Cleaning out my dad's old gear shed and found a price list from his first tree service in 1983.

It was tucked inside a worn copy of the 'Diseases of Trees' book. A basic removal with a 24-inch bar saw was listed at $75, and a full day's climbing work paid $120. I showed it to him and he just laughed, saying gas was under a dollar a gallon back then. Makes you wonder what a removal in a tight backyard really cost them after expenses. What's the oldest piece of arborist history you've stumbled across?

3 comments

3 Comments

theapatel23d ago

Found a handwritten logbook from the 70s where someone noted "got paid in PIE for pruning the mayor's apple tree." The inflation math on that one hurts my brain.

claire6422d ago

Remember that pie payment story? Makes you wonder how many old timers settled up with barter instead of cash. That logbook is probably full of trades for firewood, home repairs, or just a good meal. Kind of a different world when your biggest job risk was maybe getting paid in baked goods.

mark67617h ago

Honestly that sounds like a raw deal to me. Getting paid in pie means you worked for free if the baker needed cash for flour. Barter only works when both people have extra stuff, not when you're trying to feed a family. That different world probably left a lot of folks struggling behind the cozy stories.