As the calendar winds down and snow begins to make its annual appearance, this is the perfect moment for owners to shift gears into budget and planning season. While you’re still juggling winter operations, client expectations, and the day-to-day rhythm of the business, it’s essential to give yourself and your team space to assess what worked this past season and map out what you want to accomplish in the next. Look at your financial performance, evaluate your equipment needs, revisit your pricing and staffing models, and think strategically about where you want to invest your energy and resources. Taking the time now to thoughtfully build your next season’s blueprint will save stress and unlock opportunity once spring arrives.

Part of solid planning includes connecting with the industry, sharpening your leadership skills, and staying current on trends that can help you lead your business more effectively. The New Hampshire Landscape Association has a lineup of events designed to support that growth. On January 22, 2026, NHLA hosts a Dinner Meeting focused on Safety First, a great kickoff to the year and a timely reminder that a safer operation is a more profitable one. And on February 19, 2026, NHLA will hold another Dinner Meeting, this one spotlighting CrewHero, a tool for transforming frontline operations and improving crew coordination and communication. These are excellent opportunities for owners and managers alike as you refine your 2026 strategy.(See links below to these events.)

For managers and team members, December isn’t just about wrapping up, it’s also a chance to seek out training and professional development that will pay dividends come spring. Whether you’re aiming to earn certifications, strengthen your technical skills, or build leadership capacity, now is the time to ask your leadership about opportunities and to carve out your own development goals. NHLA’s calendar already includes structured learning and networking through dinner meetings and more informal connections with peers, and you can expect additional programs to be added in the new year.

Remember: planning and training aren’t luxuries; they’re investments in your resilience and success. Owners who thoughtfully plan and involve their teams build stronger, more agile businesses. And team members who pursue growth position themselves and their companies to thrive. Let’s close out the year with purpose, prepare for the season ahead, and keep pushing our industry forward together.

The post President’s Notes December 2025 appeared first on New Hampshire Landscape Association (NHLA).

Edging forward in the horticulture career path, she found a part-time job working in the UNH greenhouses. Slowly, presented with research opportunities as a supportive technician, she was introduced to the processes of plant breeders’ work and the study of genetics in plants. In this role, she was exposed to more depth in the study of plants, and her college course load slowly migrated from business to the background businesses in the horticulture industry.

Amy’s face lights up and she’s adamant about the rarity of true blue flowers. Explaining her role in the UNH research on Nolana plants, (Solanaceae/nightshade family) growing in the Atacama Desert of Chile and extending into Peru, she describes it in almost poetic terms.

The bulk of the time you might talk to Papineau about plants you will notice her keen ability to speak in accurate botanical terms, using technical language, as well as her ability to bring her conversation to the level any audience can understand. She’s a natural teacher, wanting her audiences to grasp the concepts she’s sharing, and understand the research she’s now sharing from the UNH Cooperative Extension Service.

But, it’s the Nolana flower with its eerily true blue hue that puts her conversation on a different level. While explaining how she worked with seed germination projects from colleagues collecting the seeds in the mountains of Peru, it’s clear she was deeply concerned about seed viability and germination processes. “In the end, we just decided that since time after time, the results were not yielding the flowers as they were found in the mountains of South America, the project concluded. The Nolanas we were working with just weren’t content and not going to grow in containers as we wished they would.”

In talking about that long run research project, she didn’t lament that she hadn’t gone to South America to collect the seeds, but she shared the spark she feels living in New Hampshire, on a lake not far from UNH! It’s clear, as the conversation evolved about her career, that New Hampshire mirrored “There’s No Place Like Home” adage heard from Dorothy Gale in the Wizard of Oz.

Once fully enveloped in the greenhouse industries and projects UNH conducted for business applications, she wanted to gain more knowledge and experience which could be offered through an internship at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Her assignments there included breeding pitcher plants – with what we might call “extreme pitcher plants” reaching heights of 4′-5′! Pitcher plants of that size were sought after by landscape architects and plant enthusiasts for massive containers and use as design elements in large scale corporate locations.

