Testimonials
CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN
I wanted to take a moment to let you know how thoroughly pleased the Chicago Botanic Gardens was with your company’s execution this past winter of a major ash tree removal project in on the Garden’s sensitive natural areas.
Located within one of the Garden’s natural treasures – McDonald Woods – the ash removal project involved removal of over 500 trees greater than 8 inches DBH. From our initial consultation to the in-the-field execution, you and your team exhibited remarkable and commendable sensitivity to the nuances of operating within delicate natural habitats – as well as within an institution such as the Garden where attention to detail and preservation of a quality visitor experience are paramount. Your on-site supervisor, TJ Farella, was a pleasure to work with. We especially appreciated his team’s proactive approach to the job and calling our attention to items that perhaps had been overlooked or not foreseen by us in the project’s development.
Your previous work at the Garden removing and trimming trees has been top notch as well, and we look forward to the opportunity to working with you again soon. Please feel free to share this expression of high regard with your prospective clients.
Robert J. Kirschner
Director of Restoration
LAKE COUNTY FOREST PRESERVE
I am writing this letter on behalf of Clean Cut Tree Service, Inc. of Grayslake, Illinois (Clean Cut). The Lake County Forest Preserve District (District) has work with Clean Cut on a number of occasions throughout the last six years on various projects relating to our Southern Des Plaines River Preserves – Oak Woodland Restoration Project. As you know, oaks are considered a keystone species in the Chicago region and play an important role in maintaining the structure of the woodland community. Unfortunately, oaks are not regenerating in many areas, as seedlings and saplings are not receiving sunlight to survive. This Oak Woodland Restoration Project will encourage the growth of oak and other native saplings by selectively removing trees (including mature, canopy trees) and shrubs to open up the canopy to increase light reaching the ground level. These thinning efforts have been performed in the winter when the ground is frozen to minimize any soil disturbance. Furthermore, the District has required contractors performing this work to utilize equipment and methods that will accomplish the goals, without damaging surrounding desirable trees (especially oaks). Clean Cut has successfully performed the tasks required for these project many times at several at MacArthur Woods, Captain Daniel Wright Woods, and Ryerson Conservation Area – all Illinois Nature Preserve sites which contain threatened and/or endangered species. Clean Cut’s supervisors and staff have shown genuine concern for the quality and sensitivity of these sites and have balanced this concern with an ambitious and aggressive work strategy. For example, when working at Wright Woods, frozen ground conditions were extremely limited last winter. When conditions were conducive for work, Clean Cut incorporated a large work force and numerous pieces of equipment to compete the initial thinning/clearing work in a relatively short period of time. Their intuitiveness and ability to accomplish tasks made this a successful project, considering the sites limitations. The District sets high standards for our projects and contractors; Clean Cut has completed projects to our standards. The District and Clean Cut have a good working relationship that involved daily communication while the project was ongoing. To view Clean Cut’s most recent project with the District, I’d invite you to visit Captain Daniel Wright Woods. Their work can speak for itself, as can the quality of the site, which has improved since the completion of the thinning/clearing project. I would not have any reservations about contracting future work with Clean Cut.
Matt Ueltzen
Restoration Ecologist
USACE – MORTON ARBORETUM AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECT PAST PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
We have recently received our first year performance evaluation form the United states Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for the Morton Arboretum Ecosystem Restoration Project in Lisle, IL. The USACE evaluates our performance annually for all federal contracts through their Contractor Performance Assessment Rating System (CPARS) and we are delighted to have received in Exceptional Rating for project management and quality and an overall rating of Very Good. Exceptional ratings are very difficult to achieve within the federal contracting assessments and is something that ENCAP, Inc. is extremely proud of. We could not have achieved that rating without your work being of that same quality.
As you are aware, the Morton Arboretum is an extremely visible and important nature preserve. The Arboretum contains extremely sensitive tree and shrub collection which required very precise and careful work on behalf of your company. With tree removal and clearing operations being a primary part of our restoration efforts on the project in the first year, and with many of those removals taking place in and amongst the museum trees and collections clearing operations were critical to our success on the project. Your crews did exceptional work and without your efforts, we could not have achieved a successful project and such a positive rating. Both the USACE and Morton Arboretum have expressed their gratitude for your work on the project and the sensitivity to the resources during your work.
Thank you again for your efforts and we look forward to the opportunity to work with you on future projects.
Jonathan Koepke, CPESC
Vice President, General Manager,
