Eye on the storm

Be prepared. The Boy Scout motto sums up how landscape firms that offer snow and ice management must approach their business during winter.

Be prepared, because there’s no telling exactly what the weather will do.

Be prepared, because you’ve got crews to dispatch.

Be prepared, because equipment and materials must be ready and waiting (and in good working condition).

Be prepared, because high-maintenance accounts expect completely clear properties.

Preparing for the unknown is tough, and there’s no greater variable than Mother Nature, especially in the last few years, with such unpredictable weather, says Gary Benson, owner, Dreamscapes Development, Buffalo, N.Y. “We went from record snow fall the year before to lack of snowfall this past year,” he says. “It was unprecedented. I can’t remember a time when we only went out a dozen or so times in a season.

For the full story, in our August issue, click here. Click here to read it in the digital edition.