Environmentally Conscious Landscaping

Precision Landscape Management is environmentally sensitive and strives to provide the lowest impact landscape services to all of our clients. Our company has made a commitment to become a ‘green’ company. A "Green Consultant" has been hired by our company to provide the necessary education for our staff to know and follow the LEED-EB program of the USGBC (United States Green Building Council). It is our intent to provide continuing education to our staff and do all we can as a company, one day at a time, to promote a better environment.

Precision Landscape Management provides the following services to all of our clients:

MAINTENANCE:

• Mulching mowers are used alleviating most bagging and any clippings that are picked up are all recycled, which reduces solid waste disposal.

• All of our large mowing equipment has EFI (Electronic Fuel Injected) engines. These machines are more expensive initially, however the increase fuel efficiency and the cleanliness of the exhaust, makes the additional expense a good decision.

• Maintenance routes for trucks are carefully planned to reduce fossil fuel usage.

• When using the backpack blowers all debris is blown back into the landscape and not concrete surfaces.

IRRIGATION:

• Precision continually works to reduce the use of potable water for landscaping purposes. A monthly irrigation system inspection is performed and recommendations are made which will assist our clients in reducing water usage. In addition to identifying damages to the system, we also provide an audit type check to identify items that would improve the efficiency of the system. In many cases the irrigation was originally installed many years earlier. New innovations allow us ways to improve, and minimize water usage.

• Precision has implemented the use of an ET (Evapo-Transpiration) based device that allows the existing irrigation controller to run only when the plants are requiring water. This saves approximately 30% of your irrigation water use.

LANDSCAPE:

• Our company understands the Heat Island affect caused by buildings and parking lots. Precision will work with the Property Manager to employ strategies to reduce the heat island's affect by planting trees and shrubs in locations around the building and parking lot to create shade and reduce heat absorption.

• Potless trays are used for color plantings. All plastic pots are recycled.

• Precision, in following a more ‘green’ landscaping program, will actively promote and research seasonal color that require less water and do not have to be changed on a regular basis.

• We have many opportunities to make major changes to the properties. When possible we design environmentally friendly updates to the existing landscape. There are many Native plants available as well as many others that are drought tolerant.

• All old flowers as well as any other old plants are brought back the office where they are separated and all landscape waste is sent to a composting facility and eventually returned to properties.

TREE CARE:

• Each of our tree pruning crews carries a large chipper that reduces the debris by 70%. In some cases we are able to re-use the wood chips as mulch.

• All tree limbs are shredded and where they are separated from other landscape debris, and sent to a composting facility.

CHEMICAL:

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is used in the areas of Insect and Disease control. We monitor the activity of any insect or disease until certain thresholds are met. In the event that these thresholds are met and there is a need to treat chemically, we only use low dose, low environmental impact chemicals.

• We use certain organic compounds when possible, such as citric byproducts for insect control.

• For weed control, we also use the low dose, low environmental impact chemicals for post emerged weeds. *For pre-emerged weed control we use low dose as well as products that have a very low solubility. The low solubility prevents the product from moving in the soil. It attaches to the soil particles on the surface so that it does not run off or leach through the soil profile.

• For fertilizer, we use a slow release fertilizer on split applications throughout the growing season. At times we will have as much as 100% slow release. The result of the slow release product is to minimize the amount of inorganic compounds in the soil as well as reduce the top growth of the plants. Reduced top growth makes for a healthier plant, and sends less waste to the landfill.

• A slow-release fertilization plan is followed. Due to ground water concerns our company is constantly researching new fertilization processes.

SHOP:

• Equipment is serviced and maintained on a regular basis which in turn extends the life of the equipment on average by two years. This reduces solid waste disposal in the landfills and the use of virgin resources.

• All used oil from trucks and equipment is reused to heat the shop.

• Mower blades are sharpened regularly which increases the life of the equipment and reduces the CO2 output of the equipment.

Precision Landscape is implementing the LEED-EB Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy for our entire operation.

It is our intent to register our office under the LEED-EB program to achieve a LEED-EB certification.

Precision Landscape Management is available to assist you, our client, in writing a Landscape Program as required by the USGBC LEED-EB Program.

 

Please contact us with further questions.