Time to Visit the NEW CLC Tree Services Blog!

For all our loyal fans and followers of the CLC Tree Services blog;

There has been a change in the wind and it’s more than just spring. CLC Tree Services has updated our logo, slogan and website. You knew the blog wasn’t far behind, right?

Like the other changes, this one isn’t overly dramatic. We are freshening our look, usability and the feel of the company. And that equals a change to the blog. It has now been incorporated into our website.

You’ll still find all the same great content you have grown accustomed to, but now on a fresh, mobile-friendly site. And if you are worried you won’t be able to find an old blog post that you wanted to refer back to, don’t fret. All of our archives have been transferred to the new blog!

So why not stop by our new website today and take a look around. Tell us what you think and let us know if there’s anything more you’d like to see. We can’t wait to see you there!

Visit the new CLC Tree Services website & make sure to sign up to keep receiving all the informative blog posts you expect from London’s tree service experts

Revamping an Image

You might have noticed that CLC Tree Services has had a bit of a facelift recently. Possibly subtle to the unknowing eye, we revamped our logo to the one you see above. There is a new font, a straight image (from the previous angled image), the LTD is gone (from some old logos), and the tree has undergone some minor changes.

The ladies of CLC get a moment in the spotlight

This is just one aspect of our transformation. CLC has been in operation since 1988, and we felt it high-time to update our image. The new logo will now be on all vehicles in our fleet, as well as our updated slogan;

“Caring for London and area since 1988”

While previous slogans spoke of our premiere service, professionalism, and the fact that we have been in business for over 20 years—then 25+ years—we felt the need to simplify. We are incredibly proud to have had the opportunity to serve London and area for over 25 years, but at what point do you stop marking anniversaries? We will be hitting 30 years shortly, which is another laudable milestone, but do we then mark 35 with a new slogan change, and again at 40? Time will tell, but for today, the powers that be decided that adding the date covered any future anniversaries, at least as far as our slogan was concerned.

Jay Terry captures the brawn of the men on the CLC crew

These tweaks herald another change for our small business; we are getting a new website! Anyone who runs a business knows that you have to keep up with the times. While our website has stood us in good stead over the years, it is time for an upgrade. We’ll see what you think when it rolls out shortly, but some of the things to look forward to are a newly updated mobile-friendly site with easy to navigate tabs, plenty of testimonials, our community involvement, FAQs answered, updated galleries of pictures and videos, and of course a description of the numerous services we offer. We can’t wait to unroll it!

One of the other pieces of our transformation also included some new pictures. For those of you who follow us on some of our other social media sites, you may have seen a small taste of what that looked like. CLC Tree Services was thrilled to work with Jay Terry Photography for a recent photo shoot which we hope will highlight what CLC is; family, professionalism, experience, teamwork, knowledge and the equipment to get a job done right.

All of this comes just in time for the upcoming 40th Annual London Spring Home & Garden Show. We hope to see you there so that you can talk with staff, see our new look, and share with us what you think of it. The show runs April 15th – 17th, 2016 at the Western Fair Agriplex building. Come check us out and offer your two cents worth on our transformation.

See you then!

The whole CLC Tree Services crew available to serve London and area

15 Books About Trees for Children

“I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues.”
― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

We all know that reading to children from an early age promotes literacy, but did you also know that it improves overall health, verbal skills, education, later employment, and potential income? The act of cuddling with a child over a book creates also creates a bond which supports emotional well-being that stretches into later life. And not only can you foster a love of books and reading, but depending upon the books you choose, you may even create an interest and love for a specific topic that lasts a lifetime.

As CLC Tree Services encourages a love of trees, we can think of nothing better than to read books about trees to your children. And you are in luck, because there are plenty of them out there. In case you struggle to come up with titles beyond “The Lorax” though, we’ve compiled a list of books to help encourage reading and an interest in trees for your children. We need all the future tree huggers we can get!

1. The Lorax – by Dr Seuss
2. The Giving Tree – by Shel Silverstein
3. I Can Name 50 Trees Today – by Bonnie Worth, illustrated by Aristides Ruiz & Joe Mathieu
4. Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf – by Lois Ehlert
5. Forest Has a Song – by Amy Ludwig Vanderwater, illustrated by Robbin Gourley
6. My City Tree Cares for Me – by Margaret Hall Spencer, illustrated by Gail Yerrill
7. A Tree is Nice – by Janice May Udry, illustrated by Marc Simont
8. We Planted a Tree – by Diane Muldrow, illustrated by Bob Staake
9. The Great Paper Caper – by Oliver Jeffers
10. Gus is a Tree – by Claire Babin, illustrated by Olivier Tallec
11. The Great Kapok Tree – by Lynne Cherry
12. This Tree Counts – by Alison Ashley Formento, illustrated by Sarah Snow
13. Crinkleroot’s Guide to Knowing the Trees – by Jim Arnosky
14. The Kids Canadian Tree Book – by Pamela Hickman, illustrated by Heather Collins
15. Picture a Tree – by Barbara Reid

Do you have any favourite books you have read to your children about trees? Which ones did we miss?

