Letter from the CEO

Richie AlmsteadThe past year has been a mixed bag for me and the Almstead family. The year started on a sad note. We lost my elder brother, Richie Almstead, in February. He was a great son, brother, and father — and fiercely loyal to his family and our company. When in New York, he worked alongside my dad Richard Almstead, my brother Michael and me for decades — primarily in the production field and the nursery.  Richie was a colorful and larger than life character who always left an impression on anyone who met him. We are all very saddened by his loss and miss his cheerful presence at our New Rochelle office.

 

We also had reasons to celebrate in 2022. Our Annual Summer Picnic — which was on hold since 2019 due to Covid — was resumed along with our Years of Service Awards. This year we had several employees who celebrated long tenures at Almstead including, Miguel Solario, an indispensable member of my team, who has been on our staff for 35 Years. Read about our picnic and other award recipients here.

 

Our complimentary Fall Seasonal Inspection was very much in demand again this year. It allows our arborists to inspect your landscape and make sure that any issues are addressed before the start of the next growing season. If you haven’t requested an inspection yet, you can still call your local branch and request an arborist to come and look at your property.

 

In this issue, we’d like to draw your attention to a Boxwood Moth, a new pest our region. If you have boxwood plants on your property, schedule a visit with your Almstead arborist to look for signs of larvae or caterpillars before the next season. Many of the other pests in our region including Emerald Ash Borer, Spotted Lanternfly, and others are still present. We had done a comprehensive review of them in our last issue, so please read about it here.

 

During this time of year and through the rest of winter, two services we recommend are treating your evergreens with a coating of antidesiccant and pruning your deciduous trees while their branches are bare. You can read more about these services in our Winter Checklist.

 

We will be mailing out our annual Plant Health Care and Lawn Care Contracts in early January. Please sign and return them to us as soon as you can. There are important treatments which can begin in early March depending upon your location with small treatment windows for preventative care. Contact your branch office if you don't receive your contracts by the end of January.

 

Have a wonderful holiday season and all the best for a happy and healthy 2023!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

 

Ken Almstead, CEO

- International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist #NY-0335

- ISA "True Professional of Arboriculture” Award (2017)

- ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ)

- Member American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA)

- NOFA Accredited Organic Landcare Professional

- New York and New Jersey State Certified Pesticide Applicator

- Soil Foodweb Certificate from the Sustainable Studies Institute

- Mauget Tree Injection Certified Applicator