MENUWe are living in scary times, and landscapers are affected, even if not as deeply as some other industries or individuals. Nature is oblivious to the current medical crisis affecting daily life all around the country — spring has sprung and your landscape or garden has needs that won’t wait until the coronavirus is contained and life goes back to normal.
Like many businesses, some landscapers will have to reduce their workforces or even close their doors while efforts are made to control the coronavirus. In response, members of our industry are petitioning state governments to be designated as essential so our employees can continue to work and provide services to our customers. Colleagues who are sole owners/operators of landscape businesses are exempt and may stay open, at least for now. While landscaping might not be quite as vital as medicine, safety and security, the media, and a few other services, we do feel we are important to the health and daily life of both our customers and your landscapes.
Some states and smaller jurisdictions have already included landscaping as an essential service so such businesses can keep going despite stay-at-home orders and similar restrictions. New York State guidelines for businesses can be found here: https://esd.ny.gov/guidance-executive-order-2026
Birchcrest Tree and Landscape will stay open and continue serving our customers as long and as much as possible. One way that landscaping businesses are staying in business is by offering curbside pickup of plants and supplies, along with online sales and local deliveries. We are still performing tree work and landscape care while following CDC protocols. Please be assured that our employees are taking every precaution to stay healthy and protect the health of our customers. Check back here to see how we can keep your garden going and growing despite this scary time.
In the meantime, we encourage you to continue taking physical, mental and emotional comfort in tending your garden or landscape. Some things never change, and the value of interacting with the Earth and its bounty is one of them. Working in the garden is great exercise for both body and soul. If you have to tackle some landscaping tasks on your own, so be it; we should be able to help in case you need to redo or undo anything that happens now.
We wish everyone the best of luck and health as we all learn to cope with the challenges of the coronavirus and its impact on our daily lives — and livelihoods.