Blue flowers crept into Amy’s professional work palette again while at Longwood. Another part of her work there included working with Cineraria flowers – which bloom in many bright colors, but her tasks revolved around the care and breeding of the lavender and blue-hued blooms. Along with Cineraria (Asteraceae/daisy family, originally from the Canary Islands,) her internship included working on Clivia with double flowers. There’s a theme of these extreme colors or sizes of plants, which is a contradiction to Papineau’s unassuming, calm, and confident nature.

With a smattering of work on big trees, and what conditions might bare root or pot-grown trees be preferred for healthier street trees written in to municipal plans, Amy has a diverse background with this wide range of plants. Biomes and plant purposes are in her professional experience bank. She has also worked on some proprietary plant introductions with perennials, shrubs and specifically some roses. Involving induced mutations, her expertise in botany and how plants work led to some commercial viability for her employers after the Longwood Gardens internship.

Still in Pennsylvania, she found herself driving as frequently as possible back to New Hampshire – enjoying her old stomping grounds, and the sights, sounds, and smells of New Hampshire trees and the lake she was so fond of. Never out of contact with her UNH professors and greenhouse professionals, she was able to truly reconnect with the university’s greenhouses, and research projects through the Extension.

Amy Papineau admired and speaks highly of the days working with Dr. Cathy Neal, Dr. Stan Swier, and Brian Krug. Between Swier’s background in entomology, Krug’s expertise in growing Poinsettias for research or commercial production, and Neal’s vast array of projects, Amy fit right in! It was with Cathy Neal that Amy’s work in meadows and meadow design and upkeep might have the strongest connection to the UNH Landscape Association. “Many people want the casual, natural look of a meadow,” Papineau cites, “but they are a lot of work. I mean a LOT of work.” She goes on to explain the natural progression of the plants and flowers in a meadow, and how some just naturally take over – some are “aggressive” and shade out others, while some have simply a shorter lifespan. Seed dispersal along with effects of dry weather or too much rain affect the meadow’s natural evolution. “I know landscapers have a hard time describing this to clients. It’s tough to explain that what you see in a professional botanic garden takes a lot of maintenance, patience, and even some ability to pivot on your expectations,” she clarifies, as she discusses her multi-year affiliation with Dr. Neal on the research conducted at Woodman Farm, UNH Campus, on plants that might be preferred in a meadow design and upkeep plan.

The meadow project began in response to questions from landscapers looking to the Extension to help with frequent client requests. Many NHLA members have benefitted from that project, by attending several twilight meetings at Woodman Farm over the duration of the project.

Her interest in big trees – landscape trees – with stronger root structures for successful transplanting continued with other UNH Coop Extension projects. Certain mesh bags have been studied, showing how the need for a tree spade is eliminated, making larger trees more accessible to landscapers and their respective clients. She’s interested in the resurgence of interest in native trees, such as the oaks and birches, which play an important role in our ecosystems.

Studying trees for municipal uses, she reports she wished people knew more about what goes on below ground for tree success as well as other plants and long-term viability. Soil biology, and root development are the basis for any plant’s health and street appeal. Papineau is also interested in what she feels is a misconception about lawns. Lawns don’t need more fertilizer; they need healthy soil! She can outline the multitude of reasons this is the case, based on her understanding of the mindset and tension between those who want rich, deep green grass and those who tolerate “weeds” in their lawns and replace some grass with perennials or shrubbery for wildlife. She is very articulate about property owners’ needs varying over time and being mindful and respectful of when a lawn brings joy for playing outdoors, giving respite from a busy day by offering an expansive green vista, or offering a pleasing backdrop for a larger view of trees lining a property boundary. She shares the multifaceted view about lawns and would like people to know grassy lawns do a lot to have healthy root structures keep soil lightened up and provide the biome needed for other insects and beneficial aspects of the active habitat where we never see it. A healthy lawn can even out compete weed seeds when blades of grass are allowed to grow to a 3” height and shade out seeds, even protecting against erosion when other plants (some clover for instance) die back after frost.

Amy Papineau is well-known for her work spanning New Hampshire from the Canadian border in the north, to the seacoast and fully east-west, as well. While we might think of her as a strong team member and major contributor to NHLA’s Education Committee, her job title is “Extension Field Specialist in Landscape and Greenhouse Horticulture.” That is nearly as varied as the territory she serves!

