Getting a crane down a farm lane off Chili-Riga Center Rd is a different job than working a city driveway. We plan around soft ground more than anything else — spring and after a wet stretch, the lawn between the barn and the road won't hold a loaded truck, so we'll often bring the bucket in off Buffalo Rd and reach rather than drive. Rt 36 shoulders are tight enough that a takedown near the road usually means a spotter and a short traffic hold.
Out in the open fields, big maples grew up with nothing beside them to break the wind. They look solid right up until a March gale rolls through and lifts the root plate on one side — we see more uprooting here than trunk failure. Hedgerow and fenceline work is steady too, mostly clearing so equipment can get through without stripping paint off it. In Churchville village it's the opposite problem: mature street trees, wires, and about eight feet of room to drop anything.
Storm work along Black Creek and the open fields
A tree came down over my road frontage — will the town clear it?
Usually not if it's on your side of the line. Riga runs a volunteer fire district and they'll handle the immediate emergency, but the cleanup on private frontage comes back to the homeowner. Call us and we'll deal with it.
Can you get equipment into a back field or along a creek bank?
Often yes, but it depends on ground conditions. Near Black Creek the banks stay soft late into spring, so we'll walk it first and tell you honestly whether it's a machine job now or a job that waits for dry ground.