At Arborpolitan, sustainability is more than a buzzword, it’s a main tenet we weave across our decisions. This means we’re engaged in continuous conversation, actions and experiments around how we can reduce our environmental impact and support local ecosystems.
Holistic plant health
We serve the entire tree and plant life cycle, use the most ecological methods available, and leverage environmental factors to support long-term health. Integrated Pest Management is our core approach, we choose a multi-pronged approach to control pests and disease, using chemicals as a last resort. Several members of our team have received training from the Northeast Organic Farm Association, and since our founding, we’ve opted for organic, low-impact products whenever possible. Concerning our urban ecosystem, we appreciate the many benefits of trees and gardens and approach them as living, breathing subjects impacted by our choices.
Removals as a last resort
Trees are an essential urban resource. We practice removals as a last resort and help clients evaluate alternatives. We approach tree care with a high regard for current best-practices; our advice to our clients helps sustain each tree or plant, and therefore protect our urban forest.
Donating 1% of every removal
Since 2021, we’ve donated a portion of every tree removal job to local urban forestry projects via The Nature Conservancy’s Future Forest NYC Initiative.
Sustainable sourcing
We source trees and plants from local nurseries and are happy to recommend native species and pollinator-friendly plants. Pleasant Run Nursery, one of our main suppliers, is a recognized New Jersey sustainable business.
Electric chainsaws
We have several electric chainsaws in rotation. We care for our existing gas chainsaws until they can no longer be used, and then replace them with electric models.
E-Van & bikes
Our newest Plant Health Care van is electric and we are in love! We’ve been driving it around the city and envision a future with a fully electric fleet. We have also significantly reduced the carbon footprint of our consulting arborists: they commute to appointments by electric car, subway and cycling. In fact, bikes and e-bikes are the favored mode of transportation for many of us Arborpolitanites.
Woodchip recycling
The vast majority of our wood waste is repurposed. We either bring it to Waste Management (where it’s sold for use in mulch or paper products) or whenever possible we directly recycle woodchips from removal and pruning jobs. We’ve donated chips to Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Red Hook Farms and NYCHA housing gardens, as well as individual gardeners, homeowners and tenants. We are actively developing a local network of sites such as community gardens, co-ops and housing units to bring our chipped wood debris. To request a chip drop, fill out a form!
Days of service
Every winter we bring our woodchippers to Mulchfest, the annual holiday tree chipping event put on by NYC Parks; and help to shred a portion of +25,000 holiday trees that are repurposed as woodchips in parks and tree pits. We have also volunteered our services at Red Hook Farms, one of the most sustainable urban farms in the country. If you are part of an association or organization that could benefit from a day of service from our crews, please let us know!
Product donation & garden aid
When possible, we look to donate excess products to community gardens. These may include applying organic fertilizers, or donating unused plants and soil. We also offer affordable “garden aid” services such as light pruning.
Education & outreach
We share our passion and expertise through classes and workshops, offered affordably for community gardens, schools and local non-profits. If you’re interested, reach out!
Solar power
We are moving toward installing solar panels in our yard and charging our tools, e-bikes and electric vehicles with the power of the sun.
Compost
Compost is one of the best ways to simultaneously reduce food waste and reintroduce vitamins and minerals into city soil. Our compost system has been running strong since 2020, breaking down our household scraps and tree chips for our team’s personal use in houseplants and gardening projects.
Growing green careers
We’ve partnered with Red Hook Initiative and donated to Green City Force, two local organizations that provide young people from low-income housing communities with applied environmental education and green-economy mentorship and employment opportunities. We care about green equity and community empowerment, and aim to be a local channel for training entry-level job-seekers from these and similar organizations.
As stewards of our urban green spaces, we acknowledge that the history of tree inequity in NYC means our efforts are needed to create access to trees as climate-change resources in historically and currently marginalized neighborhoods. To us, sustainability means caring for each other, which leads to better care for the environment, and vice versa.
Want Free Woodchips?
We can drop off a truckload of chipped woody debris for free! Recycled from our tree pruning and removal jobs, we deliver chips to sites within easy access of our Red Hook, Brooklyn office. We’ve donated to Gowanus Canal Conservancy, community gardens, schools and home gardens. Chips may contain some leafy debris. For an extra charge, we can distribute the chips.
Fill out the form below and we’ll contact you when we have a drop! Please note, we cannot always guarantee turnaround times or completion of drops. We’ll try our best to accommodate your request!
Woodchip benefits & uses:
- Add our woodchips to your compost regimen
- Create walking paths
- Apply directly to tree beds
- Conditions soil over time
- Aids in moisture retention
- Natural weed suppression
- Feed beneficial insects and bacteria that benefit soil
- Help restore and avoid soil nutrient depletion
- Aid in developing mycelium which provides communication between plants and soil
