Photo by Aila Boyd
By Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
A crew from Bartlett Tree Experts in Roanoke spent the day of January 29 trimming trees at Fincastle Presbyterian Church in preparation for the Garden Club of Virginia’s visit on April 25 as part of Historic Garden Week.
The company was asked to do work at the church by the Garden Club of Virginia as part of its efforts to restore historic sites throughout the state. The team from Bartlett included technicians Paul Ray, David Blades, Paul Harris, and Matt Weltz. ISA Board Certified Master Arborist Adam Braaten supervised the team. “We try to select a couple of projects every year and this just happens to one of them that we’re willing and able to do. We want to take care of our clients, but we also want to take care of the community and stay involved. The community helps us every day by giving us business, so this is just one way that we can give back,” Braaten said.
Volunteer work that was done consisted of the removal of dying or dead limbs that could have damaged some of the tombstones if they had fallen from the trees. “We want to keep everything safe,” Braaten said. He added that in addition to ensuring the safety of the site, beautification work was done as well.
Additionally, Mike Sherwood, from the Bartlett tree research lab in North Carolina, visited the church to map every tree at the site and then created a maintenance plan for them. “That way we aren’t just coming, doing work, and leaving. Instead, we’re leaving them with a management plan that explains how the trees and shrubs can be maintained so that the property will stay in great condition,” Braaten explained.
The church will serve as the tour headquarters during the Roanoke-Fincastle leg of the tour. Additional sites that are slated for the tour include Wind Flower Farm, Santillane, Prospect Hill, Solitude, and Broad Oaks.
Bartlett Tree Experts is a residential and small commercial tree care business that services the Roanoke Valley.
