Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Nate Faris has always loved the outdoors, but he started his professional work with trees through Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, an organization that works with neighborhoods and corporate sponsors to plant trees in community improvement projects, in 2005.
Now as a self-employed arborist he consults with landscapers and homeowners to assess tree health. His specialty is tree risk assessment, so he works with clients on determining what types of trees would grow best in their outdoor spaces and when and if they need to be cut down.
Faris says he and other independent outdoor consultants are in constant need of supplies to complete the job: rope, saws, pruners, boots, safety equipment and more.
Faris’s love for trees also goes beyond his work: he has nine varieties of native tree species growing in his yard, which is located on a nature preserve, and relies on the advice of his local hardware store for additional lawn care recommendations.
What kinds of tools do you use to complete your job?
I purchase corrugated pipes, hammers to tap trees, pull saws for tree samples and stakes at my local hardware store and industry-specific tools such as diameter tape, binoculars, camera and soil evaluation tools from an online arboriculture supplies vendor.
Where do you get your supplies, and why do you buy them there?
At the local hardware store where I shop, employees help me find the basic tools I need for my job, but also are great at filling in product and plant knowledge I need for taking care of my own lawn, like when to put in grass seed and what tools I need to build the deck in my backyard.
What advice would you suggest independent stores give to small-scale farmers or landscapers looking to plant trees best suited for their environment?
Know what grows natively and non-evasively to the area; those plants will stand the best chance of survival in the local climate. You might also consider enrolling employees in a Master Gardener program or tree steward program through the Department of Natural Resources so you can become your area’s tree maintenance expert.
