CARY, N.C., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ — Doug Malawsky, executive vice president of Horticultural Asset Management, Inc. (HMI), has announced that the company is now offering an innovative tool for evaluating a property’s wildfire preparedness. HMI’s Wildfire Preparedness Assessment (WPA) consists of an on-site evaluation of a property using HMI’s proprietary PDA-based software which collects specific information regarding the property’s compliance with established defensible space criteria. Based on the data collected by a trained assessor, HMI will produce a graphical report detailing any non-compliant conditions as well as provide specific remedial requirements for each property. This valuable information will assist property owners, potential property owners, insurance companies and others to protect property from devastating wildfires.
Establishing a defensible space around a structure is widely recognized as one of the most effective ways to protect it from wildfires. The WPA represents the only standardized program available which provides property owners with a graphical report detailing corrective action necessary to comply with defensible space guidelines. HMI will offer an on-line training course enabling qualified property inspectors, green industry professionals or others, to collect the necessary information. The data collection program was designed to guide assessors around a property and instruct them on what to inspect in accordance with established guidelines. In addition, HMI’s arborist network will be able to provide any necessary remedial services where available to ensure compliance with the guidelines.
“We are pleased to announce our plans to complement HMI’s landscape valuation and health assessment tools with the WPA program,” said Malawsky. “As HMI has expanded its role in helping property owners manage their valuable horticultural assets, we became aware of the critical need for this capability. Recent events and current environmental trends demonstrate the need for property owners to actively manage their landscapes to protect their plants and nearby structures. The WPA is an important component of that activity.”
About HMI:
HMI provides revolutionary products and services that are utilized by green-industry professionals as well as experts in the tax, insurance and real estate industries. HMI’s Horticultural Scientific Standard (HS2(TM)) enables HMI Horticultural Assessments to provide accurate replacement costs for landscape assets. The replacement cost can help property owners recover from loss of landscape assets. Included in the HMI Horticultural Assessments is the Michael Dirr Plant Guide, providing customized care instructions, as well as photographs and plant descriptions.
Patty Briguglio
MMI Associates, Inc.
919-233-6600
patty (at) mmimarketing (dot) com
SOURCE Horticultural Asset Management, Inc.
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