When asked about her typical day, she makes sure it’s clear there is no such thing as a typical day, and because of the variety of projects, advice, presentations, and people she meets, she loves her job. When asked about what sort of things she does in the field, her answer is quick and surprising. She recently was in Jefferson, NH, at Santa’s Village. She was there to help the groundskeeping staff learn more about pruning the plants which are integral to the soft, lush nature of the park. She helped the staff consider things while pruning, such as clearing sight lines on pathways and sidewalks, along with the care of plants.

This is just a smattering of what she does in the field and hearing her talk about it, you could almost be jealous of the team at Santa’s Village getting to learn firsthand about the various considerations beyond simply deadheading flowers. Her knowledge comes from the early days at UNH, through her internship at Longwood Gardens, and work in the private sector and landing back “with us” working in NH.

Amy Papineau, as an advisor, committee member, and professional, embodies that title of her first class introducing her to her career, “The Power of Plants.” We’re sure glad that calculus class was full and in that filler class, she found her Super Power!

~ by Cris Blackstone. Chris maintains her NHCLP #97 through numerous presentations on some of her favorite landscape themes, for garden clubs and other professional organizations. Her garden and landscape photography has earned awards from Mass Hort Society as well as the National Federation of Press Women. She’s an appointed member of the NH DES Waste Management Commission, keeping in line with her interests in conservation and ecology representing conservation commissions across the state. With no favorite season, she says each offers time to read, write, and take photographs.

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Nighttime lighting can affect migrating birds in a multitude of ways. From disturbing their ability to navigate by seeing familiar points on the horizon to disorienting them with the glare the lights can cause on windows or other reflective surfaces, birdstrikes do account for a large number of fatalities. This is a disturbing fact, disrupting many aspects of the cycles of life, that healthy habitat customers care deeply about.

Bright lights after sunset are also harmful to many beneficial bugs and insects, interrupting their breeding cycles, to cite one aspect of the harm caused by the lights. What can be done to help mitigate the deleterious effects of the lights, while offering customers the four-season appeal garden and landscape lights offer?

Learning more about landscape lighting can be as involved as you, your employer, or company want to be. Certifications are available through businesses such as CAST lighting and CREE lighting, which you can search for and see if these companies address your interests and what your customer base might be interested in. With any additional certification, you gain your customers’ confidence and can market yourself as having additional knowledge and professionalism many customers respect and rely on.

As a quick overview of nighttime landscape lighting, we need to acknowledge the benefits to the property owner, including enjoying the scenery you have worked to create and maintain for beauty and relaxation. Extending the view from daylight to twilight and into the night is financially a benefit to the clients! Property owners’ health and well-being is enhanced by a relaxing garden and beautiful landscape scenes. We also need to recognize that the client base is keenly aware of the controversial issues about disrupting wildlife and migration of insects and birds. How to mitigate those issues? (Hint: limit use of blue and violet in lighting; incorporate amber tones, which are especially beneficial to amphibians and turtles – which are beneficial in any garden.)

The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) is one of the premier go-to’s for this information. Janet Lennox Moyer is recognized as a highly sought-after professional, with forty decades in the architectural lighting field. She pioneered work in educating other professionals about aspects of the field, such as how humans’ perception of light is different from animals’ perception of light. One of her educational philosophies includes, “how nighttime lighting provides visual transportation between scenes.” It’s important to be familiar with lighting concepts so we avoid light pollution and avoid disturbing neighbors! Certainly, putting lights on timers is the first way to ensure minimal disruption.

From there, through commercial, or non-profit certification or from a knowledgeable sales representative of a lighting company, you can share information with your clients about how correctly installed lighting will not harm deciduous trees or evergreens. Janet Lennox Moyer has written many books which are considered the best resources for this topic. The Art of Landscape Lighting is a revered, vetted source for all aspects of landscape lighting. This could be a perfect reference book for your company library or as a gift to valued clients to help demonstrate your level of expertise.

Early outdoor light systems included designs which were directed too close to root flares, and triggered fungi and other diseases. With the knowledge we have now, tree health is preserved. One particularly helpful Fact Sheet comes from the Purdue Cooperative Extension. Check out their “Does Night Lighting Harm Trees?” flyer, which is free and can be downloaded and shared with your clients to help them decide and understand what your company can offer as an additional service for their landscape.

