Conversation Starter

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  by Brooke Rockwell, editor

There’s one thing you can count on with the weather: you’ll always have something to talk about. Living in northeast Vermont, we were fortunate that the area didn’t suffer the kind of damage from Hurricane Irene that was seen in other parts of the state, where power was knocked out, roads were washed out and bridges were washed away, leaving many residents stranded. With winds up to 115 mph, Irene’s effects were felt all along the East Coast, from Florida to Maine.

And, it didn’t stop with Irene, Hurricane Katia soon followed, and Tropical Storm Lee made an impression on the Gulf Coast, with 60 mph winds.

Working in the green industry, the weather is not just a conversation starter; it has a strong impact on the work you do every day. No matter which area of the country you live and work in, there’s weather. Perhaps it’s hot, dry weather and you need to focus on irrigation and selecting drought-tolerant plants. Where rain is plentiful, and sometimes overabundant, there’s stormwater management and erosion control to keep in mind when designing a landscape. For those of you who also do snow removal, the weather has you working day and night keeping driveways, parking lots and walkways clear for your clients.

With this recent storm activity, it’s more than likely that your current projects have been thrown off schedule. Hopefully, any work that was started didn’t get washed away, but now there’s the matter of finishing on time and on budget before the snow starts falling. 

The weather may not make your job easier, but it sure keeps things interesting.