Inventories / Tree Care for Cemetaries or Golf Courses?

[af7850]

Anybody here do this kind of work? I am very interested in moving in this direction, and would love to hear your advice.

How to you separate yourself from the competition? What are these clients looking for, other than low price?

What do you think is the best way to get a foot in the door? What type of marketing works best for this market?

Any advice on getting into this type of work?

 

[jefflovstrom]

Thankfully a good question!!! PM me.
Jeff

 

[BC WetCoast]

To separate yourself from the competition, in my opinion, you have to have the computer capability to back it up, as in GPS and GIS (Geographic Information System). If you can sell the inventory/prescription side of the equation, then the tree care will follow.

People like the bells and whistles of interactive maps and if you can sell the glitz and glitter, then I have found that price isn't as important.

 

[af7850]

Being a tech fanatic, I am instinctively attracted to this approach. Is this one of the things you promote in marketing to these people?

 

[BC WetCoast]

Being a tech fanatic, I am instinctively attracted to this approach. Is this one of the things you promote in marketing to these people?

I think you have to approach it from two angles, the inventory/prescriptive side and the tree care side.

Some places may not be comfortable giving the tree work to the people who have done the prescriptions (feathering their own nest). You need to market this as the long term approach, rather than the short term project.

I think you would include all facets of tree care, ie fertilizing, pest control, species selection and planting as well as pruning and removals.

On golf courses, if you have the capability, you might want to consider shade modeling, that is show the shade patterns of specific trees over time as they grow and how this would affect specifically tees and greens.

Again if you have the capability, you could consider visual modeling over time, showing the grounds as trees mature or are removed, although this may be more of a landscape architect role.

Have you considered establishing relationships with landscape architects and designers who specialize in golf courses?

 

[af7850]

Have you considered establishing relationships with landscape architects and designers who specialize in golf courses?

I have now.

I believe in WIIFM, in the need for these relationships to be mutually beneficial. What do you think motivates these architects and designers to seek a relationship with us?

 

[BC WetCoast]

I have now.

I believe in WIIFM, in the need for these relationships to be mutually beneficial. What do you think motivates these architects and designers to seek a relationship with us?

They have a need. Like an architect who can design the building, but needs structural engineers, HVAC designers, electrical designers etc to help with details of specific items.

A golf course designer may well understand playability, slope, layout etc, but may not understand which trees already on the site are hazardous, which should be kept, which should be pruned.

He may need help in modeling shade patterns from trees, which affects grass growth.

In other words, they need help from a specialist.

 

[treeseer]

These clients are open to risk assessments, so that is a good place to start.

Cabling and lightning protection can be attractive to them.

This resource will get you some background on this market:

http://secure.isa-arbor.com/webstore/Golf-Course-Tree-Management-P54.aspx

 

[jefflovstrom]

We maintain over a dozen golf courses all year.
Jeff

 

[Golf]

Anybody here do this kind of work? I am very interested in moving in this direction, and would love to hear your advice.

How to you separate yourself from the competition? What are these clients looking for, other than low price?

What do you think is the best way to get a foot in the door? What type of marketing works best for this market?

Any advice on getting into this type of work?

I don't have any experience with cemetaries, but I work on a golf course as an in-house arborist, so I can give you some pointers.

-Somebody mentioned GPS and GIS. I inventoried and GPS'ed every tree that is in play or add a visual impact to the course. We use this to let the board know what tree we are working on and why. This could be a service.

-Consulting is valuable. Once a while, we use a consulting arborist to get an impartial opinions on a significant removal(s).

-Partner yourself with an agronomist and golf course architect. Some of the higher end courses use an agronomist yearly to consult them on air flow, shade issues and root competitions. Also, many courses like to tweek game plays and they hire architect to redesign holes for them. You could be a beneficiary. If not get to know a few golf course construction companies.

-Provide other services beside pruning and removal like fertilization and pest management. I would stay away from cabling and bracing, unless you know for sure there is no potential targets. I don't know the law in your area, but here, if you put cable or bracing, you are acknowledging that the tree is dangerous.

-You mentioned that you are a tech fanatic. You should look at computer programming that can do shade studies by using the GPS coordinates and other parameters of a tree(s). Members and course managers like this so they can decide on what to keep or what to remove or how they approach pruning.

-Go to a national or regional turf conferences. You can network with a lot of folks who can help you out.

These are just some of the stuff I can think of on top of my head. If you have specific question, pm me, I will try to do my best to answer them.

 

[treeseer]

I would stay away from cabling and bracing, unless you know for sure there is no potential targets. I don't know the law in your area, but here, if you put cable or bracing, you are acknowledging that the tree is dangerous.

This makes no sense to me. Every big tree can be called dangerous, so why not reduce the risk where you can? I know an arborist in Mississauga who does a lot of cabling, and he does not fear liability.

 

[Golf]

This makes no sense to me. Every big tree can be called dangerous, so why not reduce the risk where you can? I know an arborist in Mississauga who does a lot of cabling, and he does not fear liability.

This does not make any sense to me either. This was what we were told the law is when it comes to place like parks and golf courses when I took a seminar on tree hazard mitigation put on by a well know consultant arborist in this area. I guess when you are in place where there are a lot of people, the law is different than if it is in somebody's back yard. I've installed lots of cables and bracing in private trees when I was with a private company.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Golf courses, good stuff.
Jeff

 

[treemandan]

Cemeteries aren't so bad but if I never set foot on another golf course it will be to soon.

 

[treemandan]

Golf courses, good stuff.
Jeff

Do they let you play through or are they teeing off whilst you work? I mean the agony of what they expect you to do... I mean jeez, can't they just close the freaking hole for a few hours or would that upset to many golfers?

 

[jefflovstrom]

The private courses usually one day a week that they close. The public courses, you work around the golfers.
Jeff

 

[treeslayer]

We maintain over a dozen golf courses all year.
Jeff

you mean you maintain your 30 stroke handicap on over a dozen golf courses all year...................................

But unlike me, you are always headed for the 19th hole. I start there.

 

[treeseer]

This was what we were told the law is when it comes to place like parks and golf courses when I took a seminar on tree hazard mitigation put on by a well know consultant arborist in this area. .

S/he practiced the Chicken Little approach to tree risk, attached. Contact the guy in Mississauga to get a second opinion, initials UFI.

 

[phillytreeking1]

I take care of 4 cemetries im in 2 rite now doing storm damage work ive been in one of them since last week with about another 2 weeks of work in 89 acres both have alot of white pines that got wiped out in the blizzard we got 10 days ago.

 

[Mikecutstrees]

This is a great thread. Iv'e been thinking of how to better market myself to cemeteries and golf courses lately. What concerns do customers like these have? How do you address them? What equipment/ skills do you emphasize to sell the job. I think we might be well suited to this kind of work since we are easy on turf and have 2 excellent climbers on staff...... Mike