Maple Syrup: Some Sweet Facts

It’s maple syrup time!

• Canada produces 90% of the world’s maple syrup
• Quebec produces 90% of Canada’s maple syrup
• Ontario is the second largest producer of maple syrup in Canada, producing approximately 4 million litres of maple syrup each year

Maple syrup starts out as sap from maple trees

• Once a maple tree is tapped, the tree tries to heal the wound. In Ontario, that means that taps are relocated to new spots on the tree every year. Tubing can be left on the tree, but the new tap is located far enough away from the previous year’s tap, to ensure the sustainability and health of the tree.
• The number of taps on a tree is dependent on the age and size of a tree. A simple way to figure out if a tree is large enough to tap is to hug it—an adult’s arm span would equal 1 tap. Up to 3 taps can be installed per tree.
• Maple trees can safely be tapped every year without harming the health of a tree.
• It takes 40 litres of sap to make 1 litre of maple syrup.
• 

  Evaporators boil sap until it reaches the desired state – 66% sugar content

  At the beginning of the season lighter syrup is produced. There is more sugar in the sap, so it doesn’t need to be boiled as long, creating a lighter syrup.
• By the end of the season, the sap needs to be boiled longer, which leads to a darker syrup.
• The darker the maple syrup, the stronger the taste. Amber maple syrup is best for cooking, due to its stronger taste.
• At present, there are 4 grades of maple syrup: extra light, light, medium, amber
• All maple syrup has the same amount of sugar in it, regardless of grade – 66%

Changes to the Maple Syrup Industry

• A new system for grading maple syrup has been established by the International Maple Syrup Institute (IMSI), which will standardize the grading of maple syrup across Canada and the US. These changes will take effect in Ontario by 2017 and will take taste, colour and light transmission into account. These changes are lined out by the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association (OMSPA);

  • Maple syrup may be graded as “Canada Grade A” if, in addition to meeting the requirements set out in section 5 of these Regulations,

    • (a) it is free from fermentation;
    • (b) it is uniform in colour and free from sediment and free from any cloudiness or turbidity;
    • (c) its colour class is
      • (i) Golden, Delicate Taste,
      • (ii) Amber, Rich Taste,
      • (iii) Dark, Robust Taste, or
      • (iv) Very Dark, Strong Taste; and
    • (d) it has a maple flavour characteristic of its colour class and is free from any objectionable odour or taste.
      

      tem	Colour Class	Percentage of Light Transmission
      1	Golden, Delicate Taste (Doré, goût délicat)	not less than	75.0
      2	Amber, Rich Taste (Ambré, goût riche)	less than	75.0
      		but not less than	50.0
      3	Dark, Robust Taste (Foncé, goût robuste)	less than	50.0
      		but not less than	25.0
      4	Very Dark, Strong Taste (Très foncé, goût prononcé)	less than	25.0

Regardless of regulations, maple syrup will still be delicious and nutritious. Whether you choose golden, amber, dark or very dark maple syrup, you can be sure that the sweet goodness you pour over your pancakes, has been inspected and is fit for human consumption. So why not support local industry and get your fresh maple syrup from one of the many local maple syrup producers in our area.

Best of London x 3

Best Tree Services Company

“Thanks for all the support friends!
It feels great to be voted best tree company in London ever since they started keeping track!
Best of London x3 only happens when you do what you love, do it well, and treat people right!” ~ Calvin McCallum

It is an honour and a privilege to win this award. The Best of London contest is all about people and their relationships with companies. For those of you who took the time to vote, you know how many categories there are – over 100! Sure, you can skip over categories for companies or services you don’t use or know; not everyone has a dry cleaner or favourite funeral home they might vote for. We know it takes time to click through the list. We voted too! And while most people have eaten pizza or chicken from one of London’s many restaurants, how many tree services companies have you dealt with?

We like to think that we make a difference in our customer’s lives, so that the answer is only one—CLC Tree Services!

So today we want to thank you. Winning this award lets us know that all the time and effort we put into running our company is worth it. You appreciate our efforts. We get thanks from clients on a regular basis after completing work, but taking the time out of one’s day to fill out a survey and vote for us takes a little more effort. And we have to tell you, we’re tickled.

Do you want to know what’s better than winning the Best of London award though? Not only have we won the 2016 Best Tree Services Company in London, but this is the THIRD year in a row we have won this people’s choice award. Three years running! We are definitely doing something right. And we hope to continue doing our best, so that you put your faith in our services for years to come. We love what we do and aim to keep on offering top quality service to the good people of London and Middlesex county.

THANK YOU!!!!

Can you feel the love from our small business pride?