Sustainability

All this talk of tree preservation can sometimes lead to tunnel-vision on the crucial issue of the environment.   Even though our passion is for saving trees, and as Arborists we couldn’t be happier than when we are in a tree, that alone is not enough for the environment.  The problem presented by the last century of industrialization is one that we Arborists own as much as the rest of society.  It’s not enough to say, “if only everyone cared about the environment as much as I care about trees, then we’d be getting somewhere!”

Boutte Tree, Inc. is committed to doing everything possible to slow our impact on the environment:

  1. Restrict our service area to inside I-285 (and just outside of it) to conserve on fuel and serve the local market.
  2. Encourage employees to live nearby to reduce the energy consumed during commutes.
  3. Recycle woodchips locally.  Instead of trucking all of our woodchips to a central re-grinding facility, which then re-distributes the mulch (now dyed red, brown, or black…..) we deliver our chips straight from the jobsite to the nearest eager chip recipient!  Fill out our form (in the “Free Wood Chips” tab) and get a load yourself!  You’ll be helping the environment by reducing fuel consumption.
  4. Recycle logs into lumber when possible.  Most tree companies do this already.  At Boutte Tree we try to find people inside I-285 who can use our wood.  This is increasingly successful.
  5. Invest in the proper equipment.  Because of our constant investment in equipment, we can move logs as heavy as 12,000 pounds from the top of your tree, to the street, and then to be processed.  This specialized equipment means that less wood is thrown away as waste, which means less transportation to provide Atlanta with wood products.  Think local!
  6. Train our arborists to consult with customers about the energy benefits of trees.  Trees that are on the West or South side of a structure provide more shade and energy savings than trees on the East or North side of a building.  When we evaluate trees for health or stability, we’ll also talk about energy savings.  Occasionally a tree that would otherwise be removed can “pay” for its own treatments (in the eyes of its owners) by shading a house and driving down energy usage!  How cool is that?
  7. Use organic fertilizers that are great for your trees but also for the environment!  Instead of using nitrogen, we use Mycorrihazal fertilizers.  Mycorrihzae help trees by allowing for greater nutrient and water uptake, which increases sequestered carbon in the tree.  But the Mycorrihzal fungus themselves sequester very large amounts of carbon as well!  Call Boutte Tree Inc to help keep your trees healthy and do a little carbon sequestration while you’re at it!
  8. Stand up for the urban forest as an aesthetic amenity which will allow the city to achieve density.  We believe that one of the most important long-term elements of sustainability will be dense cities that are less energy-intensive.  Trees are crucial towards making a dense city habitable.  It’s not worth it to achieve energy efficiency if you can’t enjoy nature everyday! We believe that Boutte Tree will have its greatest impact on the environment by being an active part of the urbanist movement.  This means we are committed to tree preservation because we know that trees are the missing link that can allow Atlanta to become a dense, urban city of the future.