ing plants that may’ve gotten stressed, as this can affect their tree neighbors.” When it comes to using pesticides, Gorden points out that "the barriers of entry to this business are not very high. You can go from being a landscap- er and planting trees to spraying stuff quite easily.” Regulations governing the use of pesti- cides are set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency but can still differ from state to state. Ultimately, custom- ers rely on arborists to guide them. This is where training and education offered by organizations such as the International Society of Arboriculture can come in handy. “Getting a company certified is a way to gain the public’s trust,” says Gorden. “You have a responsibility to protect that, and you have to decide as a com- pany how to balance that. Otherwise, a tree that takes 60 years to grow will not be there for you to sit under.”
too oen drives the premature decision to cut down trees, something many feel the tree care industry isn’t doing enough to avoid. “One of the things I’ve noticed when I go to conferences and meetings is that there seems to be a void in plant health care,” Vega says. “There’s a lot of peo- ple taking down trees and less of them taking care of the trees to keep them there.” Oen, arborists have to balance the needs of the tree against the desires of the cus- tomers. Proper client education starts with encouraging the use of natives and knowing where and how to plant them. It continues with maintaining a detailed plant inventory to give credence to an arborist’s recommendations. “Arborists have to go back and review what has happened this year to their trees,” says Doolittle. “This may be the time to think about fertilizing plants, not for growth, but for some of the surround-
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