Schools and large corporate campuses invest large amounts of money and energy to provide a healthy environment for their students, faculty & employees. Managing and protecting that investment is key to providing a long-term health benefit and brand statement to all who step foot on the campus.

Trees take years to establish and are one of the largest landscape investments and one of the greatest impactors on visual, economic, and health benefits provided by the ground’s aesthetics. Proper management of the campus trees requires a proactive plan and strategy. Proactive tree care maintenance can help campuses avoid significant tree damage, especially from storms. Having a proper management strategy helps to prevent the high cost of reactively attending to damage after an emergency, which often results in only being able to service a fraction of the trees at one time.  Although the initial time required to set up a tree management program can seem overwhelming, once established, proactive plans save time, money, and resources while providing better overall care for your campus forest.

Developing a proper campus tree management program should include at least 5 steps:

1. Defining goals and objectives– These should be created based on the *SMART goal framework.
2. Tree Inventorying– Knowing the location, type, history, and needs of each tree makes management possible.
3. Developing management plan– With the information gathered and based on specific goals and objectives, the development plan should include items such as preservation, maintenance, risk reduction, and pest management. Plans should be updated and revised periodically.
4. Implementing plan– Includes finding and hiring the right team for each plan whether in-house, outside service contractors or a mix.
5. Record keeping– Document work performed, reports written, inventory updates and costs of work performed.

A proactive tree management plan will cost less per tree while improving the economic, health, and environmental benefits of the trees on campus. While not cheap to maintain, the benefits provided by a healthy, safe, and beautiful campus forest are immense.

Contact your local Arborist at Complete Landsculpture for help and guidance in managing the forest on your campus.

*SMART:  Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Timely