About Us

Our Associates

Joseph Featherly, B.S. - Plant Care Specialist

A former student of Dr. Marion, Joe went on to obtain his Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Pathology from Cornell University. Growing up on a farm, Joe brings a unique perspective to our team. He has over 10 years experience in plant science/arboriculture, and along with his extensive experience in agriculture, Joe has a solid foundation as a plant health care professional.

We Help Homeowners Improve Property Value

We are tree professionals like no one else in the region. Our desire is to help you manage and care for your trees and landscape plants. We assist you in the overall development of your property. By applying the latest scientific research to your landscape's individual needs, Dr. Marion, Tree Specialist/Pathologist, and his certified associates care for your trees and landscape to maximize the health of your outdoor living environment while saving you costs in the long run. We provide the very best possible plant care from roots to shoots.

Like you, we are saddened to see irreplaceable trees cut down and we understand the importance of your trees. Properly cared for trees add considerable monetary value to your home, and likewise, uncared for trees detract from it. We work to save you the expense of costly tree removal and tree replacement. Our goal is to aid in maintaining the value of your property by ensuring the appropriate care of your trees.

We Help Organizations Present a Beautiful Setting

Over the years, we have helped many large and small organizations, landscapers, and grounds managers solve tree related problems. We aid in developing site plans for the proper choice and placement of trees. Kodak, Rochester Technology Park, The Baseball Hall of Fame, US Department of the Army, Federal Veteran’s Administration, and Woodlawn Cemetery are among the organizations that we have assisted. Our expertise and diagnostics lab enable us to identify and determine the best course of action for tree health care.

We understand that the outdoor environment is important to every organization in terms of its public image. Sick, weak, and improperly placed trees surrounding a corporate campus may tell others that your company is not environmentally friendly. Let us help you promote your image and standing as a leader in this sustainable “going green” culture - we can often do so without the use of pesticides.

Tree risk assessment is an important service we provide. Maintaining a beautiful environment is desired, but safety is always first and foremost. We will help your organization accomplish both goals simultaneously. By achieving appropriate tree health, and eliminating potential risk, your company can ensure a safe work environment while also expressing the deep commitment of being ecologically friendly.

We Help Schools Maintain a Safe Campus

Assessment for tree risk becomes especially important when human activity is elevated in and around tree populations. Weakened, unsafe trees pose a risk of injury to passers-by. School campuses are places where human traffic comes in close proximity to or even directly underneath large, weight bearing tree branches. Environmental forces, decay, disease, and other factors all play a role in the weakening of a tree. It is virtually impossible to determine the health of a tree based on visual clues alone. Risk assessment is the primary goal when we work with educational institutions. Our secondary goal is achieving a beautiful, healthy looking outdoor setting that becomes the signature and hallmark of the institution itself.

We often work closely with landscapers and maintenance crews to ensure that the campus is safe and in the best possible condition for appropriate tree and plant health. We also oversee and provide when necessary any pruning that is required in removing branches or trees that have the potential for breakage. Our careful management ensures a safe environment for students, faculty, and all who visit the campus.

Expert Testimony - Legal Cases

More than any other plant, trees have a high monetary value associated with them. Very often, we are called to determine the actual value of trees that may have been damaged by way of wrongful cutting, construction damage, automobile strikes, defects, etc. We are foremost in the industry in determining appropriate tree values and the value of loss sustained. Whenever there is a need for tree value assessment, we can assist.

Forensics is another area where we routinely use our laboratory to research and determine causal factors. When your case needs a highly specialized tree pathologist and educationally certified tree experts to investigate and provide supporting facts, we have the expertise and specialized knowledge you require. We excel in this area and have helped secure many favorable settlements and judgments.

We can provide supporting facts based on forensic tree science to aid legal cases. We apply the American Phytopathological Society principles and practices for forensic determinations. Let us help you with your tree related legal matters.

Protecting Your Trees from the Emerald Ash Borer

What is the Emerald Ash Borer? The emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), commonly referred to as “EAB”, is an invasive wood-boring beetle. More about EAB from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

There are many treatment options to protect ash trees from the Emerald Ash Borer. We can determine whether the tree is a good candidate for treatment and the best course of care based on individual tree health, EAB population density, tree location, and effectiveness and cost of treatment. We are now recommending that all ash trees, regardless of its proximityto a DEC confirmed EAB infestation, be preventatively treated throughout the state of New York. In our observations, we have determined EAB infestations are more widespread than the DEC maps show. The heaviest infestations have coalesced along the NYS Thruway from Erie, PA, all the way to Syracuse, NY. Your ash trees should be examined for these killing diseases even if they are beyond the current EAB treatment zones.

Western NY Infestations of the Emerald Ash Borer