Like trees, the tree care industry can go a bit dormant during the colder winter months.
Tending to the Roots of Your Business The slower winter months are the perfect time to invest in education, training, and marketing By Katie Dastoli
and Health Administration] certifica- tions,” she says. This winter, Bowser points out, commer- cial driver licensing requirements will be changing, prompting some crew mem- bers to use the wintertime to complete courses in compliance with the updates. Employees at each of Almstead’s four branches plan to attend winter confer- ences to learn more about the industry, cross train, and complete continuing education courses for licensures, such as pesticide applicator certification. Many tree care industry events and workshops are also offered during the winter months when people have more time and opportunity to attend. Events allow professionals to hear the latest information on gear, equipment, tech- niques, and technology. While equipment should be maintained year-round, winter is also an opportune time to focus on gear inspections and updating compliance stickers for plant health care trucks. It's also the time to conduct employee reviews. “Let people know what they’re doing well and what they need to work on,” Anderson said.
Like trees, the tree care industry can go a bit dormant during the colder win- ter months. All the major pruning work is done, the phone may not ring as of- ten, and employees have less to do. It’s tempting for business owners to take a well-deserved break. Without proper planning, however, companies run the risk of losing mo- mentum and shutting down as they wait for spring. Without giving a rea- son to clock in, some may lose valu- able employees as a result. Luckily, there are ways for them to stay pro- ductive and even grow during these down times. Whether it’s focusing on developing crews with training, tuning up equip- ment and vehicles, or offering season- al services such as firewood or snow removal, now is the time for tree care companies to strengthen the founda- tions of their businesses. “We don’t want to lay anyone off,” says David Anderson, an arborist with Mayer Tree Service in Massa- chusetts. “We want to give people op- portunities to work.”
TRAINING AND MAINTENANCE With almost 40 years in the tree care industry and his own experience with harsh New England winters, Anderson has learned a thing or two about plan- ning for those slower months. “We try to be strategic year-round,” says Anderson, adding that late fall and winter can be an ideal time to fo- cus on personnel, sales, and equipment among other things. Instead of climbing trees, arborists are more likely to be found in the class- room over the winter months. They can learn about a wide range of topics, from electrical safety awareness training to aerial rescue training to CPR. “We have a lot of long-term employees,” says Valerie Bowser, human resources di- rector at Almstead Tree, Shrub, and Lawn Care in Connecticut. “We look at where we can improve, who needs to update cer- tifications, who needs new certifications.” This additional training comes in handy, especially when different jobs require specific licenses. "We do a lot of contract work [with] munici- palities, cities, and schools. Many of them require [Occupational Safety
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