Understanding a hierarchy of maintenance helps clients define their project needs.
by: CAROL R. JOHNSON ASSOCIATES, INC.
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NO-MAINTENANCE:
The project will return to natural succession. It is important for
clients to understand that such a project will
look uncared for and wild. For example, a
$20 million planting budget with the Massachusetts Highway Department for a large
highway restoration project in the central
part of that scale calls for no
ongoing maintenance.
When side slopes are restored the project will return to a natural ecosystem.
CRJA selected all native
material for self-perpetuation and for wildlife value.
LOW-MAINTENANCE:
Such a project receives
minimal attention. Mowing may be needed once a
year to keep out woody growth but
no pruning is done. A helicopter
pad in a wildflower meadow at a
corporate headquarter building chac
needs mowing annually or an industrial site that needs weed growth removed from paving once a year serve
as examples.
MODERATE-MAINTENANCE:
This project requires mowing, occasional edging, and minimal
pruning. A simple city park
with lawns, trees, and tennis
courts would fit this category.
HIGH-MAINTENANCE:
Any
project that requires weeding
and regular trash pick-up falls
into this category. Labor is the
main expense of maintenance;
anything that requires a person on site on a regular basis
results in higher costs. Many
public projects are high maintenance because of the need to keep trash emptied to avoid attracting rodents. Projects with planting beds are high maintenance
because weeding is necessary.
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