Open Up The Conversation
October 2025 Firms of the South / ASLA Show Issue Commentary
For those of you who didn't know, LASN loves to conduct surveys. We survey new readers, old readers, PLAs, non-PLAs, and about a thousand combinations of specialists regarding usually pretty specific elements of the selected group's expertise. We ask everything from who does your accounting to where do you see the Landscape Architect in the hierarchy of the development industry.
We also conduct the large Annual Readership survey, where we do our best to gain reliable information affecting the 27,000+ targeted professionals - including 19,143 PLAs - who receive LASN.
Print vs Digital
By the way, for those of you who have been told that Print is dead . . . 93.96% of all the respondents said that they referenced the May Specifier's Guide at least a few times throughout the year.
That seemed like a good starting point, but then 34% of you have never been to LandscapeArchitect.com? Ouch . . .
At LandscapeArchitect.com, you can search amongst 20,000 articles, 30,000 products, 500 national vendors, and thousands of fencing contractors, nurseries, brick yards, and wholesale and equipment suppliers in virtually every zip code across the country. At least four times a day, LASN posts project reviews, industry-specific news, product introductions, legislative updates, and so much more.
Licensure for Membership?
Anyways, back to the survey . . . This year, one of the questions posed was whether licensure should be required for full ASLA membership. This almost never happens, but amongst PLA's, the response was literally tied - exactly half for and half against. I'd say that makes it a good topic for an ongoing conversation, and it aligns with the responses to the survey questions about priorities, which we mention on page 15.
Debate is Better than Hate
The survey also generated a ton of comments. Most of them were good. That doesn't mean they were necessarily favorable to LASN, but I mean good in the sense that they were sincere, fair, and thoughtful. Given the times we're in, having responsible conversations is more important than ever.
That's why LASN is reviving the letters and reader comments section in "The Town Hall," as you'll see starting on page 10. We even have a guest commentary from Kirk Bereuter, PLA, ASLA, and invite all of you to reach out and express your opinions on LASN and the industry. We might not all agree with each other, especially all the time, but conversation and debate is the way to shape the growth of the profession, and LASN looks forward to hearing from you and presenting your thoughts and opinions in a fair and balanced way in the years ahead.
See you out there, and God Bless . . .
George Schmok, Publisher
As seen in LASN magazine, October 2025.
