*2.1. Initial Costs*

In order to analyze the value of the various sizes of the containerized trees, data were collected from 185 different nurseries located across 21 states. Nurseries were contacted and requested to provide wholesale prices of all container sizes available in *Acer rubrum* "Summer Red" or "Red Sunset", *Taxodium distichum*, and *Vitex agnus-castus* "Shoals Creek". Although not all nurseries carried all sizes of each species, data from a minimum of twelve nurseries were acquired for each species and container size combination.

Labor and installation costs are included in analyzing the initial value of a tree. RSMeans is the industry standard source for accurate and expert information on materials, labor, and construction costs [23]. Thus, labor and materials costs were determined utilizing this information. Labor and installation costs, both by hand and using machinery, were compiled for each container size from the RSMeans data. Additionally, twelve companies that produced each container size were contacted and asked to contribute their installation costs to corroborate the data from RSMeans benchmarks.

Finally, maintenance costs were determined by using maintenance records during the two growing seasons for each container size and species. These records were then compared to RSMeans for projected maintenance costs per container size over time. Maintenance included such practices as fertilizing, weeding, pest control, pruning and watering.
