Tree Work Can Be Good Business

Landscape contractors are getting thousands of dollars of work by contracting with cities to plant and maintain trees.

Municipal tree projects can be a boon for landscape contractors as cities look to plant and maintain trees.

Landscape Contractor Design/Build/Maintain’s 2011 readership survey shows that 44.9 percent of the respondents performed tree care duties over the past year.

• Officials in North Aurora, Ill. allocated $50,000 to have a landscaper plant 200 to 220 trees in the village. In this instance, the landscaper’s bid included the trees, planting the trees and a one-year 100 percent warranty regardless of how the trees die.

• In Bloomfield Hills, Mich., the city commission approved a $30,000 contract with a landscape contractor to plant at least 100 trees along the median of a major street. The city is using the $30,000 contract in conjunction with private donations for this job, with estimated costs of $750 per tree — including the cost of watering and maintenance.

• Drought conditions in Texas have devastated the trees in the state. Recently a Houston area forestry expert predicted that prolonged drought and heat will kill approximately 10 percent of the entire tree canopy in Houston, roughly 66 million trees. These trees will eventually need to be replaced, a possibly lucrative job.