Written by Colorado Green Now
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Tuesday, September 12, 2023 12:00 AM |
A tree climber first and foremost, Forrest Bullard, owner and operator of Bullard Tree and Garden in Arvada, developed his skills as an arborist working for the U.S. Forest Service in Oregon and Swingle Lawn, Tree & Landscape Care in Fort Collins.
At Swingle (now SavATree), Bullard realized arborist services were in high demand, and he took on extra jobs on weekends. He earned his arborist certification in 2013, and he left Swingle to found Bullard Tree and Garden in 2015. He worked with other arborists until 2018, when he fully transitioned to being in business on his own.
“Initially, we were installing tree rings by removing grass around trees and putting in mulch. This progressed to making recommendations on replacing turf near fence lines,” he says. Soon Bullard and his two-person crew were replacing grass with water-wise plants as they learned more about landscape installation and xeriscape principles. He uses Procreate to help clients visualize simple design projects.
Irrigation and conservation
“When planting trees, it’s not uncommon to damage irrigation systems,” Bullard says. “I learned how to fix breaks in irrigation systems out of necessity.”
He recently participated in ALCC’s Irrigation Boot Camp and received Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) certification.
Water is just one resource Bullard doesn’t want to waste. His company seeks to reduce its use of all materials and minimize the environmental impact of its work. “We sell what works best for the customer,” he says. “We measure accurately, minimize material waste and don’t lay siege to the property.”
Bullard enjoys networking, collaborating and learning from people at other companies. In time, he hopes to broaden his company’s offerings—but that’s a bit tricky. “Right now, about two-thirds of our income is from tree care,” he says. “It’s a balancing act because we want to add professional services but not dilute the base. Tree care is my primary skill set.”
He wants to keep the work honest. “I won’t take on projects that we can’t do,” he says.
Expanding the business will require hiring someone with skills he doesn’t have, which likely won’t happen until at least next spring.
“Right now, I still want to keep it simple. I’ll continue to learn more skills, but I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew.”
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Written by Colorado Green Now
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Tuesday, September 12, 2023 12:00 AM |
Throughout Colorado, water shortages are impacting how urban landscapes are cared for and the cost of landscape maintenance. To better steward water resources and provide high-quality, conscientious landscape maintenance, Associated Landscape Contractors (ALCC) of Colorado offers Sustainable Landscape Management (SLM) certification.
The SLM program provides foundational education about the natural and constructed systems that comprise the urban landscape, as well as how the different systems relate and the interdependence that exists between them. Topics include soil, irrigation, planting trees and integrated pest management.
Because the urban landscape is an interdependent system, the context of one element is dependent on the success of many others. For example, a healthy tree depends on proper planting, staking, irrigation and soil conditions. Each element needs attention and awareness so the overall landscape can be healthy, water conscious, long lasting and beautiful. Teaching professionals about what the elements are and how they affect one another generates a more holistic awareness, allowing them to make good decisions in the field.
Janet Waibel, a registered landscape architect at Tempe, Arizona-based Waibel & Associates Landscape Architecture, began preparing standards for care in Arizona during the economic downturn of 2008, when her workload dwindled, and she had time to write. Her goal was to share better ways to take care of Arizona landscapes, promote sustainability and enable landscape designs to reach their full potential in urban settings.
In 2017, Waibel partnered with ALCC to create a book, curriculum and testing for ALCC’s SLM program, which is available with membership. The book includes chapters on a variety of topics, including urban soils, planting composition, trees, shrubs, turf site drainage, irrigation, composting and integrated pest management.
The Urban Landscape Sustainability collection of materials includes books, curriculum and testing items. The premise is regional focus for simple, practical methods about how to help every element in the landscape system thrive. Plants and trees are more sustainable and require less care when irrigation is appropriate, soils are beneficial and site conditions are monitored.
