Expanding Your Canopy of Care with Community Engagement

“And we’re just sparks, tiny parts of a bigger constellation.”

- Kae Tempest

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A successful and morally significant business is not one that solely turns a profit in exchange for goods or services rendered. Rather, it realizes that it is a strand woven into the fabric of the community. At Guardian Tree Experts, we believe that we are more than just a tree company. Not only do we believe that, but we are actively trying to prove that.

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Our community has allowed us to grow to what we are today. What started as a small one-crew tree service has blossomed into a full scale tree care operation employing several tree crews, Plant Health Care technicians, a budding nursery with planting technicians, and a dedicated support and management staff. Though we’ve worked hard and diligently to get to where we are today, we could not have done it without the support of Ann Arbor and the surrounding  communities. And now it is our turn to give back.

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Last year we initiated a Community Outreach Committee to engage more with the residents of the towns in which we work. Our goal is simple: to share our passion, talent, knowledge, time, and skills with the surrounding communities and to help them better understand the practice of arboriculture and the importance of a healthy urban forest.

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The first event we participated in was at Skyline High School for a Career Expo. We had an information booth inside and a tree climbing event outside. The turnout for the climbing event was impressive with participants ranging from 7-50 years old. Each participant was led through ascending and descending a climb line with one of our qualified climbing arborists.

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We then ventured a few weeks later to County Farm Park for an invasive removal event held by the Ann Arbor Parks Department. We assisted in the removal of knapweed, an herbaceous perennial that can easily outcompete native plants in meadows.

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During the winter we held a food drive to support Gleaner’s Food Bank. We raised over 500lbs(!) of food (816 items) during a month-long drive.

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Earlier this year we performed tree work for the Howell Nature Center so that they could safely run their zip line during their summer camp. This entailed pruning out deadwood in 90 foot-tall oak trees and performing Tree Risk Assessments on the two trees that the zip line was anchored to.

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Most recently we held an Arbor Day event with the City of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti International Elementary School. We planted six trees, one tree per grade (K-5th), at Prospect Park. The trees were bare-root trees which allowed us to show the children what tree roots looked and felt like. They actively helped with planting; digging the holes and placing the trees properly. Smiles and dirt-caked hands were the best souvenirs that day!

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With other events currently in the works, it will be another successful year for Guardian’s Community Outreach Committee. We hope to see you at one of our tree walks, park cleanups, or educational discussions as we continue to develop and strengthen our relationship with our community. We thank our clients and community for the years of trust they provided us while we cared for their trees, and paying that trust forward has been incredibly rewarding. We’re excited to continue our volunteerism, please feel free to reach out if you have an opportunity you’d like us to consider!

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Cheers!

Nate

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