After 45 years of tending to the Valley’s canopy, the family behind Lanoue Tree and Landscaping is ensuring their roots remain firm. Following last year’s passing of founder Silbert “Woody” Lanoue, the company has transitioned to a new generation of leadership, with Woody’s brother, Nelson Lanoue, and nephew, Jeremy Lanoue, stepping in to carry his life’s work forward.
The Lanoues plan to maintain the same tree care, maintenance and removal services, alongside the landscape design and planting, that the family business has provided for 45 years.
“Woody started Lanoue Tree and Landscaping Service in 1981 in Colrain, and he ran the business up until the day he died, which was this past November,” said Jenni Lanoue, wife of Jeremy Lanoue. “His brother, Nelson, joined the business in 1985, and they did tree and landscaping work for years, and my husband — Woody’s nephew and Nelson’s son — joined the company while he was still in high school in 2000 … when Woody died in November, what he wanted was for his legacy of his business to carry on in Franklin County.”
Woody Lanoue passed away at the age of 76, and was immensely proud of his work, Jenni said. He studied at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, and operated his business out of his home on Fort Lucas Road in Colrain for more than four decades.
Jenni said that Woody left the business to Nelson and Jeremy, both of whom worked for the company during their high school summers before joining full-time after graduation.
In taking over the company, Jenni said that Nelson and Jeremy hope to move the business to Charlemont. While the company was founded in Colrain, both men currently reside in Charlemont. Jenni emphasized that the move would not impact customers; while the workshop and equipment storage will move, the landscaping crews will continue to serve their existing client base throughout the region.
“It just makes sense to instead of driving to Colrain every day and then go out to wherever the job is to move the business closer to where we are so that we can just run it out of our house,” Jenni said. “The goal will be to build a barn and shop area in Charlemont and move the equipment and just continue to run the business.”
As part of honoring Woody’s legacy, the family hopes to train up the next generation of Lanoue Landscapers. Jenni and Jeremy’s son, Jared, a current eighth grader at the Mohawk Trail Regional School in Shelburne Falls, dreams of studying landscaping at the Franklin County Technical School and eventually taking the helm of the family business.
“He kept saying ‘how old do I have to be to work for Woody?’ and unfortunately he’s not going to get to do that. But as soon as he can, he’s going to start somewhere working for his dad and his grandfather,” Jenni said. “His goal is to do that and then when my husband no longer wants to run the business, for him to take over the business and carry on the family legacy.”
Jenni said that following Woody’s death, many customers had reached out to ask if the business would remain operational. The Lanoues want to ensure the community knows that Lanoue Tree and Landscaping will continue to offer tree care, landscaping and hardscaping services.
“They do everything from maintaining trees — pruning and trimming, and cabling trees — to tree removals and stump grinding. They do a lot of landscaping services, taking care of yards and cord wood delivery,” Jenni Lanoue said.
She noted that while the company website still requires updates to reflect the new leadership, prospective customers can continue to reach the team at 413-624-8862.