Jessica Pares of New Leaf Tree Service

Just like the weather, Jessica Pares knows her business is about to start heating up. The owner of New Leaf Tree Service, Pares said the warm weather gets people out in their yards.

“Summer tends to be much busier. People are outside, and they’re doing landscape projects,” she said.

And that’s where Pares can bring her expertise and training to area yards. She is a certified arborist and Tree Risk Assessment Qualified through the International Society of Arboriculture. She brings those skills and training to trees throughout Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island.

“I can spot some things that might not be obvious to the layperson,” she said.

Oftentimes, her company is brought in to remove branches or take down entire trees. However, they can also help people who know they need tree help but aren’t quite sure exactly what.

“We can do an assessment for people who don’t know what they need,” she said.

Pares’ company, founded in 2012, has eight full-time employees and will bring in additional help for the summer. Paras said her crew uses state-of-the-art technology and equipment to ensure that all their work is done with great effectiveness, efficiency and safety. New Leaf Tree Service carries a full array of protection and licensing, going above and beyond what is required.

“We are a full-service tree care company, and we do have full insurance. The thing you want to do when you are searching for tree care is make sure they not only have a certified arborist on staff but also general liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance,” she pointed out.

For those wanting to add a signature tree look to their Lowcountry yard, Pares said to stick with the state tree, the Sabal palmetto. The taller Washingtonia palms cannot handle cold snaps, as evidenced by the numerous dead ones following the January snowstorm. The Sabal, however, has no problem with the weather here.

“That’s what you want to plant. It’s just a bulletproof tree for this climate,” she said.

And when you do plant your trees, palmetto or otherwise, Pares can sum up the best strategy for success with one word: mulch.

“Trees in the natural environment get a steady supply of nutrients, just from the detritus on the forest floor. In the suburban and urban environments, all of that stuff is raked and blown away,” she said.

And as a tree professional and tree lover, Pares, not surprisingly, is an admirer of this area’s most well-known tree, the famed Angel Oak on Johns Island.

“It’s breathtaking,” she said.

By Mike Gibbons