President ’ s Message – Spring 2023
PRESIDENT
2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Karen Kerr , MCLP Harrison McPhee , Inc . • Millis , MA
VICE PRESIDENT
Chris Connors , MCLP D . Schumacher Landscape Co . • West Bridgewater , MA
SECRETARY / TREASURER
Andy McDuff , MCLP Landscape America , Inc . • Wrentham , MA
DIRECTOR
PAST PRESIDENT
Miriam Hellweg , MCLP A Blade of Grass • Sudbury , MA
Brian Churchill , MCLP , CSP The GroundsKeeper , Inc . • Ashland , MA
EDUCATIONAL ADVISOR Mike Davidsohn , MCLP UMASS / Stockbridge Landscape Contracting Program
Amherst , MA
MANAGEMENT TEAM
M . Virginia Wood
Peggy Benjamin Kristen Dreyer Carrie Martin
Charissa Sharkey
MLP NEWSLINE is a publication of the Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals , Inc .
MLP NEWSLINE is published four times a year for the Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals ( MLP ) and is distributed free of charge to members . The purpose of the newsletter is to disseminate information to promote general standards and ethics in landscape contracting , as well as to foster research and share knowledge with its members . MLP is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to communications between its membership and the industry . MLP believes the information in this publication to be accurate as of its publication date and is not responsible for inadvertent errors . The MLP and Massachusetts Certified Landscape Professional ( MCLP ) logos are trademarks of the Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals , Inc . Qualified MLP members and certified members only are permitted to utilize the logo . Logos for MLP and MCLP are available through the MLP office .
EDITORIAL Readers are encouraged to submit articles , announcements , review of products , or letters . Address correspondence to the attention of the MLP Newsletter Editor at the address below .
ADVERTISING For advertising rates and information , contact Carrie Martin at cmartin @ MLP-MLCP . org or at the MLP phone number below . Ads may be submitted as high-resolution pdf files . Discounted advertising rates are available to MLP members .
DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the MLP .
Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals 67 West Street • Medfield , MA 02052 phone : 508.653.3373 info @ mlp-mclp . org • MLP-MCLP . org
Hello MLP Members ,
As winter quietly comes to an end , it looks like spring may come early this year . As the days grow warmer in April , I ’ m looking forward to installing a new colony of bees to re-establish one of my hives that did not make it through the winter .
This year has certainly started out strong for MLP . We had a fantastic presentation by Christie Dustman , MCLP at our February dinner meeting . Her love and knowledge of conifers was inspirational . I know of at least two new American Conifer Society memberships that resulted directly from her presentation . With such rave reviews , I ’ m confident we ’ ll take Christie up on her offer to continue our conversation with a garden tour and pruning demonstrations in the future .
Training opportunities abound at MLP this year . From launching an alliance with Greenius ’ training software , to the new MCLP exam overview webinars , and online pesticide safety training with MDAR ’ s Director Taryn LaScola , there ’ s plenty to be learned before the spring season even starts in earnest .
One of the things I ’ m looking forward to is discovering ways that MLP can work more closely with our friends at the Cape Cod Landscape Association ( CCLA ). Four members of the CCLA board joined us at the February dinner meeting to brainstorm opportunities for our two groups to collaborate in the coming year . Lots of
opportunities ahead !
Sustainability is paramount to everyone in our industry . Companies and organizations are reaching out to each other to promote better , more sustainable landscape practices . Working together , we will certainly have a more positive impact on our environment .
Karen L . Kerr , MCLP MLP President
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MLP Newsline | Spring 2023 3