Arbor Nature in Hilton Head has expanded its tree care services by diversifying into recycling and construction materials. They invested in Komplet equipment like a compact jaw crusher for concrete recycling, maximizing revenue and efficiency. The company’s focus on sustainability and customer satisfaction drives its growing success.

Arbor Nature, headquartered in Hilton Head, is one of the largest tree care professionals in South Carolina’s coastal region.

Over the years, the company has experienced tremendous growth while staying true to its mission: caring for people, their properties and their trees. So committed is Arbor Nature to this mission that it offers a satisfaction guarantee — final payment is due only once the customer is completely satisfied.

According to COO Courtland Babcock, Arbor Nature has undergone a significant growth curve in recent years.

“Not only has our tree care service expanded by building a strong customer base and through strategic acquisitions, we’ve also diversified into other businesses,” Babcock said. “These include a dumpster and portable toilet service, a land clearing company and the development of a construction material recycling facility.”

As part of a rebranding effort, Arbor Nature is unifying all its business units under the Arbor Nature name and repainting approximately 100 company vehicles. The company now employs approximately 150 people.

Arbor Nature also operates a transfer station permitted to receive construction debris such as wood waste, concrete and asphalt. According to Babcock, the market for construction material recycling on Hilton Head Island was “ripe for the taking.”

“The area has seen a surge of people moving in permanently,” he said. “Many homes weren’t built for full-time residency and are now being demolished to make way for new construction.”

At the core of Arbor Nature’s recycling operation is a Komplet K-JC 704 compact jaw crusher, capable of producing material from 1-in. to 4-in. minus. This machine allows the company to create both coarse and fine materials, which are either resold or reused on company projects.

Each day, loads of concrete, asphalt and other debris arrive at Arbor Nature’s yard for processing. The cost savings of using recycled concrete as a base material are substantial. Babcock said that granite, once trucking is factored in, can cost up to $85 per ton — whereas Arbor Nature sells recycled concrete for $25 per ton.

“For a typical 2,000-square-foot driveway requiring 100 tons of base material, the savings can be around $5,000,” he said. “That’s a huge advantage when bidding on a project.”

Another benefit to customers is Arbor Nature’s Hilton Head location.

“Most aggregate suppliers are located at least 10 miles from the island, which drives up material and delivery costs,” Babcock said.

To meet rising demand, Arbor Nature is actively exploring additional recycling sites in Beaufort and Jasper Counties.

In addition to concrete recycling, the company also processes wood waste into high-quality mulch, available to both local landscapers and customers.

The Komplet crusher — an investment of approximately $200,000 — was a strategic purchase for Arbor Nature’s recycling goals.

“It’s highly portable, weighing only 26,455 pounds and much more affordable than traditional crushers,” said Babcock. “We wanted a new machine for reliability and warranty coverage. Crushing is a tough job — we didn’t want to inherit someone else’s problems.”

The portability of the crusher allows Arbor Nature to bring it directly to demolition sites, enabling onsite recycling and further cost savings.

The machine delivers a production rate of approximately 60 tons per hour at a 1-in. setting and up to 90 tons per hour when the jaws are fully open (producing 4–6-in. material). Oversized debris is first broken down using a hydraulic hammer and excavator, passed through the crusher and cleaned using a cross-belt magnet to remove metal. A second pass produces properly sized materials. Fines — necessary for creating sellable crusher run — are stockpiled for reuse.

Arbor Nature recently expanded its Komplet fleet with the addition of a Kompatto 221 mobile double-deck screener and a K-TC 460 tracked mobile conveyor. This strategic investment allows the company to screen crushed material into three separate end products — maximizing material recovery and resale opportunities.

When paired with Arbor Nature’s K-JC 704 crusher, these units create a streamlined, closed-loop system that increases efficiency, reduces handling costs and supports higher-volume processing. The ability to produce multiple products on site not only enhances profitability per load, but also strengthens Arbor Nature’s competitive edge when bidding on commercial and municipal projects, accelerating ROI across their recycling operations.

Babcock praised Komplet’s post-sale technical support.

“Troubleshooting has been rapid — via phone, text, or e-mail at all hours,” he said. “Warranty repairs are handled within 24 hours, and parts are always in stock. The machine consumes just four gallons of fuel per hour and is easy to maintain. It generates about $750 per hour in revenue, giving us a fast return on investment.”

The crusher also features an intuitive Bluetooth-enabled remote control that allows operators to manage all functions from inside an excavator or skid steer. The interface resembles a Garmin fish finder, with user-friendly menus and soft-touch buttons.

“Choosing a crusher from a company 800 miles away wasn’t easy,” Babcock said. “But the service has been outstanding — overnight parts, proactive support and excellent reliability.”

Arbor Nature is currently using a larger impact crusher to increase capacity and is planning to expand its onsite crushing services, including asphalt recycling for parking lot and demolition projects.

With its growing recycling operations, the right equipment and focus on sustainability, Arbor Nature continues to thrive, proving that its motto — caring for their customers, their trees and their properties — is not only professional, but just simply smart business. CEG

This story also appears on Aggregate Equipment Guide.

Wed May 21, 2025 – Southeast Edition #11
CEG

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