Forestry Resources Recognized for Post-Hurricane
Recovery and Restoration Work at Lakes Regional Park

Another Notch In Our Green Belt

Forestry Resources is one of two firms being recognized by Lee County Parks and Recreation for their recovery and environmental restoration work at Lakes Regional Park in South Fort Myers damaged by Hurricane Charley in August 2004. A section of the park that was transformed into a wetland and seasonal pond has a plaque dedicating it to Vegetation Management, a division of Forestry Resources in Fort Myers, and EarthBalance, an ecological restoration and consulting firm based in Tampa.

Forestry Resources is an industry leader in the manufacturing of environmentally friendly landscape materials, and the vegetation management arm of the company is involved in the removal of invasive and exotic vegetation and trees. Invasives include melaleucas, as well as Australian pines that dominated the 280-acre park.

"About 30 percent of the Australian pine trees were already taken down by Hurricane Charley, many with root systems that had been upended," said Jim Blalock, project manager for Vegetation Management, which had been contracted by Lee County for the mammoth undertaking. "We estimated that some roots that came up when the trees went over were 20-by-30 feet in size."

The team was still cleaning up from Charley when Hurricane Wilma tore through the area in October 2005, leaving another round of damage in her wake. By the time Jim and the four-crew members on the job were finished clearing, they had ground up enough trees, roots and vegetation to fill more than 200 trucks with 44-foot-long trailers. Forestry Resources' manufacturing plant in Fort Myers processed the biodegradable material and recycled about 75 percent of it into a variety of useful horticultural products.

When the takedown and cleanup work was finished, Jim volunteered to help reclaim a wetland area and restore it to its natural state, and asked EarthBalance if they would participate in the project. His crew removed exotics that had invaded the area, then teamed up with EarthBalance to reshape that portion of the park, an island with a cypress head at the end of a boardwalk.

"Jim did much of the planning, and EarthBalance donated and installed the water plants," said David Raybuck, senior supervisor with Lee County Parks and Recreation at Lakes Regional Park. EarthBalance's contributions included several Florida slash pines and cypress trees, both Florida natives.

"The area is now a natural wetland and wildlife habitat, a seasonal pond that fills with water during the summer rains," said David. "In the dry, winter months, when the water recedes, little pools form, trapping fish, and they become feeding places for native birds." Park visitorsare also able to walk along a path the team created.

Park areas cleared of damaged, exotic and invasive trees became parkland that was unusable before, natural breezes that couldn't penetrate the walls of trees now flow, and the county is already planting hundreds of native trees that will mature and provide shade.

"We are very pleased to recognize Forestry Resources for the work they did and EarthBalance for their work and donation to the park," David said. "The plaque is a token compared to all the work they did to restore and enhance the park."

The restoration has special meaning for Jim. "Forestry Resources is an environmentally-based company, so we are very proud of what we accomplished," he said. But there is also a personal side to it. "My kids are fifth-generation Lee County, and I used to swim here before it became a lake from quarry operations. Being part of returning some of the land to its natural state means a lot to me."

Innovative Products From Forestry Resources, Inc.

New Spreader Provides Precision and Efficiency

Tired of the waste of hand spreading granular fertilizers and other products? Now available through GoMulch.com and our landscape supply stores, the new Vortex spreader will eliminate most hand applications, including our granular EZ Step-by-Step fertilizers and the new granular Cutless Growth Regulator (see article also in this issue)!

The Vortex unit utilizes positive airflow to propel granular material to the desired area. "For maintenance crews and property management teams, this unique spreader delivers material into ornamental planting beds from as close as 1' or blowing to points more than 35' away," says Alan Shaffer, vice president of sales and marketing. Vortex spreaders have an application rate of up to 15 lbs per minute and are perfect for applying the following products granularly:

• Fertilizers
• Pre-emergent herbicides
• Growth regulators
• Any pelletized products used in an outdoor setting

Made of stainless steel, aluminum and plastic to avoid rust and corrosion, Vortex spreaders have a fully enclosed material storage to prevent material from becoming wet. Lightweight and easy to clean up, they can apply mini prill, standard prill and large pellets. This unique one-person operation spreader saves time and labor expenses while providing maximum effectiveness of spreading granular product.

New Growth Regulator for Landscape Ornamentals

Cutless Granular, in an easy to apply granular formulation, is a new systemic plant growth regulator for shoot growth suppression in landscape ornamentals, resulting in more compact growth form and reduced trimming. According to Forestry Resources President and CEO John Cauthen, "this growth regulator does a wonderful job of improving overall shrub shape by stimulating branching and promoting darker green foliage."

