Rising gas prices are taking its own toll on New Jersey landscapers as they prepare for the busy spring season, with some businesses already seeing increases in operating costs.

At Landscape Design Strategies in Edison, a company with more than 30 years in business, higher fuel prices are adding up quickly across its fleet and equipment.

“$3.90, we’re hovering at. And what I realized is that at that price level, we’re looking at probably an $18,000 to $20,000 increase in our fuel purchases this year alone. And that’s if it stays at the current pricing. So that’s profound,” said owner William Koehler.

The company operates eight trucks and uses hundreds of pieces of equipment, most of which require gasoline or diesel to run, making even marginal increases at the pump costly on a larger scale.

Koehler said the impact isn't just directly on their fuel either, as rising prices affect suppliers as well.

“That doesn’t even take into account our cost of goods sold, because our vendors, our plants, our masonry products, all the parts, everything, I suspect they’re feeling the pinch, too, and they’re going to raise their prices. So, it’s going to be compounded substantially,” he said.

To offset the rising costs, Koehler said the company may be forced to introduce a fuel service charge. Not to increase profits, but simply to cover expenses.

“We’ve been through this before. You know, things go up, things go down. You weather the storm. You know, in light of what’s happened in the last six years, this is a relatively easy hurdle, in my opinion, to get through. We just kind of suck it up and grin and bear it,” he said.