Client Days offers an inside look

From the outside, it’s surrounded with lakes and picturesque trees and shrubs.

But inside, the Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories in Charlotte, N.C., is a 300-acre facility meant for learning.

At present, the grounds are not open to public visitors, but for two sessions a year, the laboratory staff opens the doors to Bartlett clients for Client Days. Tours and discussions about the latest in arboricultural techniques and products fill the multi-day sessions.

“The lab and arboretum are also a place we like to invite others to from outside our company,” says Scott Jamieson, vice president of Bartlett Tree Experts. “We host many retreats, planning meetings and tours of the arboretum for many industry colleagues and groups.”

As a rule, Bartlett arborist representatives and crews visit for training sessions several times a year and the scientists, diagnosticians and staff work there throughout the year.

The company’s diagnostics laboratory processes 10,000 property soil samples and 7,000 plant samples a year. The scientists meet with universities, government and business to provide solutions to plant infestations and diseases and to improve plant health care.

“The diagnostic clinic is one of the best in the world and has the capacity to analyze plant samples with speed and technology that put answers in the hands of our clients in a matter of days,” Jamieson says.

“We can also diagnose often via digital photos and get answers within minutes for those issues that may not need to be processed under a microscope or lab culturing process.”

In addition, new products and techniques are tested every day for effectiveness and betterment of industry standard treatments.

“The lab and arboretum are the center of our training activities for our managers, sales arborists, and field teams who work with trees and clients every day,” Jamieson says.

The agenda for last year’s event in September included a stop at the sidewalk test plot, root barrier project and structural soil plot.

Employees described the testing there, spoke about injections and discussed pest management.

In addition, employees talked about tree preservation and Greg Paige, arboretum curator, presented examples of stress tolerant landscape species.

The tour went on further to demonstrate pruning techniques and invasive species management, followed up with a new soil addition technique – Biochar research. This intensive tour showed participants what happens on a day-to-day basis at the laboratory.

The laboratories offered their own set of demonstrations and laboratory staff covered GIS inventories.

Within the context of the lab, employees discussed pest management and they reviewed plant diagnostic clinic procedures and produced sample submissions.

“It is stunningly beautiful,” Jamieson says. “When I worked for another company, I thought the lab was a Quonset hut in a field.

“I had no idea that this site is an amazing arboretum where arborists gather to research, learn, and train all with the mission of providing great tree care for clients.”

The author is a marketing associate for Bartlett Tree Experts.