Environmental Insights

We’re always excited to welcome new team members, especially when they bring diversity and new skills to our team. This fall, we are extra pumped to introduce the newest and most uniquely talented member of the T.Lake team: our brand new DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 quadcopter drone!

Here at T. Lake we are problem solvers to the core. We love a challenge! In addition to the whole range of landscape work from hardscape design and installation to tree service to wetland mitigation, we’ve done everything from caulking and applying epoxy coatings onto warehouse floors to fly-over roof inspections with drones, to removal of slag and millings from manufacturing floor pits.

Our thought process is to look at the particular issue you have and find a better way to deal with it. This will often require solutions beyond the ordinary—and it is not uncommon for those solutions to require the use of specialty equipment.

Erosion control is a major concern on construction sites for a wide variety of reasons: safety, aesthetics, cost control, and environmental concerns. There are many ways to address and prevent erosion problems, many of which I addressed in detail here. But today I’d like to delve a little deeper into the concept.

I was asked recently to define T. Lake’s core values. And the best I can say is that our values are derived first and foremost from the land.

Both of my grandfathers and theirs before them and theirs before them were farmers and timbermen. They loved the land. They made a living from the land. They appreciated and valued it. It took care of them, and they took care of it. That’s the attitude I grew up with.

I consider myself part of the lineage of the first job God gave a human being, and that's to tend the garden. Humankind’s first job was to get our hands in the dirt. We’re here to be good stewards.

One doesn’t normally think of plants as tools, but when it comes to erosion control, ground cover plants are about the best tool imaginable. Ground cover plants provide an inexpensive and easily maintained solution to erosion problems on slopes, along roadways, and on construction sites - any place where disturbed or exposed soil is present.

Choosing erosion control plants is an art in itself. The best groundcover for erosion control on one site may be utterly unsuitable on the next, depending on a number of factors.

Let’s take a look at some of the most important things to consider when selecting the best plants for erosion control in various situations:

You’re in charge of a construction project or an industrial property that currently has a wetland on the site. What does that mean for you, and how can you ensure your work is compliant with federal regulations?

Those are some important questions if you want to avoid fines and other issues — and ones you need to get answers to.

Keeping your property safe, secure and free of potential problems is always at the top of your mind. You know if they aren’t priorities, you could end up facing fines or even liability issues — which can lead to costly, major consequences.

Instead of having a list of what ifs constantly on your mind, add environmental services to your landscaping contract.

Wild or feral hogs, boars, pigs or swine — different people call them different things, but almost everyone calls them a nuisance.

Feral hogs have lived in North America since the 1500s. However, in the last few decades their population has suddenly exploded, especially here in the Southeast. Wild hogs are incredibly prolific, and incredibly destructive.

Wild pigs caused over 81 million dollars’ worth of damage to crops and landscapes in Georgia in 2011 alone, according to the University of Georgia’s 2012 Georgia Wild Pig Survey, and the problem has only increased since then.