Serving the Community

Gardening nurtures people and their connection to nature. Gardening is a great joy…to borderline obsession for many of our staff.  

Our company has always supported gardeners and gardener groups in the region and across the state. They are often called on to answer tree/forest related questions. We help ensure they are educated about proper tree care according to our industry standards. We also provide presentations and materials on a variety of tree industry subjects to many other groups for educational purposes. 

In the long term, our efforts to educate others helps provide the public with healthier urban forests and healthier, longer-lived trees within the forest. 

The Texas Tree Trails is a cooperative effort between the Texas Forest Service, the Texas Historic Tree Coalition, the Trinity Blackland's Urban Forestry Council, and the Cross Timbers Urban Forestry Council, which works to showcase significant trees in North Texas. They will not leave any significant tree uncounted!

The mission of the group is to find, locate, recognize, measure, photograph, and present the importance of these botanical, historical, and cultural treasures, and to preserve their presence for future generations.

The group works to educate the public about the different types of significant trees in the area and works to develop "tree trails" within the program region.

Our owner encouraged the establishment of the group in 2001, and has always been the liaison between the groups. We hope to instill in the public a sense of pride and ownership in our region's natural treasures.

The mission of the Dallas Urban Forest Advisory Committee (UFAC) as an all volunteer group is to provide sound advice to city officials and the public regarding our environment, trees and urban forest ecology, www.dallastrees.org. More specifically, the group serves in an advisory capacity on matters of environmental stewardship, specifically concerning the care and planting of trees and the urban forest by advocating sound arboricultural and urban forest management practices. The Committee provides proactive leadership for development of public policy and serves to educate citizens of Dallas regarding the numerous environmental, recreational, social and aesthetic benefits of a thriving urban forest. The committee is authorized to study, plan, advise, report and make recommendations on plans, programs or city codes which the Council or Park and Recreation Board determines necessary or advisable for the care, conservation, planting, pruning, removal or disposition of trees citywide. 

Our company staff encouraged and lobbied for the establishment of UFAC as a permanent part of city government. Our company owner served as the first chairperson for the group and served two terms, a total of four years to help get the group on track. The group worked diligently with builders, city officials, and developers to update the Dallas tree and landscape ordinance, lobbied for a new division of urban forestry, started a volunteer citizen forester program, and lobbied for more arborists and foresters to be hired, among many other significant accomplishments.

Vision North Texas is a public/private partnership between the North Texas Council of Governments, the Urban Land Institute (builders, developers and architects), and University of Texas Arlington.

The mission is to plan for future regional growth and the huge increase in population that is expected in the future. Our company owner was appointed to the board of advisers when the group was established and served throughout the life of the project as an advocate for sustainable, reasonable, and responsible future growth in our 16 county region. When the group was established, very few understood the meaning of the term sustainability nor how to build a community in a sustainable manor. A sustainable development is one that is built to suit the natural features of a site and improves the natural ecology rather than making the site fit the development, which is often "business as usual" in our region. Building sustainably greatly benefits future generations in many ways and makes our communities more livable. A healthy urban forest equals a healthy community.

In 2011, the Dallas Mavericks approached our company to help support the NBA’s newly established Green Week initiative. In response, we developed a tree-planting program called “Trees for Wins.” That first year, we planted 62 large trees (two- to four-inch caliper) in Reverchon Park—one tree for each Mavericks home game victory.

By the second year, another partner joined the effort: PricewaterhouseCoopers. The company generously provided volunteers each year to help plant the trees. At that point, our owner also renamed the program “Trees for Threes,” with a tree planted for every three-point basket made at home games.

Each year, the program resulted in the planting of more than 300 large trees in Dallas schools and parks. To help ensure their survival, our company provided pro bono maintenance for the first three years. Additionally, thanks to funding from PricewaterhouseCoopers, any tree that was lost during that time was replaced, making the initiative a truly sustainable tree-planting program.

Unfortunately, the project concluded in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, part of the program continues to live in Dallas since we regularly worked with the teachers and students, educating them about the many benefits of trees and encouraging them to become good environmental stewards. In addition, other NBA teams in major cities throughout the U.S. have duplicated the “Trees for Threes” tree-planting initiative.

By the end of the program, more than 5,000 large trees had been properly planted and maintained—creating a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.