With education, possibly additional certification showing your dedication to professionalism, and communications with your clients, you will be able to share what you learn and how your best management practices consider all the angles of the landscape. Including property owner satisfaction and increased joy with the consideration of healthy wildlife encouragement, you will see increased business opportunities.

Nighttime lighting in your landscapes can bring added appreciation for the hard work you put in to designing, maintaining, and bringing to life the look your clients desire and visualize.

~ by Cris Blackstone

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Registration is now open for the first Intro to Safety and Basic Equipment Use classes this spring. NHLA and NHTI are partnering to create a new series of short, practical programs designed to help our members improve their operations and lower costs.

This first certificate is designed for crew leaders and managers to prepare current and new workers for safe seasonal operations, lower accident and injury rates and reduce Workers Compensation claims.

The six, four-hour classes start in late March and conclude as spring cleanup starts in April. Each class combines traditional classroom and hands-on learning provided by qualified instructors. Topics include creating a culture of safety, best practices for equipment start and operation for hand-held and riding equipment. NH Department of Safety Troop G will have a session on meeting federal and state operating standards.

“This program is about more than compliance—it’s about empowering our teams with the tools and mindset to work smarter, safer, and more confidently,” said Andrew Pelkey, NHLA president. “By investing in practical training like the Safety and Basic Equipment Use classes, we’re helping companies protect their people, reduce costs, and raise the bar for professionalism across the industry.”
The Worksite Safety certificate will be explained in detail during the NHLA Dinner Meeting on January 22 at the Red Blazer in Concord.

This is the first in a series of certificate programs being developed by NHLA and NHTI’s Workforce Development Office. A second certificate on plant identification and maintenance is already underway for rolling out this spring, similar to the NHLA’s existing NH Certified Landscape Professional program.

“Workforce Education at NHTI continually seeks out engagement with industry partners to identify workforce needs across all industries,” said Kathy Taylor, director of Workforce Development & Community Education. “The partnership with NHLA is just one example of this engagement where we can meet the organization’s needs for short-term training programs.  Our strategic vision is to serve NH’s best interest and that includes meeting workforce demands.  We can only do that if we partner with our employers and industry organizations. These types of partnerships also encourage employees to continue their education and increase their value within their organizations.”

“NHLA is planning an initial series of five to six practical classes that any landscape company can access for low-cost training,” said Mike Barwell, chair of the education committee. “Our hope is that owners, managers and team leaders can quickly and practically learn how to approach any project – such as routine maintenance, hardscape and landscape installations – and be knowledgeable with each other and with clients.”

Future certificate classes may include irrigation and lighting installation, hardscape construction using man-made and natural stone, and turf and soil disease and pest control.

The certificates do not imply licensing or academic credentials, although the education committee hope it inspires landscapers to continue their education through the NHCLP classes or through NHTI’s offerings.

Registration is open.

Link to NHLA Event description

Link to REGISTRATION

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As another fall season winds down across New Hampshire, I’m reminded of how quickly our industry shifts gears. One day we’re wrapping up final cleanups, planting bulbs, and buttoning up irrigation systems. The next, we’re calibrating salt spreaders and watching the radar for that first sign of snow. It’s a unique rhythm that only those in the Green Industry truly understand, one of constant change, preparation, and adaptability.

This time of year offers the perfect moment to pause and reflect. Whether you’re part of a larger organization or running your own business, it’s worth taking a step back to ask: How did we do this year? What went well, and where can we improve?

For many, 2025 was a season of both challenge and progress. Labor pressures, unpredictable weather, and shifting client expectations continue to test even the most experienced teams. Yet, I’ve heard countless stories from members about crews exceeding goals, training programs taking root, and businesses finding new efficiencies and stability. Those wins matter, and they speak volumes about the resilience and professionalism that define New Hampshire’s landscape community.

As we head into winter, snow and ice management brings its own demands. Preparation and communication are key, from making sure your equipment is ready to ensuring your teams understand safety protocols and client expectations. Remember, our performance in the winter months often sets the tone for next spring.

Finally, I encourage each of you to take a moment of personal reflection. Celebrate the progress you and your teams have made. Identify what systems or habits could be strengthened. And most importantly, find time to recharge. Our industry doesn’t slow down for long, but these transitions between seasons offer valuable space to reset and refocus.