The active ingredient, Flurprimidol, interferes with the biosynthesis of gibberellic acid, a plant growth hormone responsible for cell elongation and division. Expected plant responses include:

• Reduced trimming/pruning frequency
• Increased plant density or compact growth habit
• Shoot growth suppression
• Decreased internode length
• Darker green foliage
• No negative flowering response
• Plant stress conditioning effects assoc. with PGR's

Time required for onset of growth suppression may vary from one to 12 weeks, for herbaceous and woody landscape ornamentals, respectively, depending on the mass and height of the plant species. Duration of growth suppression may last three to 12 months or one to three growing seasons. Excessive pruning or trimming encourages more rapid dissipation of growth regulator effects in treated plants. Pruning or trimming should be performed prior to Cutless Granular applications.

Time to Prep Landscapes for Hurricane Season

Simple Measures You Can Take Today To Ensure A Smooth Season

It's that time of the year again, when Southwest Floridians should be prepared for hurricane season that ends on Nov. 30. Landscapes are also vulnerable to storm damage, and homeowners and landscape professionals can take a few simple steps to help lessen storm-related damage to lawns, plant materials and trees.

Preventive Care

• Prune trees and large plants now to reduce the surface area, thereby lowering resistance against storm winds.
  Fertilize trees and plants to stimulate root growth. A healthy root system acts as an anchor to protect against tipping or toppling. A good fertilizer that promotes deeper root growth is mycorrhizae, an organic and environmentally friendly product that is chemical free. Mycorrhizae also reduces transplant shock, including the stress of returning overturned or tipped trees to their upright positions.
  Resist the urge to stake and brace larger trees before a storm; flexibility will help the tree bend with the storm winds.
  

Rick Joyce, director of the Lee County Department of Environmental Sciences and president of the Florida Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, also recommends pre-storm pruning.

Professionals use what the industry calls structural pruning, techniques that build and shape the strongest tree structure possible. Remove crossed branches that could damage each other in high winds, take down dead branches and cut off poorly connected branches.

Rick discourages staking trees in advance of a storm, with one exception. Staking of young, immature trees in a low-velocity storm with maximum winds of 40 to 50 mph may be a better choice, because wind resistance could pose less risk of injury than letting them tip over. "But if we are facing a high-wind hurricane, let trees and plants lay down. The decision to stake or not should be based on the strength of the gusts, not sustained winds," added John Cauthen, president of Forestry Resources Inc.

After a storm, a few simple measures can help landscapes get a head start on recovery.

After-Storm Care

• Apply fungicide to lower the chance of fungus growth after heavy rains. When plant materials and grass have good drainage, spot treatments for fungus growth, instead of applying to the entire landscape, may be possible.
• For trees that are toppled, prune exposed roots and add mycorrhizae (wait twoweeks before adding fungicide) prior to staking. "Trees that tip or go over in a storm were likely to have been vulnerable to high winds to begin with," said John. "Actually, allowing them to tip or go over reduces wind resistance and lowers the risk of the trees or branches snapping. Repositioning and staking them after the storm may give trees a better chance of survival."

Forestry Resources carries a full line of landscape products, including pruning equipment, tree staking supplies, fertilizers, accessories, and other installation and maintenance items at five Southwest Florida locations: Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Estero and Bonita Springs.

For information about Forestry Resources, landscaping and landscape products, care tips and information from landscape experts, call (239) 334-7343 or visit www.gomulch.com.

Answering The Needs Of The Landscape Professional

Conveniently located behind our Bonita Springs store at 25211 Old U.S. 41 Road are 10 acres of storage grounds available for rent and lease to landscaping professionals. "Land costs and zoning regulations in our region have really put a squeeze on the contractor whose business growth demands more trucks and equipment, but have little options as to where to store them," says Jeff Grzesiak, area general manager. "We're answering this need for our customers, and the reception so far has been outstanding, with more than 10 percent of the available spaces reserved on the first day the storage sites became available."

Besides having a secure site to stage trucks and equipment, an obvious benefit of being located behind the store is fast loading of daily supplies. "Time is money and now my crews can start their day fully supplied and get a jump on the day," stated Mr. Bob Paqutte of North Star Landscaping & Maintenance.

Spaces are approximately 12' x 40' and dependent upon term, range from $185 to $250 per month. Storage containers for open items and tools such as mowers, spreaders, edgers, etc., can also be rented. Those interested should stop by or all our Bonita Springs store at (239) 992-3061.

We Strive To Make Your Work Day Easier

Offloading debris at an approved horticultural waste dump site has been a gas and time challenge for landscaping crews in Southwest Florida, often having to drive to South Collier or north to Fort Myers, with few options in-between. That is, until now. All FRLS stores, except our Naples location, are now offering fast-in-fast-out disposal options for prunings and clippings.

"By offering a horticultural waste disposal option to our landscape and lawn maintenance customers, they now have multiple, convenient locations that are closer to their job sites, saving not only time, but fuel costs as well," stated Alan Shaffer. "Plus, with our fast-in-fast-out service and the ability to charge the dump fees to their house accounts, crews can return to or head to their next project work sites faster."

Non-horticultural materials such as trash, construction material, dirt/fill and metal of any kind, as well as citrus wood, branches and leaves are not accepted. Ask your RLS store service team for further details and pricing information.