President ’ s Message
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Karen Kerr , MCLP Harrison McPhee , Inc . n Millis , MA
Chris Connors , MCLP SavATree , Inc . n Mashpee , MA
SECRETARY / TREASURER
Andy McDuff , MCLP Landscape America , Inc . n Wrentham , MA
DIRECTOR
PAST PRESIDENT
Miriam Hellweg , MCLP A Blade of Grass n Sudbury , MA
Brian Churchill , MCLP , CSP The GroundsKeeper , Inc . n 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
Karen Kerr , MCLP was elected president of MLP at the association ’ s Annual Meeting on November 30 , 2021 in Walpole , MA . The following is an excerpt from her remarks that evening .
“ This is an evening to be both thankful and hopeful . Thank you to my fellow board members for working as such a great team . Your leadership and commitment have been key in keeping MLP moving forward .
A special thank you to Virginia , Carrie , and Kristen for keeping MLP afloat ( and then some ) with their creativity . MLP ’ s new on-demand webinars have been hugely popular during our time apart . We are also on solid financial footing thanks to careful management , members who support our educational events , and vendors who sponsor our meetings and newsletters .
Personally , I have known many of you in this room for more than 40 years . It is both fabulous and scary to be able to say that !
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 .
My knowledge of plants began in my grandmother ’ s backyard . She had friends who worked at the Arnold Arboretum , and they helped fill her gardens with treasures . My father , an artist and educator , introduced me to the Masters , as well as contemporary painters and sculptors . Through the years , I have been able to combine my art background with a crazy love of plants . I have also been very fortunate to have worked with the best in the tree and landscape field : Lowden Tree , Hartney / Greymont , and Harrison McPhee . As a Massachusetts Certified Landscape Professional , I can feed my passion for plants and connect regularly with all of you !
My hope : As we watched our world leaders gather for the Glasgow climate summit recently , our mission could not be clearer . As an industry , we must make strong contributions toward moving to zero carbon emissions by 2050 . As professionals , we have our hands in the dirt - we also have the knowledge and the power to effect positive change within our companies , and with our clients .
I encourage members ( both new and long-time ) to become further involved . This group is rich in talented and creative people . Please join us and share your knowledge and time when you can .”
Karen L . Kerr , mclp MLP President
Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals 67 West Street • Medfield , MA 02052 phone : 508.653.3373 info @ mlp-mclp . org • MLP-MCLP . org
MLP Newsline | Winter 2021 3