CLEVELAND – Demand for power lawn and garden equipment in the government and institutional market is forecast to increase 3.4 percent per year to $580 million in 2011, according to a study by Cleveland, Ohio-based Freedonia Group, a market research firm.

The Power Lawn & Garden Equipment to 2011 report indicates that by 2016, governments and institutions will be spending $650 million annually for the machinery, impacted by continued increases in the construction of various institutional buildings.

Government and institutional markets for lawn and garden supplies include all types of government properties, military bases, schools, churches, parks, hospitals, prisons, and roadsides. These agencies purchase a wide range of landscaping equipment, such as hydraulically-powered riding mowers and tractors, replacement parts and attachments, chipper/shredders, and leaf blowers.