Legacy-Trees and network companies give the option for customers to purchase a 5-Year Warranty upon installation of the Legacy-Tree. All trees come with an automatic 1-Year warranty. When purchasing the 5-Year Warranty, the company will return and prune this tree a minimum of three times in the first five years.
There are three levels of the Legacy-Tree Stewardship Program: juvenile pruning, soil resource management, and plant health care. Customers can opt for whatever level of aftercare they would like. At a minimum, to receive the 5-Year Warranty, customers must opt into level one which is juvenile pruning in the first 5 years.
In the first phase of a tree’s life known as the “juvenile growth phase” the tree is trying to outcompete competitors from the forest ecosystem it evolved in. In a forest, the juvenile tree experiences self-pruning due to a lack of sunlight from the dense forest canopy. In an urban setting, most sites lack dense forest canopy therefore most urban trees are denied self-pruning which would have taken place in a natural setting. This leads to quick growth and improper branch angles that will eventually split out in a storm later in the tree’s life if these juvenile branches are not pruned when the tree is young.
LEVEL l: Juvenile Pruning
The goal of the stewardship program level l: juvenile pruning, is to facilitate proper structural development of the canopy. In the forest, trees typically do not retain any of their juvenile branches resulting in 20 or more feet of clear trunk. Legacy-Trees goal is to achieve 20 or more feet of clear trunk through strategic removal of all juvenile branches. This is achieved with a minimum of three visits by a trained Legacy-Trees professional or network company trained staff member within the first five years. This commitment to a juvenile tree training program following planting will ensure that your properly planted trees will have the right structural branching. This investment in stewardship is the most critical step in establishing a mature urban forest post planting. This is the minimal level of the Stewardship Program that customers must enroll in to receive the 5-Year Warranty.
LEVEL ll: Soil Resource Management
Legacy-Trees stewardship program level ll: soil resource management, focuses on what can be done to enhance the soil health at your property. Healthy soils are shaded and cool, have the proper ratio of organic matter to mineral soil, and have good soil structure meaning they have adequate porosity for oxygen available to the root system. Good soil will have the same look and feel as chocolate cake. This means the soil will crumble, it has pore spaces for oxygen for the roots, and it has a dark color meaning it has adequate organic matter for nutrient retention.
As the roots of your new tree grow beyond the package, they were planted in at your property they need water, nutrients, and oxygen to colonize the soil. A Legacy trained professional will provide the soil resource management plan based on the site-specific conditions at a customer’s property and conduct it as approved by the property owner. This level of the stewardship program is an add-on and is not required by the customer to receive the 5-Year Warranty.
LEVEL lll: Plant Health Care (PHC)
Legacy-Trees Stewardship Program Level lll: Plant Health Care (PHC), addresses all aspects of tree health. Certain tree species can be more susceptible to pests or disease at certain stages of life. Level lll does this by having a trained Legacy professional create a PHC plan for optimal growth during the establishment phase by managing pathogens and abiotic disorders. This plan is conducted as it is approved by the property owner. This level of the stewardship program is an add-on and is not required by the customer to receive the 5-Year Warranty.