With grass cutting, yard installation, tree service and custom landscape design, Laark Property Maintenance LLC runs on muscle - and gasoline, said owner Aaron Laark.

So as fuel prices surge to record highs, Laark and other landscapers are feeling the pinch.

“We offer free estimates, so we have no choice but to deal with the gas prices going out giving the estimates on the weekends,” said Laark, of Lehighton. “It’s really the cost of filling the work vehicles and our power equipment the other five days that’s getting really pricey.”

AAA’s East Central’s Gas Price Report said the average price of gas in Pennsylvania this week is $4.76 per gallon, almost 20 cents higher than last week. A year ago, the average price was $3.15.

Laark co-owns the business with his wife, Rachel, and is on the road quite a bit, since he and his team travel to customers in Carbon, Schuylkill, Monroe and Lehigh counties.

So, if he needs to run work errands, he tries to do it all in the same location to conserve fuel. He’s also using gas reward points and looking for the cheapest place to fill.

Still, the financial impact is apparent.

“We were averaging around $600 a month before this. Now we’re well over $1,000 just using low grade,” he explained.

As a result, Laark said the business had to increase its prices by about 10%.

“This is hard to do, especially for our older clientele with whom we have long relationships,” he said. “While we remain competitive with other local businesses, and even try to stay slightly lower in price, it’s still hurting us in the long run.”

Some clients, he noted, are waiting for prices to decrease to begin their projects.

“It’s disheartening,” Laark said. “We are so grateful to our clients who choose to work with us, and make their homes look amazing, realizing we’re all in this together.”

Like most, Zachary Hunter of Z. Hunter’s Unlimited Outdoors and Lawn Care is hoping the prices come down.

“The gas prices are horrible, that’s for sure,” he said. “I’m taking a hit.”

Hunter serves areas in Carbon, Schuylkill and Monroe counties, places that are within about a 40-mile radius of his home base.

“I’m eating the prices pretty much. I don’t want to lose any customers because everybody else is suffering so I’m just eating the prices pretty much for now,” Hunter said.

Hunter mows grass, cuts trees, performs cleanups and “basically anything outdoors” for residential and commercial accounts.

“Right now I know a lot of the guys are bumping their prices up but I’m trying to keep all mine the same because I know the gas prices are hurting customers. I’m afraid that if I bump my prices up, I’ll be losing customers,” Hunter said. “I’m trying to absorb it as much as I can.”

The AAA also reports that folks in the Lehigh Valley are forking out $4.80 per gallon this week, a few cents more than the state average.

“The increase is primarily due to the high cost of crude oil, which was hovering near $100 a barrel last week. With the cost of oil accounting for more than half of the pump price, more expensive oil means more expensive gasoline,” according to the agency.

In addition, gas prices trend higher this time of year as refineries switch to summer-blend gasoline which is more expensive to make.

According to the latest data from the Energy Information Administration, total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 2.2 million barrels to 228.6 million barrels last week. Gasoline demand increased slightly from 8.74 million barrels per day to 8.86 million barrels per day.