Carroll County Tree Care Expert Given 30-Day License Suspension
Violations related to negligent and wrongful conduct
ANNAPOLIS, MD — The Office of Administrative Hearings ordered a 30-day license suspension for Licensed Tree Expert James Louis Yirka III of Arborcare Tree Experts, Inc., a commercial tree care firm in Manchester. The suspension was sought by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Forest Service for wrongful conduct in the practice of tree care.The order concludes departmental action related to a complaint from a citizen in Timonium regarding an incident in October 2002 and to departmental charges that the licensee violated ethics regulations by falsifying credentials under oath during a previous hearing in January 2003. The judge found that Yirka committed breach of contract, trespassed, destroyed private and public property (the client’s neighbor’s property and a public sidewalk), used threatening language with a customer, and failed to cooperate with a departmental investigation regarding the Timonium incident. The judge also found that Yirka falsified and misrepresented his professional qualifications and lied under oath at the previous hearing. These are improper practices and considered wrongful conduct in the practice of tree care by DNR, which licenses the state’s commercial practitioners. The suspension runs from March 5, 2004, through April 3, 2004.
All tree care professionals practicing in Maryland must be licensed. Without a license, advertising services and practicing are prohibited. The DNR website at http://dnrweb.dnr.state.md.us/forests/oflists/lte/treeexpert.html contains a complete list of licensed tree experts. Call the DNR Forest Service at 1-887-620-8360, ext. 8531, to file complaints regarding licensed or unlicensed tree experts.
Posted February 20, 2004