Hello, I am a licensed landscape architect in the state of Virginia among several other states. 

Landscape architects directly impact public health, safety, and welfare. Licensure is the most appropriate form of regulation to ensure that the public is adequately protected.

I have reviewed the JLARC Report Summary and it is woefully inaccurate about the services that landscape architects perform verse landscape designers.  Landscape designers are more often doing planting plans, however landscape architects are trained to work in areas of site design that affect safety of the public such as pedestrians or flood way work that could disrupt flood damage if not done correctly.  These are only a couple of items that require the elevated responsibility that landscape architects need to be licensed so that the professionals involved have been vetted to know the implications of their actions. 

The scope of landscape architectural practice includes site plans, plans of development, grading plans, vehicular roadways and pedestrian systems design, stormwater and erosion control plans, and the siting of buildings and structures, all work that localities and federal agencies require to be sealed by licensed professionals. Consequently, the scope of landscape architecture overlaps with other licensed design professionals including architects, engineers, and Class B land surveyors.  You might not expect to find landscape architects in the army of professionals fighting climate change. But there they are, designing landscapes that help communities adapt to its effects, such as severe flooding, sea level rise, and extreme heat. They also mitigate climate change by creating landscapes that remove carbon from the atmosphere.

I am licensed in 17 states across the country, and I view Virginia as having a responsible and fair process to become licensed. 

Without licensure, landscape architects would likely be prohibited from leading multidisciplinary teams. Currently, landscape architects serve as the prime consultants on projects where they coordinate and administer the services of engineers, architects, and land surveyors.

Without licensure, landscape architects will be unfairly disadvantaged in the marketplace. Oftentimes, federal, state, and local contracts require the work to be completed by licensed individuals.

Virginia landscape architects would be excluded from federal, state, and local work in Virginia that requires licensure.

I support the continued Licensure of Landscape Architects.