Forestry Resources, Inc. works to save the environment

Forestry Resources, Inc., in Bonita Springs is working to bring a whole new meaning to the words “environmentally-friendly.”

The landscape supply specialist is on a mission to slow down the spread of the melaleuca tree, an exotic species found throughout Southwest Florida.

This species was brought over from Australia as an experiment to absorb the water of the Everglades in preparation for new construction but it wiped out native plants and wetlands.

And, that’s why Forestry Resources, Inc. is taking a stance against this environmental hazard by being the first company to sell it as mulch to landscaping contractors in the area.

“It’s a unique way to get rid of exotics and an environmentally conscious way to save cypress trees,” said Robert Boyd, the new store manager at the Bonita retail store.

The company has other stores in Estero, Fort Myers, Naples, and Cape Coral.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to connect with our core customers, the landscaping contractors that do landscaping installation for new communities or landscape maintenance,” said Boyd, of Bonita Springs.

He has worked with the company for the last two years and for some years before that at the Fort Myers location.
Boyd took a small break to work with a landscaping contractor for a short time but returned when the manager position opened up.

“The opportunity to head up the Bonita office is a nice one and there is a great demand for landscaping supply in this area,” he said about customers who purchase everything from shovels and fertilizers to pruning equipment.

Forestry Resources, Inc. opened in 1983 and the Bonita Springs location is just another expansion of those environmental efforts as it’s the only location that offers storage space for contractors with landscaping supplies like tractors and trucks.

“All we’ve done is raised (space) for contractors because as they grow, contractors have storage problems and this gives them a safe, secure spot and is a convenience for them,” said Alan Shaffer, the vice president of sales marketing and store operations, about the storage facility that used to be owned by an RV storage company.

Providing a storage area for contractors helps them easily purchase supplies and keeps with the companies environmentally safe mission.

And, in keeping with that mission Forestry Resources, Inc. also serves as a horticultural waste dump site that accepts prunings and clippings from contractors.

“By offering a dump site they now have multiple, convenient locations that are closer to their job sites, saving not only time, but fuel costs as well,” Shaffer said.

Shaffer, who has worked with Boyd, said Bonita customers are going to get top quality service from a highly educated horticulturist that is certified by the Florida Certified Horticulture Profession.

“There is high expectations for that market so I think it will be a lot of fun,” Shaffer said. “We love the idea of having him down there, he brings a certain level of education for our company and he brings that to our customer base.”