On behalf of the NHLA Board, I want to thank each of you for your continued commitment to raising the bar for our industry. We’re proud to represent such a dedicated and forward-thinking community of professionals.

Wishing you a safe, successful start to the snow season and a strong finish to the landscape season.

The post President’s Notes November 2025 appeared first on New Hampshire Landscape Association (NHLA).

I joined NHLA back in the late ’80s, not long after I started my business. I attended anything and everything that NHLA and its close partnership with the NH Cooperative Extension put on back then. Dinner meetings, seminars, design classes, and demonstrations from pruning to wall building. Since I was at most everything NHLA put on I became a fairly familiar face and was eventually recruited to the Board in 2003. Since then I’ve been vice-president, president, and past president three times and still try to attend just about everything NHLA offers. The Association has been, and continues to be, integral to my continuing education and career.

Although my business has always encompassed full landscaping services my favorite thing to do was and is to build stone walls. When I first started in landscaping in 1979 I was hired by Rick Rideout (a past president of NHLA) who had just started his company, Three Season Landscaping. Rick was a pretty accomplished wall builder, and he taught me the basics of wall building. During those first few years I was never allowed to place a face stone. My job was tending, backfilling, and watching.

Occasionally Rick would farm me out to other wall builders like Derrick Owen’s crew where I got to learn from Kevin Gardner who has since written several books on wall building and the history of stonewalls in New Hampshire. When I finally went out on my own I had a good foundation for most aspects of landscaping, and when I joined NHLA I just continued learning everything I could through the Association, UNH, NHTI, and anybody that would answer my questions.

Fast forward to today. I’ve been in business now for almost forty years and I think I have a pretty decent portfolio of work and walls that I’ve built. In 2023 I was lucky enough to be asked to submit a bid on reconstructing a wall in the oldest section of Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord, NH. The wall sits below the White Family mausoleum which was constructed for Armenia and Nathaniel White sometime in the 1870s. Over time, of course, the land above the wall shifted and started to erode putting pressure on the wall and causing it to fail. In 2016 jersey barriers were put in place and backfilled with 3/4″ stone to keep the wall from pushing out any further.

At the end of 2023 I was informed that my bid had been accepted and I began the dismantling of the wall and excavation at the end of August 2024. The wall on the east side of the steps leading up to the mausoleum was dry laid with field stone and the section of wall to the west of the steps was mortared granite block. I carefully dismantled the 250′ wall placing the stones and blocks in order so that the capstones were at the back of the windrow and the base stones were at the front ready to be placed back into the wall. I discovered while taking the wall apart that there was no backfill stone whatsoever and the huge base stones/blocks had been set directly in the soil. No gravel base like we do now. I excavated and prepared a gravel base that was 4′ to 5′ wide and 18″ deep. The cemetery crew had to excavate the slope on the west side of the steps as there were several grave sites that were 2′ from the cut and no one was quite sure if the graves had slid over the years. We were lucky though, and nothing was found or had to be moved.

After the base was prepped and compacted with 1 1/2″ gravel the base stones started going back in and construction began. 80% of the stone taken from the wall was reused as well as granite foundation block that I purchased, and that luckily matched the original stone perfectly. At the back of the cemetery there are several small quarries, and I hauled several loads out from them. Using feather and wedges I cut and shaped a lot of the pieces that are now in the wall. It took about 7 months to construct the dry laid wall working mostly by myself with my excavator and help from a friend of mine. I finished the wall itself at the end March, but I had to pull off the project to get started on another job on lake Winnipesaukee. Here we are in July and I’m back to Blossom Hill to cap the wall and get started on another wall in the same cemetery. I’m honored to have been chosen to rebuild this historic wall and hopefully it will there for another couple of hundred years.

by Dave DeJohn, NHCLP, NHLA past president

The post Reflection appeared first on New Hampshire Landscape Association (NHLA).