The program includes:
Sustainable Landscape Management – Standards for Care in the Desert Southwest (English and Spanish)
Sustainable Landscape Management – A Guide to More Sustainable Landscapes in Colorado
Sustainable Landscape Construction (available later this year)
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Written by Colorado Green Now
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Tuesday, September 12, 2023 12:00 AM |
Plant Select honors growers, educators and designers for promoting sustainable plants
Every year, Plant Select recognizes individuals, organizations and demonstration gardens that have gone above and beyond to advance Plant Select’s mission of offering low-maintenance, low-water plants that flourish in the Rocky Mountain region.
The 2023 winners are:
Individual Partner Award
At Kiyota Greenhouse in Fort Lupton, Dale Kiyota grows more than 50 Plant Select perennials that he sells to garden centers up and down the Front Range and to landscape contractors.
Lauren Springer, author of The Undaunted Garden: Planting for Weather-Resilient Beauty (Chicago Review Press, 2011), has brought many drought-tolerant plants to Plant Select since its inception.
Organizational Partner Award
Echter’s Nursery & Garden Center in Arvada has a designated area for Plant Select plants that it promotes with information and programming.
Organizational Partner Award
An early participant in Plant Select’s Propagation Committee, Perennial Favorites of Layton, Utah, grows a long list of Plant Select favorites.
In the aftermath of the Marshall Fire, Moscow, Idaho-based Idaho Firewise is helping to educate Coloradans about plants with low amounts of volatile oils and other flammable chemicals and plants that produce less litter that can fuel flames.
Treasure Island Demonstration Garden
The Treasure Island Demonstration Garden, next to a bike trail in Windsor, exhibits several different gardening styles featuring Plant Select plants.
The City of Aurora’s demonstration garden helps community members discover new plants that will thrive in a city with some of the state’s strictest water restrictions.
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Written by Colorado Green Now
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Tuesday, August 22, 2023 12:00 AM |
Legislative wins for GreenCO in 2023
Hicks & Associates reviewed every bill that was introduced to determine the possible effects it could have on GreenCO and business.
GreenCO tracked over 40 bills this session and with the help of the Legislative Committee were able to take a deep dive into the bills and take positions on multiple pieces of legislation.
GreenCO collaborated closely with the General Assembly but also with the agriculture industry, construction industry, and general business groups, throughout the session on multiple pieces of legislation.
This session the top priority for GreenCO was the Pesticide Applicator Sunset bill. Pesticides has been a hot topic at the Capitol for the past few sessions, especially as it pertains to local preemption. GreenCO continues to work with CRPA (Coloradoans for Responsible Pesticide Application) and other industry partners on all things pesticide related. As we continued to be proactive, GreenCO helped host a Pesticide Applicator Advocacy Day at the Capitol, where we spoke with members of the legislature to discuss the Sunset bill/pesticide regulation as well as educate them on who we are. This proved to be very beneficial as we were engaged on the two pieces of legislation regarding pesticides.
SB23-192 Sunset Pesticide Applicators’ Act was up for renewal this year. GreenCO and CPRA have been working on this sunset over the last year. In working with the coalition, we kept our messaging pointed and fact/science-based on the issues. As we stood together, we attended multiple stakeholder meetings, both prior to the session and during the session, and were able to get this bill passed without local preemption.
The conversation around water has been ongoing over the past few years but the General Assembly hasn’t passed a great deal of legislation to address the ongoing water issues in the state. Coming into the session water was a top priority and there were multiple bills introduced and passed to try and get a grip on the water issues throughout the state.
SB23-178 Water-wise landscaping in Homeowners’ Association Communities will remove barriers to water-wise landscaping in HOA communities. This will allow for more landscaping options within HOA’s along with helping with the water issue by allowing drought tolerant plants and landscaping. The bill requires an association to permit the installation of at least 3 garden designs that adhere to the principles of water-wise landscaping.
Each year there are more and more pieces of legislation that address climate change and our greenhouse gas emissions within the state. Thank you to all the members on the GreenCO Legislative Committee for your hard work and involvement in this session.
Read more in this issue of Colorado Green Now:
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