By Amanda Kuhnert
“If you have a good idea about how to solve a problem and can clearly articulate it, then it’s a matter of bringing the right people together to fill in the gaps of what you don’t know. From there, you can figure it out together.”
That philosophy has guided Marie Ambusk throughout her career—first in finance and now as an entrepreneur tackling one of urban forestry’s most overlooked challenges.
Twenty years ago, trees in Ambusk’s northern Vermont neighborhood were dying, and she wanted to know why. “I had no intention of doing what we’re doing now,” she said. “I am the angry customer whose trees died and should not have.”
Through a deep discovery process, she learned that poor root quality is a leading preventable cause of early failure for millions of nursery-grown trees sold each year. Most are grown in containers, a process that can cause hidden root problems that silently shorten a tree’s lifespan. Since above-ground methods have been the only way to evaluate root quality, most homeowners, landscapers, and even municipalities have no idea a tree is in trouble until it’s too late. “It’s hard to fix what you can’t see,” Ambusk explained.
Since 2010, she has worked with scientists and engineers across the country to address this problem. TreesROI® is a tech startup developing Insight®, a non-invasive 3D Ground Penetrating Radar Tree-CT system combining AI and tree biology to assess root structure quality in containerized nursery trees. The project is funded through grants from the National Science Foundation SBIR Phase I and Elevate Vermont.
“Our product will enable buyers to verify quality, growers to command higher premiums, and arborists to access new inspection services for pre-planting diagnostics,” she said.
From finance to entrepreneurship
Before embarking on this journey, Ambusk spent nearly three decades in finance at IDX/GE Healthcare, where colleagues called her the “tree manager” for overseeing the company’s organizational chart. “There was something leading me to trees,” she said.
Experienced at convening experts in fields she knew little about, Ambusk found it natural, as a first-time entrepreneur, to seek guidance navigating the unfamiliar territory of building a startup. She turned to Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) advisor Scott Holson for help.
“Scott’s knowledge of business and technology, combined with a healthy dose of realism, creates a safe space to be vulnerable,” she said. “When I feel overwhelmed, I take a deep breath and ask myself, ‘What would Scott say?’ Usually the answer begins with, ‘focus.'”
“VtSBDC is one of Vermont’s best-kept secrets for entrepreneurs,” she added. For Ambusk, the organization has been an anchor throughout her business journey. “Much of our success is thanks to their ongoing support.”
For more information: treesroi.com.
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