TCI EXPO 2016 drew 3,387 tree care professionals from across the globe

for four days of business, safety and ar-boriculture workshops and seminars; live tree climbing demonstrations; network-ing opportunities; and the chance to visit 235 exhibitors showcasing the latest tree care products and services.

TCI EXPO, the world’s largest tree care industry trade show and conference, just wrapped up its 26th year. Held in Balti-more, Maryland, in November, this 2016 show had more exhibitors than ever before, the largest show fl oor yet, and attendance was second only to the 3,413 at Hartford, Connecticut, in 2007.

“Congratulations on a great (TCI EXPO) in Baltimore!” says Doug Long, global sales director for Zenith Cutter, a TCI EXPO exhibitor. “Awesome crowd, and great people resulting in record sales! This was our best year in my 16 years of participating. Thanks to (TCIA) and TCIA staff for another superb event.”

Membership Raffl eCongratulations to the attendees who

won prizes at TCI EXPO!The Membership Raffl e was open to any member who attended the show. All that was required was to stop by TCIA’s mem-bership booth and fi ll out a raffl e ticket.

Congratulations to Timothy Marino of

Monster Tree Service, a seven year TCIA member based in Fort Washington, Penn-sylvania. Enjoy your Garmin watch!

Game On! This contest was available to those who

attended TCI EXPO and downloaded the

The monthly newsletter of the Tree Care Industry Association – a member-only publication

TCI EXPO 2016 draws near record crowds to Baltimore!

January 2017 Number 386

“What are you wearing to the job-site today?”

“Oh, I don’t know – hard hat, or some-thing hi-vis, or maybe something that keeps me from falling out of the lift bucket.”

When it comes to safety, the most im-portant thing is not what’s on your head but what’s in your head. A copy of the new

TCIA Pocket Guide for “Personal Pro-tective Equipment (PPE) Selection, Use and Care” is yours free as this month’s

Member Benefi t. Your head will be fi lled with PPE re-

minders as you read through the newest pocket guide in the series. The PPE Selection, Use and Care guide was developed to provide practicing arborists with important information about PPE required for safe tree work. Crew leaders can use the guide to ensure they are leading a properly equipped crew.

It is your responsibility as an employer to provide training and the proper equipment for your employees. This pocket guide is an afford-able tool you could hand out to everyone in your company, and you get this fi rst one

free. Combine it with other TCIA training tools to stay “a head” of potentially un-safe actions on the job site.

One copy of the new Pocket Guide for “Person-al Protective Equipment (PPE) Selection, Use and Care” is included with the print version of this month’s Reporter.

To order additional copies, shop online at

www.tcia.org or call 1-800-733-2622. For more information contact Tom Dunn, membership director, at tdunn@tcia.org.

(Continued on page 4)

www.tcia.org

New PPE Selection pocket guide yours free!

The opening of the trade show fl oor of TCI EXPO 2016. Let the ruckus begin!

Accident Survey Results, page 11

2 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 T C I A R E P O R T E R

Every two years, TCIA members de-scend upon Washington to make our

priorities known to our elected Represen-tatives and Senators. We’re planning that again for June 2017.

Before that happens, every two years a game of musical chairs is played in the corridors of power, as the newly elected replace retirees, defeated pols and those moving on to other offi ces. Those remain-ing gain seniority and try to grab more powerful or more interesting committee assignments. All of this means that we’ll have some familiar faces when we return to Capitol Hill, along with a whole new crop of people who don’t know anything about our industry or the important work we do in their communities. Once again, it will be up to you to educate them.

TCIA is primarily interested in the committees with direct jurisdiction over:

• Department of Labor, which houses Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment & Training Administration, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), and Wage & Hour Division.

• Environmental Protection Agency, which houses the Offi ce of Chemical Safety, Offi ce of Water, Federal Insecticide, Fungi-cide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and Of-fi ce of Land and Emergency Management.

• Department of Transportation, which houses the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

• Department of Homeland Securi-ty, which houses the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Citi-zenship & Immigration Services.

• Department of Agriculture, which houses Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Forest Service, and Co-operative Extension System.

TCIA is currently leading an indus-try-wide initiative to write a new safety stan-dard for commercial arboriculture. From its initial stages, more than a decade in the making, TCIA and our members have en-gaged in open and honest discussions with OSHA regarding the general hazards in the tree care industry. This dialog has formed the basis of a relationship whereby OSHA compliance offi cials now contact TCIA seeking information and knowledge of the tree care industry. Our next step is a clear and effective safety standard for all.

Professional arborists maintain our ur-ban forests by preserving valuable trees in cities and towns and protecting ma-ture landscapes and green spaces. Tree care workers maintain vegetation around power lines to minimize future power dis-ruptions and work with property owners and municipalities to create defensible spaces around structures to mitigate the spread of wildfi res in vulnerable areas.

We have an inspiring story to tell our elected representatives. We hope you will join us for our Legislative Day on the Hill in Washington on June 14, 2017, to add your voice to the narrative.

Th e mission of the Tree Care Industry Association is to advance tree care businesses.

Board of DirectorsAndrew Ross, CTSPChairandy@rtectreecare.comPeter SortwellVice Chairsortwell@arborwell.comAndrew FelixSenior Directorandyfelix@treetechinc.netBill WeberAssociate Directorbweber@arborwear.com

DirectorsPhil Chamberspchambers@thetownsendcorp.comJeff Wilsonjwilson@wachteltree.comSteven Marshallsteve.marshall@davey.comAlan H. Jones, CTSPajones@bartlett.comMundy Wilson Pipermundy@chippersinc.comTim Gammatgammatree@aol.com

StaffMark Garvin, President & CEOmgarvin@tcia.orgTom DunnMembershiptdunn@tcia.orgPeter GerstenbergerSafety, Standards & Compliancepgerstenberger@tcia.orgSachin MohanCorporate Relations & Marketingsmohan@tcia.orgDiane MorganMeetingsdmorgan@tcia.orgBrigitte OrrickWorkforce Developmentborrick@tcia.orgMike RennieMarketingmrennie@tcia.orgRobert RouseChief Program Officerrrouse@tcia.orgSusan ScacchiBusiness Development & Financesscacchi@tcia.orgAmy TetreaultDevelopmentatetreault@tcia.org

The REPORTER is the offi cial monthly newsletter of the Tree Care Industry Association. All materi-als contained herein are for the information of the members of TCIA. Copyright 2017 by the Tree Care Industry Association. UNAUTHORIZED REPRO-DUCTION WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. Pictures, articles and other data are in no way to be construed to be an endorsement of products, services, techniques or members. TCIA, 136 Harvey Road - Suite 101, Londonderry, NH 03053. Phone: (603) 314-5380; 1-800-733-2622; Fax: (603) 314-5386; www.tcia.org.

Don StarukPublications Editor

editor@tcia.org

Musical chairs in DC

Mark GarvinPresident and CEO

The Wage & Benefi t survey deadline has been extended to January 31, 2017, in

order to provide its participants with more accurate and valuable information. The in-formation provided by the survey results will help the participants critique their business and ensure they are compensating their employees competitively with the rest of the industry, as well as offer insight into the benefi ts other employers in their area are providing to employees.

By participating, in addition to having

access to this information for free, you will be entered to win a brand new iPad mini, another tool that can be utilized to improve your business.

To enter, please use the form included with this issue of the Reporter and fax to (603) 314-5386 or email to operations@tcia.org.

If you have any questions about the survey, contact TCIA at 1-800-733-2622 or email info@tcia.org. Void where pro-hibited by law. All federal, state and local laws apply.

A chance to win an iPad mini with your Wage & Benefi t survey submission by January 31, 2017

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 3T C I A R E P O R T E R

By Phil Chambers

In 2013, Townsend Tree Service became the fi rst company in the U.S. to be ac-

credited under TCIA’s Utility Contractor Accreditation program for tree service fi rms. We just recently received word that this Accreditation had successfully been renewed for another three years.

TCIA Accreditation is the only program of its kind in the tree care industry. The process evaluates businesses to ensure

that professional practices and stan-dards are met in every department and at every lev-el of the company. An independent auditor checks the company for proper insurance, applica-ble licenses, reliable and ethical custom-er service practic-es, strict operating

standards, formal employee training, ad-herence to safety and quality standards, compliance with industry standards, and employment of best business practices.

As proud as we are of achieving and maintaining this Accreditation, it is partic-ularly important in the current environ-ment of heightened regulatory oversight. Government agencies such as OSHA, DOT and others have been enmeshed in

the industry for years, and rightfully so. It is their job to assure that safe standards and workplace environments are properly in place, updated and adhered to.

In recent years, this involvement has ex-ponentially increased as regulations and policies involving the workplace continue to be added or modifi ed, often as a dis-cretionary reaction to concerning trends. With these changes comes increased en-forcement activity on the part of govern-ment agencies; and tree companies face the need for increased safety training and education to understand and comply with the changes.

While there is no direct correlation between meeting government regulatory standards and having TCIA Accreditation, it is not hard to see the value of Accred-itation relative to regulatory compliance. In order to know, understand and prop-erly comply with workplace regulations, companies (large and small) need to have the departments, functions, policies and procedures in place to assure that they are capable of implementing and complying with the morass of workplace standards and regulations. This includes reacting to changes and responding to reporting re-quirements.

TCIA Accreditation is an affi rmation that companies have the organization, business practices, training programs and compliance policies in place to operate safely within industry standards. It is rea-sonable to infer that having the Accredita-

tion better positions a company to be able to deal with today’s regulatory climate. Again, it is not a guarantee of compliance, but it demonstrates a climate and culture exists to deal with these challenges.

Phil Chambers is president of Townsend Tree Service Co., LLC, an accredited TCIA member company based in Muncie, Indi-ana, and a member of TCIA’s Board of Di-rectors.

Director’s Forum

Phil Chambers

TCIA Accreditation in today’s regulatory climate

Calendar of upcoming TCIA events

January 18-19, 2017Certifi ed Treecare Safety Professional

(CTSP) Workshop*Milwaukee, WI

February 5-9, 2017Winter Management Conference 2017Wyndham Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa

Puerto Rico

March 28, 2017A300 Planting & Transplanting Summit

Reno, NV

June 14, 2017Legislative Day on the Hill

Washington, D.C.

November 2-4, 2017TCI EXPO Conference & Trade Show

Columbus, Ohio

* For a full schedule of * For a full schedule of CTSP workshopsCTSP workshops, see pg. 8, or click the Training tab at www.tcia.org, see pg. 8, or click the Training tab at www.tcia.org

For details & other events and training opportunities For details & other events and training opportunities call 1-800-733-2622 call 1-800-733-2622 or visit www.tcia.org & click Events or Trainingor visit www.tcia.org & click Events or Training

** For a full schedule of ** For a full schedule of Susan Harwood Grant-Susan Harwood Grant-funded workshopsfunded workshops, , click the Training tab at www.tcia.orgclick the Training tab at www.tcia.org

For a full schedule of For a full schedule of ASTI grant-ASTI grant-supported workshopssupported workshops,click on the Industry Calendar under the Events tab at www.tcia.orgclick on the Industry Calendar under the Events tab at www.tcia.org

TCIA On the Road

Sachin Mohan, seated, TCIA’s vice president corporate relations & marketing, gets a tour of Morbark’s manufacturing facilities during a visit to Morbark’s Winn, Michigan, headquarters in October. With him are Casey Gross, center, Tree Care Products sales manager, and John Foote, VP of Sales and Marketing. Photo by Mark Garvin, TCIA pres-ident and CEO, who was also on the visit.

Don’t miss this month’s press release, “Don’t Use Climbing Spikes”

included with the emailed version of this Reporter.

4 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 T C I A R E P O R T E R

offi cial TCI EXPO app. Participants could network, attend educational sessions, visit exhibitors and post content to earn points with the app’s Game On! feature. The par-ticipant with the most points won.

Congratulations to Marcelo Leao from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Have fun with your Apple Watch Series 2!

ArborbucksEvery attendee received a form for the

Arborbucks drawings. All they had to do was fi ll it out, put it in the big gold bin, then be around at the Climbing Tree in the mid-dle of the trade show fl oor for the drawing. Four drawings were made over the course of the show, each for $600 in Arborbucks, which could then be spent at any of the participating exhibitors at the show.

Congratulations to the four winners: Matthew Leonard, Leonard Trees LLC in Ashby, Massachusetts; Sara Daugherty with Cumberland Valley Tree Service, Inc., a 17-year TCIA member company based in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; Tony Hayden, Hayden’s Tree and Woodland Management Services, a previous four-year TCIA member company based in New Richmond, Wisconsin; and Tyler Gerz of T. Gerz Landscaping in Lancaster, Pa.

Student Career Days In addition to the trade show and con-

ference, this was the 20th year that TCI EXPO has hosted a Student Career Days (SCD) event. SCD drew 213 college and vocational students representing 21 schools from across the country.

Students participated in tree climb-ing competitions, attended educational seminars, networked with potential em-ployers, and explored career opportu-nities at a job and internship fair. (See article, page 7)

Thank you, as always, to our industry partners. TCI EXPO was supported in part by Crown PACT Partners Altec, Ban-dit Industries, Husqvarna, Morbark, Util-ity One Source and Vermeer, and Branch PACT partner Green Manufacturing; Root and Seed partners include Arbor-jet and George Fern, and Weaver Leath-er Supply, Northern Atlantic Financial, Mauget, Fanno Saw Works, and Liberty Financial, respectively.

View photos of TCI EXPO on Facebook.com/TreeCareIndustryAssociation, or on Flickr.com/TreeCareIndustry.

Ready for the next TCI EXPO? Join the Tree Care Industry Association in Colum-bus, Ohio, for TCI EXPO 2017, November 2-4 (with pre-conference workshops No-vember 1).

See you in November!

Parallax design is not a new concept, but it is starting to gain popularity as

a Web design strategy. In parallax design, multiple focal points move at different paces as the user scrolls through the con-tent. This distortion of depth and motion creates an immersive, and hopefully en-gaging, experience for the end-user.

“Parallax design is still in the early adopter phase,” writes the Content Mar-keting Institute, “so it currently offers a great opportunity for brands that are willing to take a risk to stand apart from the crowd.”

But does this mean your tree care web-site needs parallax design? Maybe. It de-pends on your marketing goals and acqui-sition strategy. Consider the following:

Pros of Parallax Design: It’s visually stunning and makes a great fi rst impres-sion. This can hook new potential clients by immediately engaging them when they visit your website.

Cons of Parallax Design: Using par-allax compromises search engine opti-mization (SEO) for the sake of design. Depending on your marketing goals, how-ever, that may not be a bad thing. Parallax may also hamper your Web analytics by providing fewer data points for analysis. Because of these drawbacks, many brands elect to only use parallax design on one or a few pages, and use static Web pages for the rest of their website.

Need help with your Web marketing strategy? Contact the TCIA Marketing de-partment at marketing@tcia.org.

Does your tree care website need parallax design?

Follow TCIA on Instagram @treecareindustry for more photos like this one! #arboristsofi nstagram. Photo courtesy of @altec-inc.

TCIA Social Media Highlights

Make use of the TCIA logo in your promotions

Promote your affi liation with TCIA by displaying the TCIA logo on your website and business cards, and in

newspaper ads, newsletters, etc. If you need the logo, you can down-load it on www.

tcia.org in the Member Only section, at Resources\Business\Marketing. Or, email membership@tcia.org if you need different types and sizes.

TCI EXPO 2016(Continued from page 1)

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 5T C I A R E P O R T E R

In its announcement of a Walk-ing-Working Surfaces and Personal

Protective Equipment (Subpart D) fi nal rule on November 18, OSHA put tree care employers on notice that conventional body belts and lanyards used for fall pro-tection in aerial lifts would no longer be acceptable as of the effective date of the rule, January 17, 2017.

The traditional body belt-lanyard combination is referred to as a position-ing system, and all other current OSHA standards restrict the use of positioning systems to work performed on “vertical surfaces.” Aerial lifts are deemed to be horizontal work surfaces.

In our comments to OSHA in 2010, TCIA expressed concern that workers in tree care would not be allowed to use “po-sitioning systems” as these systems were defi ned in the proposed rule. TCIA was commenting on the proposed revision to §1910.67(c)(2)(v) that presently permits workers to use positioning systems or per-sonal fall arrest systems when working in aerial lifts.

In our comments, TCIA said, “… arbor-ists often work in aerial lifts that are elevat-ed to work positions directly above high voltage wires, trees, buildings and other structures to trim trees.” We argued there was a unique and unavoidable job haz-ard intrinsic in this typical work position, and that OSHA should allow the use of a body belt and two- to three-foot lanyard. This PPE combination, we reasoned, pro-vided for the shortest overall fall distance, and thus provided the greatest protection against fatally dropping into nearby elec-tric wires or any other potentially injurious object at a lower level. The short lanyard would minimize free fall, thereby reducing the arresting force in the system. Finally, the attachment at the operator’s waist al-lows for the possibility of self-rescue.

OSHA did not fi nd our arguments on arresting force or self-rescue persuasive and actually devised a solution to the haz-ard of contacting a lower level we did not contemplate in 2010: the travel restraint (or work restraint) system. This is a sys-tem that prevents any fall whatsoever out

of the bucket.OSHA is revising the requirement in §

1910.67(c)(2)(v) to allow workers to use either travel restraint or personal fall ar-rest systems, but not positioning systems.

For questions concerning compliance, please contact Peter Gerstenberger, TCIA’s senior advisor for safety, compliance & standards, at 1-800-733-2622, ext. 109, or peter@tcia.org.

OSHA bans body belts and lanyards in lifts

WORD FROM WASHINGTON

Start 2017 right by saving $5 on any Pro Arborist Series publication

throughout the month of January! These collections of authoritative ar-

ticles, previously published in TCI Mag-azine, contain practical information for the working arborist. The articles are accompanied by comprehension quizzes that can be used to earn tons of CEUs at an affordable rate!

Stock up on the following: • Vol. 1 Climber Safety (11 ISA and

CTSP CEUs)• Vol. 2 PHC and IPM (7.5 ISA CEUs) • Vol. 3 Crew Safety (9.75 ISA and

CTSP CEUs)• Vol. 4 Soil Management Fertilization

(8.25 ISA CEUs)

• Vol. 5 Safety Man-agement and Loss Protection (8.5 ISA and CTSP CEUs)

• Vol. 6 Tree Man-agement with ANSI Standards (7 ISA/CA CEUs, 7 BCMA CEUs, and 2 CTSP CEUs)

• Vol. 7 The Business of Safety (5 ISA and CTSP CEUs)

• Vol. 8 Insects & Diseases (9.25 ISA CEUs)To access this great benefi t, use the

order form that accompanies this issue of the Reporter, or order online at www.tcia.org or by calling 1-800-733-2622.

*Discount is on retail and TCIA member pricing. Each publication is sold separately and the discount will be applied to each purchased. This month’s promotion ends 1/31/17.

Save $5 on any Pro Arborist Series volume

Product Promo

Reminder for OSHA-compliant record keeping

If your company had more than 10 full-time employees in calendar year 2016, you are required to com-plete and post OSHA’s Form 300A Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses in a conspicuous lo-cation, even if you had no injuries during the calendar year.

Here is the basic requirement: At the end of each calendar year, you must review the OSHA 300 Log (or equivalent) to verify that the entries are complete and accurate, and correct any defi ciencies identi-fi ed; Create an annual summary of injuries and illnesses as recorded on the 300 Log using the appropriate form (found on OSHA’s website) or the equivalent; certify the summary; and post the summary where em-ployees can see it from February 1 until April 30, 2017.

On OSHA’s website there are three options for download, each containing the forms and instruc-tions for Forms 300, 300A and 301 (an incident reporting form):

1) Conventional PDF fi les that one can print and fi ll out by hand

2) