Budget Tip for Parks & Rec
The image above is an actual photo taken just this week in a midwestern city not to be named here. What you see is not just a dead tree among others that were planted this spring. (In fact, if you look closely, you’ll see two more dead trees in the background.)
What you see is a lost opportunity and a risk to the Parks & Rec budget in the future. How so? We’ll explain…
Acceptable Loss?
This particular planting of trees was put in place to complement a new disc golf course in a growing part of the city. The trees represent a nice variety, providing diversity and visual interest to the park, not to mention some much-needed shade in the future. The course and nearby park are considered to be nice public assets and will continue to draw a crowd.
But upon a quick count, roughly 10% of the trees planted here — or transplanted, as the case may be — have not survived, while others are languishing. So aside from the obvious waste of money this year, those sickly trees might very well be remembered when the next budget season comes along: “We gave you money for a tree planting project, and look how many died.”
How many dead trees makes up an acceptable loss? That’s not a line you want to cross, especially when your department’s budget depends on it.
Show Me the Money
Parks & Rec budgets are always under stress. They are easy to limit and easy to cut. So when your department requests funding, you will be in much stronger position when you can show maximum survival of your planting projects and healthy, vibrant outcomes that were expected all along.
In this way, our Diehard Transplant product line isn’t just protecting the individual trees and plants that are purchased, it’s protecting your departmental budget and your reputation as a professional. It makes good business sense to protect your investment by energizing the soil your plants will be going into.