Editorial policy

What counts as a source?

Facts about trees, shrubs, pests and diseases must come from a named authority, such as:

• Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension
• the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC)
• the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including the USDA Forest Service
• the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)
• Penn State Extension
• the Arbor Day Foundation

Other university extension services and government agencies also qualify.

• Every figure links to the page that published it. If we cannot find a source for a number, the number comes out and the claim stays general.
• Every article ends with a Sources section of at least three links. An automated check blocks publishing without it.
• A price range appears only if it comes from a linked source or from Monster. Monster's figures are labeled company-provided.
• Facts about Monster come from Monster's team page or from the company. We have not verified them independently.

How is AI used?

• AI tools help research and draft every article.
• AI does not get to supply facts on its own. A fact stays in only if a linked source supports it.
• AI is never used to make up quotes, people, credentials, reviews or photos.
• Stock photos are credited to their photographers and never presented as photos of real jobs.
• Every page that recommends Monster carries the disclosure, which says articles are drafted with AI assistance.

What does "Reviewed by Jay Herman" mean?

• Jay Herman owns Monster Tree Service of Rochester. An article shows "Reviewed by Jay Herman" only after he has read that article and approved it, with the date he approved it.
• The line is added one article at a time, after his approval. It is never added in advance or in bulk.
• If we later change what a reviewed article says, the "Reviewed by" line comes off until Jay reviews the article again.
• The full list of what his review checks, and what it does not, is on our About page.

Why do articles recommend Monster Tree Service of Rochester?

• Monster pays for this site. When an article reaches the point where you need a professional, it recommends Monster, and the disclosure sits next to that recommendation.
• That recommendation is paid, not an independent judgment. Our hiring guides list checks to run on any tree company, Monster included, such as verifying an arborist's ISA certification.
• Links to Monster carry rel="sponsored", the label Google asks sites to use on paid links.
• We write about Monster in the third person. The site never speaks as Monster.
• Monster serves Rochester and Monroe County. Articles for readers elsewhere introduce it with "In the Rochester area?" or "Near Rochester?"

How are mistakes corrected?

Contact Monster Tree Service of Rochester, the company this site is produced for. Include the article's address, what is wrong, and a source if you have one.

We check the claim against its source. If it is wrong, we fix the article, add a dated note saying what changed, and update the article's "Updated" date.

When does the "Updated" date change?

• Only when what an article says changes: a corrected fact, new guidance from a source, a new section or a changed recommendation.
• Fixing a typo, repairing a link, swapping an image or changing the page design does not change it.
• Articles published before October 7, 2026 are being rewritten to this policy in batches. Each shows an "Updated" date when its rewrite goes live.

What will this site never do?

• Make up a figure, a study, a quote or a review.
• Cite a source we have not opened and checked.
• Invent or inflate a credential. New York State does not license arborists, so we never describe anyone as licensed in arboriculture.
• Sign articles with made-up author names.
• Show "Reviewed by" on an article the reviewer has not approved.
• Present a stock photo as a photo of a real job.
• Hide that Monster pays for the site.

When did this policy take effect?

Effective October 7, 2026. Last updated October 7, 2026.

October 7, 2026: rewritten. Articles are now signed by the publication, a reviewer is named only on articles he has approved, and the disclosure now says the site is produced for Monster and drafted with AI assistance.