Tree Mapping Software Is Helping Ptolemy Inc. Win Bigger

May 23, 2023 |  Alec Sabatini

Based in South Florida, Ptolemy is a palm and tree health care company that leverages their ability to map and manage thousands of trees to stand apart from the competition. We spoke with Jeff Kaulbars, President of Ptolemy, to learn Ptolemy’s background and how they use TreePlotter INVENTORY™.

Could you give us a brief history of Ptolemy?

I’ve been working in the tree industry for 30 years. My wife Brenna and I started seeing the benefits of tree mapping when managing large tree service projects for golf courses and communities. It really became essential when those clients required relief from hurricane damage. In the aftermath of a hurricane, properties can be a chaotic mess of thousands of downed and damaged trees. Tree mapping allowed us to stay efficient by prioritizing hazardous trees and emergency vehicle clearance, proposing accurate costs, and capturing proper documentation for insurance.

My father Ed is a tree health specialist, who has passionately provided his services throughout Southwest Florida for many years. In the tree industry, it is easy to notice that many issues can be avoided with a proactive approach and proper project management. However, tree health often gets overlooked and only becomes a priority when problems are severe and expensive to mitigate. Furthermore, treatment history is rarely documented, so there is no way to determine the causes of these problems or the best way to fix them. There was a missing link in the tree and landscape industry and we couldn’t ignore it.

In 2023, we decided to partner up with my father and Ptolemy was born. There are a few other regional companies that provide tree health services, but none that offer full health programs that include consistent documentation of inventories, inspections and services. This level of care requires an extensive tree inventory program, like TreePlotter.

It’s an easy choice for the clients, too. Trees are one of their most valuable assets and they can see how they’ve been neglected. We have clients throughout South Florida on the East & West Coast. We’re growing strong with over 96,000 trees plotted so far.

What technology did you previously use to manage tree data?

We would inventory trees with the Touch GIS mapping tool and Brenna would upload those points into Google Earth to add layers and create maps. The maps were great, but time consuming, and if something needed to be updated it was a complete nightmare. Not to mention data collection was limited. It was clear we needed an upgrade. TreePlotter really was the missing link for us.

“TreePlotter and its inventory capabilities were a major reason we landed our biggest client, Babcock Ranch Independent Special District.”

-Jeff Kaulbars, President of Ptolemy

Have the capabilities of TreePlotter helped you win new work?

TreePlotter and its inventory capabilities were a major reason we landed our biggest client, Babcock Ranch Independent Special District. We capture data points for each tree: DBH, height, tree stakes, install dates, etc. We also use those inputs to complete tree valuations, so we can tell them exactly how many millions of dollars worth of trees they have. When you are managing millions in tree assets, tracking data becomes pretty important.

What features of tree care company software have been most helpful?

It’s great how much data you can attach to one tree point. Being able to systematically use that information or provide it to our clients with one click is remarkable in our industry. We were able to tailor the program to fit our needs and the needs of the clients by customizing a tree inspection tab with 60 different fields that we examine.

The filtering capability is another plus. It’s seamless to isolate trees included in a health program, trimming requirements, health status, excessive mulch, etc. We started tracking install dates. Say a client has 3,000 palms they’ve planted. We can filter to know exactly which trees are still under their one year warranty. An accurate tree inventory has prevented many of our clients from overpaying during their annual tree trimming.

In Florida, diseases such as Lethal Bronzing are a major problem. We track trees that have pest outbreaks. Filtering 96,000 trees allows us to identify hotspots. Then we know which trees in that surrounding area need to be treated, which has been really helpful.

On large projects we give clients limited access to their own inventory. It helps with communication. They can use their phone and let me know specifically, “tree #43 is the one I have an issue with”.

I love making PDF tree maps for the clients. Some don’t even know how many trees they have, so being able to send over a map in seconds was amazing.

A sequoia-sized thank you to Jeff Kaulbars and Brenna Nipper for sharing Ptolemy’s story. If you’d like to learn more about TreePlotter INVENTORY and how tree management software helps plant health care companies grow, please get in touch. We’d love to have a conversation specific to your needs and goals.