Frequently Asked Questions

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  • Tree risk assessment, tree appraisal, tree preservation planning, tree management planning, and expert witness and litigation support. I don't sell tree care services. That keeps the consulting independent and the opinions defensible.

  • Fill out the contact form, email or call with a brief description of what you're dealing with. I'll follow up within a couple days to discuss scope and send a proposal. Most engagements begin with a site visit after the proposal is accepted and initial payment is received.

  • I hold the two highest credentials in the industry: ISA Board Certified Master Arborist and ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist, and consulting is all I do. No tree service to upsell means my recommendations are based on what the tree actually needs.

  • Contact us through this website, email jp@shakeragconsulting.com or call or text 908-581-1987. I'm based in Nashville and serve Tennessee.

  • Most projects are quoted as a lump sum covering the site visit and written report, due before work product is released. Expert witness engagements have a different structure; please contact me directly for those details.

  • No. Shakerag Consulting is a pure consulting practice. I don't perform pruning, removal, fertilization, or any other hands-on tree work. That separation is intentional and is what makes the consulting independent and impartial.

  • I'm an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist (SO-7485B) and Tree Risk Assessment Qualified. I am a Registered Consulting Arborist (#777) and Tree and Plant Appraisal Qualified through the American Society of Consulting Arborists.

    I have over a decade of experience including roles at municipal, private, and institutional organizations, combined with industry committee service.

    I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources, with a focus in Forestry, from Sewanee: The University of the South, and a Master of Natural Resources from Virginia Tech with a focus in global sustainable development.

  • An ISA Certified Arborist has passed an exam demonstrating general knowledge of tree care: pruning, planting, pest management, etc. Most work for tree service companies and their primary job is performing or selling hands-on tree work.

    An ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist specializes specifically in professional consulting: appraisals, risk assessments, litigation support, and written expert opinions. The RCA has a meaningfully higher bar to get there and requires documented experience, a minimum number of continuing education credits, attending and passing a Consulting Academy, and peer review of several written reports.

    Think of it like the difference between a contractor and a structural engineer; both know construction, but only one is positioned to give you an expert independent assessment.