Bartlett Tree Experts has expanded on Long Island with the acquisition of Fox Tree Care, a boutique tree care company that has been in business for 45 years. Bartlett also completed the addition of Savage Forest Enterprise, which has been operating in the Mount Desert Island area of Maine for 23 years.
These moves mark the second and third acquisition for Bartlett in a month.
Fox Tree acquisition
Bart Fusco, owner of Fox Tree Care, said he decided to sell his company to Bartlett Tree Experts as he prepares for retirement because of its leadership in scientific tree care. Bartlett offered the right cultural fit, Fusco said, because both are family businesses that operate “under very similar philosophies.”
Fox Tree Care has offered integrated pest management (IPM) services to its customers for many years. The company built a solid reputation on Long Island for designing and implementing programs to help control and prevent insects and plant diseases that can harm the trees and shrubs in the landscape.
“This will provide access to our Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories and technical experts to ensure healthy, beautiful landscapes,” said David McMaster, vice president and division manager of the Long Island Division.
Fox Tree Care will keep its name as a division of Bartlett Tree Experts. Bartlett said this addition will expand coverage in the Hamptons and the North Fork area. Bartlett currently has three offices on Long Island: Huntington, Southampton and Westbury.
Savage Forest acquisition
Meghan EG Savage, owner of Savage Forest Enterprise, said Bartlett was the right fit to acquire their family-owned tree and shrub care business because of similarities between the two companies, including Bartlett’s focus on scientific tree care and commitment to exceptional customer service, quality and safety.
“Because Bartlett Tree Experts shares our same values, we are confident they will carry forward the character and reputation of Savage Forest Enterprise while providing diversified, enhanced service our clients have grown to expect,” Savage said. “Bartlett Tree Experts is known throughout the industry as the leader in applying scientific methods to tree care. We were especially impressed with the capabilities of the Bartlett Tree Experts Research Laboratories in Charlotte, N.C., which provides customers with direct access to the latest arboricultural research.”
With this acquisition, Bartlett’s new office on Mount Desert Island joins the company’s Portland office as the second in Maine.
“We are excited about this acquisition because Savage Forest Enterprise has built a stellar reputation for quality tree work in an area of unparalleled natural beauty,” said Paul Fletcher, vice president and division manager of the New England Division for Bartlett Tree Experts. “The two companies are a great match because we share the same values, and both companies have a heritage of being community-focused. Our expansion in this beautiful area of coastal Maine allows us to provide a full range of scientific tree and shrub care services to more customers while continuing to honor the values that Savage Forest was built on for honesty, integrity, safety and professionalism.”
