Brent Tewksbury and Chris Jorstad both worked at the same company for 35 years, ultimately managing the landscape and tree divisions respectively. When that successful, family-run operation was acquired by investors, they decided to team up and start their own local business, Birchwood Landscape and Tree. Tewksbury has lived in Upton and now Mendon for 20 years, while Jorstad lives in Hopkinton on Lake Whitehall, where the pair enjoy fishing and boating together.

“Even though Birchwood is new, clients are getting the benefit of our decades of experience,” said Tewksbury. “We provide a professional landscape service at a competitive price.”

Birchwood offers a full range of services. “From spring cleanups, to seeding, mulching, weekly maintenance, pruning, tree work, and preservation – we cover all aspects,” said Jorstad. “Any company can provide landscape services. At Birchwood, we educate the customer about our techniques and the reasons for doing them. We want people to understand how turf, plants, and trees thrive in our climate and environment.”

“For example, we adjust the blade height on mowers based on the season and conditions,” explained Tewksbury. “Also, with irrigation systems, you so often see automatic sprinklers watering twice a day in July. That’s not something we’d suggest because it doesn’t allow deep root growth. So, we offer a mid-summer audit for proper watering, to strengthen the turf and help save on water consumption.”

“A person considers their home an investment, and that includes their lawn, the shrubs, and the trees,” said Jorstad, a Massachusetts certified arborist. “Trees and shrubs need to be properly maintained over years to prevent structural damage, along with potential loss and damage to property. When we visit a home for a consultation for a specific purpose, like seeding, we educate the customer on other recommendations to preserve their landscaping investments.”

Given their years in this field, Tewksbury and Jorstad have experience that covers anything a homeowner might encounter. They can advise what plants thrive in shade or sun, or that decomposed mulch needs to be removed regularly from around the root flare of trees and shrubs.

Birchwood also offers snow plowing in the winter. Jorstad said, “In recent years, that service has been harder for homeowners to find because businesses and municipalities have hired the smaller firms to do the work for their facilities for very high fees. We expect people will need our snow removal services in the upcoming winters.”

The partners are excited about this new opportunity to serve the local community. “My family is from here, my kids grew up attending school and playing sports in Upton and Mendon,” said Tewksbury. “We like being able to work in the local community, where we know the people and understand their needs.”

 Chris Jorstad and Brent Tewksbury bring their combined 70 years of expertise to Birchwood Landscape and Tree, the business they started in Mendon this year.

Jorstad added, “While we’ve had a lot of clients in the past, some for nearly 35 years, it’s nice to be able to do the work in our own area. When I see a tree I planted 30 years ago, it’s satisfying to see it still thriving in its environment. Now I’ll get to experience that more often because it’s also where I live.”

“We’ll treat clients like neighbors because they are our neighbors,” said Tewksbury. “We’ll treat their homes like we would our own. If their paper is at the end of the driveway when we come to maintain the property, we’ll bring it up to their door. If the old Christmas tree is next to the shed, we’ll take it away. We are a professional company that treats everyone like our neighbors.”

To find out about Birchwood Landscape and Tree services, call 508-416-0580 or email [email protected].

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