PAGE 12
THE BERNARDS-RIDGE CONNECTION
FEBRUARY 2013
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The immense
destruction caused
by Mother Nature
over the last couple
years has caused
many people to
reexamine the ways
that we can both
prepare for storms,
and come up with
preventative measure that might lessen
the severity of damage in the future.
So what have we learned in the
landscape business that we can
directly apply to lessen the effects
of future natural disasters?
The staff
at Parker Homescape has started to
work on the following:
a. List of plant/ tree species that are
more susceptible to breakage
and/or falling due to branch and
root structure, as well as varieties
that have proven to be much
hardier and resilient
b. Additional steps in ensuring that
water cannot enter and/or damage
a home during the worst of storms.
c. Proactive measures and schedules
to properly prune and maintain
your landscape to remove excess
weight, improve durability, and
ensure that any dead wood is
removed.
d. Amending and redesigning land-
scapes to provide for better longevi-
ty and sustainability
of our customer’s
exterior investments.
e. Offering advice as to
the health, stability
and value of specific
trees on one’s prop-
erty and recommend-
ing the replacement and/or elimina-
tion of any trees that may be a safe-
ty hazard.
f. Providing advice and solutions to
attempt to bring certain plant-
ings back to health
Although we cannot control the
after effects
of a natural disaster, we
can take steps to better the odds of
“
weathering” the storm and prevent-
ing unnecessary property damage.
Make sure to call a professional land-
scape company to get a common sense
evaluation of your land-
scape. Besides peace of
mind, it is nice knowing
that you are protecting
one of the most impor-
tant factors used to
determine the resale
value of your home.
Scott Parker
is the owner of
Parker Home-
scape, a design/
build landscape
firm that has
been recognized
as one of the
Top Landscape Design/Build Firms in
the United States and has been recog-
nized locally by Design NJ Magazine,
New York Spaces Magazine, The Sub-
urban News and many other presti-
gious publications. In 2012, Parker
Homescape’s award winning work
was chosen to be published in a book
that is currently being distributed
worldwide.
For information on Parker Home-
scape, visit their design portfolio at:
www.parkerhomescape.com or call
(908) 626-1100.
THE LESSONS LEARNED TO PROTECT
LANDSCAPES FROM NATURAL DISASTERS
By: Scott Parker
www.theconnectionsnj.com
link