/editor for more than four decades, in areas as disparate as tree care, golf, weddings, luxury travel and international non-profit NGOs. She has been writing for TCI Magazine since 2016.