Tips On Hiring A Contractor

Sometimes hiring a professional invasive plant contractor is the best thing to do to fight heavy infestations or infestations near sensitive areas. A contractor will know how to use an integrated pest management approach, identify and protect native species, and safely and legally use herbicides.

When looking for a contractor, follow the following guidelines:

  • Determine management goals for the invasives on your property. This will help you hire the appropriate person or company.  For example, do you want your contractor to develop a comprehensive plan and take care of all of the details, or do you know what needs treatment and just want someone to take care of the manual labor?

  • Inform the contractor about specific habitats or species that need protection. Some contractors may have very little knowledge about native plant species and habitats. Do your homework so you can communicate areas of special concern.

  • Require at least a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a natural resources field or an equivalent amount of field experience and training.

  • If the contractor is going to use chemicals, be sure that he or she is a certified commercial pesticide applicator.

  • Require a written management plan that outlines what species the contractor will work on, what areas he will focus on, when he will do the work, what chemicals he will use and a clear estimate of costs and fees. The plan should also include a guaranteed kill rate and what he will do for follow-up the next year.

  • Require a safety plan. Make sure the contractor knows what will be done in the event that chemicals are spilled or someone is hurt on the job.

  • Contact the Vermont Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Certification & Training Coordinator to obtain a current list of people who are certified to use herbicides. 

  • Check references. Contractors each come with a different set of knowledge and experience. Some may be foresters, others landscapers. Both may be able to do the job, but be sure you know something about who you hire before he or she starts doing the work.

From “Developing Bid Specifications for Invasive Plant Control Programs,” Invasive Plant Control. Retrieved June 23, 2011 from http://www.invasiveplantcontrol.com/services.html.