These changes strengthen earlier regulations under RSA 431:4-a–d, which have been in place since 2013. The 2025 revisions come with some significant new restrictions which apply to both commercial users and homeowners.
The updated laws aim to provide stronger protections for the state’s waters by reducing the amount of nutrients carried to our waters through runoff. While both nitrogen and phosphorus contribute to fueling algae blooms, the new regulations specifically target phosphorus, as this nutrient is a key driver of the increased frequency and severity of harmful cyanobacteria blooms seen in the state in recent years.

Understanding the new regulations will help you stay compliant, protect local ecosystems, and build trust with your clients.

As of 2025, you may not apply turf fertilizer in the following situations.
Within 25 feet of:

• a storm drain or any area where runoff could enter a storm drain.
• any surface water, artificial or natural, no matter the size. This includes all rivers, streams, creeks, brooks, reservoirs, ponds, lakes, springs, etc.

During the following conditions:

• heavy rainfall or when heavy rainfall is predicted.
• when the ground is frozen.
• when the grass is dormant (not actively growing).
• on impervious surfaces (like driveways, sidewalks, or patios)
  Tip: Mark buffer zones around storm drains and surface waters on client properties. Carry brooms or blowers to clean up hard surfaces immediately after applying.

Updated rules on nutrient application rates:

• •Only fertilizers that are approved as turf fertilizers may be used on urban turf and lawns. This applies to all turf/lawns in the state except golf courses, parks, sod farms, and athletic fields.
• Turf fertilizer used on established turf/lawns must be no-phosphate or low-phosphate, containing no more than 0.5% available phosphate (down from 0.67% previously allowed).
• Phosphorus application for new lawns or those testing deficient in phosphorus may not exceed 0.25 pounds P2O5 per 1,000 square feet per application and no more than 0.5 pounds per 1,000 square feet per year (down from 1 pound P2O5 per 1,000 square feet annually as previously allowed).
• Phosphorus application rates for natural organic turf fertilizers remain unchanged, with 1 pound available phosphate allowed per 1,000 square feet per application allowed.
• Limits to the amounts of nitrogen that can be applied remain the same, but the wording of the law has been changed to remove what some saw as a potential loophole in the previous version. The phrase, “when applied according to the instructions on the label” has been removed.
  Tip: Review your fertilizer products and adjust rates accordingly. Do not rely on product instructions for application rates.

This is an opportunity to educate your customers and to demonstrate your expertise and commitment to environmentally sound lawn care. Train your crews to effectively answer client questions.

Save the date for UNH Extension’s Landscaping for Water Quality certification program, March 25 & 26, 2026 in the seacoast region. Contact amy.papineau@unh.edu for more information.

~ by Amy Papineau, UNH Extension

The post New Turf Fertilizer Regulations in NH appeared first on New Hampshire Landscape Association (NHLA).

Even with ongoing economic uncertainty, homeowners continue to invest in their landscapes. Recent studies show that garden-center sales remain strong, and younger homeowners, especially Gen Z and Millennials, are increasing the time and money they devote to outdoor spaces. The motivation is clear: people want their backyards to serve as sanctuaries, places to recharge and reconnect.

This presents real opportunity for our industry. Beyond core maintenance services, clients are seeking enhancements such as privacy features, fire elements, lighting, and full outdoor retreat projects. Surveys indicate that the average homeowner is prepared to spend more than $13,000 on these kinds of improvements. These are not simply nice additions; they are meaningful investments in lifestyle and property value.

For landscape companies, success will come from how we present these services. Tiered offerings such as “Refresh, Retreat, and Sanctuary” help clients see options at different levels of investment. Simple digital previews or before-and-after visuals bring projects to life and build confidence. And leaning into social media allows us to connect directly with younger homeowners who are driving much of this demand.

The takeaway is clear. Clients are looking to spend smarter, not smaller. By aligning our services with their desire for outdoor sanctuaries, we can deliver beauty, value, and transformation while strengthening the long-term success of our businesses

Andrew Pelkey
President, New Hampshire Landscape Association
President@NHLAonline.org

The post President’s Notes September 2025 appeared first on New Hampshire Landscape Association (NHLA).

As summer begins to wind down, I’m excited to share some fantastic news from our recent NHLA Golf Tournament. It was our most profitable year on record! This event has grown into one of our organization’s cornerstone fundraisers, playing a big role in supporting our general and administrative costs throughout the year. None of this would have been possible without the generosity of our sponsors and the enthusiasm of our players. Thank you all for showing up and making it such a success.

A very special thanks goes out to Pam Moreau and the entire golf tournament committee. Their hard work, attention to detail, and commitment to the Association are what turn a great event into an exceptional one. Year after year, they have raised the bar, and this year’s results speak volumes about their dedication.

Looking ahead, our annual Fall Field Day is right around the corner on September 24. This event is always a highlight of the season, a time to learn, connect, and see firsthand the latest innovations shaping our industry. If you haven’t yet signed up to attend, I encourage you to do so here.

And for our vendors, we still have space available. Don’t miss this chance to showcase your products and services in front of an engaged audience of industry peers. Secure your spot here.

I look forward to seeing many of you at our Field Day. It is these gatherings, whether on the golf course or in the field, that remind us how strong and connected our NHLA community truly is.

Andrew Pelkey
President, New Hampshire Landscape Association
President@NHLAonline.org

The post President’s Notes August 2025 appeared first on New Hampshire Landscape Association (NHLA).

What are the hazards the landscape crew faces during summer heat and humidity? You have probably faced many of those hazards and understand the importance of frequent breaks in the shade, staying hydrated, and preventing sunburn. You might erroneously think this is healthy, but the UV radiation builds up over the years making skin cancer more likely. Sun exposure requires more concentration on staying hydrated. Loss of liquids through sweating is healthy, but in high humidity for example, the sweat/evaporation loss is diminished and that makes it harder for the body to cool down. Knowing your body’s reaction to heat is essential for maintaining a healthy approach to your work outdoors in the summer and heat of autumn days in New England.

Training new crew members at the beginning of the season and offering review courses is helpful for returnees or seasoned landscape crew members. But it is important to think about heat related illnesses during the mid-season, where we find ourselves now. Some habits which were instilled at the early part of the season may have fallen off the daily check and balance lists at this point, with everyone feeling confident and comfortable with their knowledge and current practices. Facts show that the training at the beginning of each season is only as effective as the refresher courses are to rekindle the health and safety mindset of employees.

It’s not an act of bravery to brush off early signs of heat exhaustion. It should be constantly discussed that at the first sign of a headache, muscle aches or nausea, careful attention should be paid to those symptoms. Rest breaks in shade or air-conditioned vehicles are important, especially when there are multiple consecutive days of high heat or humidity. Crew members should look out for each other. At this point in the busy season, it’s unlikely that muscles are aching from using certain tools – everyone is probably well-conditioned to those early season muscle aches or tired feeling. Recognizing any type of fatigue is imperative to ward off heat related illnesses.

Various prescribed medications can affect the ways our bodies react to extreme heat or repeated long hours outdoors and sunlight. While medical records and prescription information are certainly confidential, it is up to each person to be aware of and to follow the instructions or recommendations on prescriptions, to avoid the problems associated with the warnings about sunlight or heat. Open-minded confidential conversations with crew captains or supervisors should be encouraged and respected in our workplace. Remember, if a company’s culture isn’t being fair and communicating effectively with clients, customers, and team members, and a crew member is out with a medical problem, heat-induced, that could have been avoided, the rest of the crew is taking on additional work.

Keeping a safe and healthy workplace environment will also mean word travels fast – you want to be associated with a company other people want to work for and not the company people want to avoid.

Some professionally vetted sources for training and understanding heat related illnesses and prevention include:

• OSHA – many training modules with one particularly interesting item available — the Heat Safety Tool App for smartphones. This offers the user the way to calculate the heat index factor for their worksite and provides information on that risk level for outdoor work. (OSHA.com)
• CDC (Center for Disease Control) has a heat risk dashboard which offers recommended actions for preventing heat related ill effects (CDC.gov)
• NSC (National Safety Council) offers resources on heat exhaustion and gives first aid recommendations for outdoor workers exposed to heat and sun. (NSC.org)

Speak up for health and safety and in doing so, you show your team members, crew members, supervisors, and even company management how much you care about being the best employee you can be and caring for your colleagues, too. It will soon enough be time for training to switch gears and we’ll discuss hypothermia and frost bite! Don’t wish summer heat to disappear, just wish it to be safe and fruitful!

~ by Cris Blackstone, NHCLP

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