A web-based urban forest management program is changing the view of tree care.
Jeremy Tibbets is a rare visionary with the ability to see both the forest…and the trees. His unique vision for how individual trees shape the personality of entire urban forests inspired the San Francisco-based master arborist to pioneer one of the most innovative tree-care service companies in the nation.
Branching out
In 2001, Tibbets founded A-Plus Tree Service using his knowledge and skills. At the same time, he earned a master arborist certification all while steadily establishing a diverse client roster.
Shortly after the start of his business, Tibbetts was introduced to a sales rep with Vermeer who offered tree-care support and counsel. “He knew the industry and gave me a lot of good advice; especially with equipment purchases,” Tibbets recalls. “There’s no doubt he played a big role in getting the business established, and I’ve been Vermeer-loyal ever since.”
Tibbets purchased his first Vermeer equipment with a lot of excitement and a little anxiety. As his tree care equipment fleet expanded, so did his confidence in the long-term success of the business. “As my business grew, I added a Vermeer BC1800XL brush chipper to my equipment fleet. It was a big investment at the time; but the fact that I needed another wood chipper with more capacity was an indication things were going pretty well.”
ArborPLUS takes root
With his business firmly established, Tibbets turned his focus to long-term tree-care management and noticed that few, if any, tools existed. He teamed up with Sarah Hon, a graphic designer with experience in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology, to develop an innovative GIS inventory program that has become the foundation of his tree-care business model; appropriately named ArborPLUS.
ArborPLUS provides arborists, property managers and contractors with a satellite view of urban forests and a user-generated database to track historical data for every tree. As a Web-based application, there’s no software to buy or install; all information can be input and retrieved simply by accessing the Internet. Additionally, an iPhone app allows arborists to identify and verify the location of specific trees and validate completion of work in real-time.
Building a file begins by plotting and entering GIS coordinates for individual trees, snapping a photo and logging species, height, general condition and health, and any special notes of importance.
“A comprehensive GIS inventory provides property managers with information they need to develop a comprehensive community forestry management plan; and helps facilitate more accurate long-term budgeting,” Tibbets says.
Proactive planning versus reactive pruning
The data helps move customers from the reactive mindset of “we have a few trees that should probably be trimmed” to a proactive approach where every tree is placed on a trimming and shaping rotation based on size, growth rate and position within the forest.
“Everything about a tree — from pruning to insect control and feeding — can be accessed from the application,” Tibbets says. “ArborPLUS allows for more efficient and cost-effective tree-care management planning that, ultimately, may help save money.”
And for Tibbets, ArborPLUS has allowed him to better plan for the future by more accurately projecting workload and subsequent equipment purchases.
Now with an extensive fleet of Vermeer tree-care equipment and a workforce of more than 40 professionals — Jeremy Tibbets is leading a movement that holds promise for bettering the tree-care industry — one tree at a time.