Danny Jackson, owner of Total Tree Care, texted to me from 847-257-3988 and was unprofessional and…read moreunwilling to answer basic questions. Intentionally unhelpful and argumentative, he called me a "pain in the ass" (see the e-mail chain below from 12/15/25). I was willing to pick up burr oak rounds that Total Tree Care had left in a customer's driveway at Red Oak Drive in Highland Park, Illinois, as Total Tree Care did not want to pay to discard (thus, "free" rounds). See photo from Danny's Craigslist ad. I expressed my desire to use the wood to smoke meat, but wanted to know a simple answer of why the tree that Total Tree Care had cut down had died. I was polite and respectful. The response that Total Tree Care gave to me follows.
Here's the end of the chain, starting with Total Tree Care:
Monday, December 15 2025, 09:49 AM
Message from Total Tree Care: Dude, it's free wood... take or leave it. Please don't bother my customer or block drive way for long
Monday, December 15 2025, 10:04 AM:
Message from you: I'm simply trying to find out if it is safe for my family to use for smoking meat, which you surely know is different from burning in a fireplace. Respectfully, is there a reason you will not tell me?
Monday, December 15 2025, 10:13 AM:
Message from Total Tree Care: You're asking questions that cannot be answered.
Monday, December 15 2025, 10:14 AM:
Message from you: Oh. I thought you would know how and why it died since you cut it down. No?
Monday, December 15 2025, 10:16 AM:
Message from Total Tree Care: What diseases do trees get that transfer to humans? Idk
Monday, December 15 2025, 10:23 AM:
Message from you: Maybe I wrongly assumed you are an arborist and if you are one, you would recognize that if the tree died from a fungal disease (like Oak Wilt, which is common for burr oak), burning wood with fungus can impart terrible flavors to food and, more importantly, could release potentially harmful spores or toxins into the smoke that settles on the food. If the homeowner tried to first save the tree with pesticides, these would leech into the wood and when burned, are unhealthy. That is why those questions I asked are important. But, you still have no answers?
Monday, December 15 2025, 10:29 AM:
Message from Total Tree Care: Thanks for the lesson, why can't you tell from picture?
December 15 2025, 10:30 AM:
Message from Total Tree Care, Do you think I'm gunna ask the customer if they used pesticides for you to pick up free wood?,
Monday, December 15 2025, 10:31 AM:
Message from Total Tree Care: I don't know bud and might as well forget it. I got someone else
Monday, December 15 2025, 10:33 AM:
Message from you: I was going to hire you to take down a big tree here. I'm not so sure anymore.
Monday, December 15 2025, 10:35 AM:
Message from Total Tree Care: Ur a pain in the asd
Monday, December 15 2025, 10:35 AM:
Message from Total Tree Care: Asd
Monday, December 15 2025, 10:35 AM:
Message from Total Tree Care: Ass
Monday, December 15 2025, 10:48 AM:
Message from you: I don't know what set you off, but perhaps you should work on your interpersonal skills. Those are very lacking.