Davey Tree Flipbooks

L ake Barrington Shores condominiums in Lake County, Illinois, is a premier location for families of all ages, offering residents a private lake entrance, a three-mile-long trail and 36 acres of forest, all inside the gated community. With a forest preserve the size of this private community's forest, a team of professionals with extensive knowledge and dedication to the health of trees is required. That's when The Care of Trees (TCOT) can help. FIRST DEVELOPMENT OF ITS KIND. For nearly 40 years, TCOT's Barrington office has held a relationship with the Lake Barrington Shores community to assist with the manage- ment, health and maintenance of the site's trees. Charlie Keppel, sales arborist, has maintained this client relationship since the beginning of the development in 1977. During planning and implementation of the community, the development was innovative because it focused on something no other condo community yet had: tree preservation. This 800-acre project incorporated the land and trees into the design and took necessary steps to preserve the existing trees' health, which was something that was not taken into account by other developers at the time. "This is a unique property," Keppel says. "The developer worked around natural features, which was a change from 1970s developers." Since then, the community has grown into a development with more than 1,300 homes complete with indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, kayaks and canoes for the 80-acre lake and trails through the 36-acre forest preserve. The trees remain in their natural habitat. As Keppel explains, "The trees make the community; they create private areas and a relaxed atmosphere." TCOT TO THE RESCUE. With such a large, private forest, complications can happen at any time. Keppel and the TCOT team, including District Manager Clay Busse and Foreman Al Perez, have helped the community when emergencies arise. For example, when a microburst knocked down nearly 40 willows and oaks, Keppel responded within a half hour to help cleanup. TCOT has also helped educate residents about the current emerald ash borer outbreak, the dangers of the conifer bark beetle and Dutch elm disease in the 1980s. Keppel specifically works with the community's landscape coordinator to walk through properties to identify any EAB-infested ash trees. "I'm often out before the landscape coordinator after storms to see which trees have been damaged," he says. Besides emergency work, Keppel and the team regularly prune, fertilize and perform necessary removals and plant health care on trees within the Lake Shore Barrington community. A community focused on its landscape and trees rewards Davey with a 40-year client relationship. November/December 2014 | 9 A STRONG, 40-YEAR RELATIONSHIP. Keppel visits the Lake Barrington Shores property several days a week. He attends monthly meetings with the community's landscape board. He also makes himself available to talk with residents about any tree issues or questions, he has contributed to the community's newsletter and he has participated in Arbor Day events, fundraisers and children's activities. Keppel has watched the Lake Barrington Shores community grow from housing primarily young families and travelers to the mix of families and all ages interested in active lifestyles that exists now. Not only has he helped maintain the client's trees, but Keppel has also been instrumental to the design and upkeep of the landscapes, emergency mainte- nance and client-resident relationships. He says, "I have a passion for this property." Charlie Keppel, sales arborist at TCOT's Barrington, Illinois, office, has also been encouraging Barrington residents to love their oaks through the Great Oaks of Barrington contest, funded through the Barrington Area Conservation Trust (BACT). Recent research shows that oak woodlands have declined by nearly 87 percent in less than 20 years in the Chicago area. The Great Oaks of Barrington created a contest that challenges homeowners who already have live, healthy oaks to show their appreciation. Keppel serves as one of the three volunteers that judge this contest every spring. A Competition to Save the Oaks April Anderson, contest creator (left), Charlie Keppel (second from left) and Lisa Woolford, executive director of BACT (far right) stand with the winners of the Great Oaks of Barrington contest.

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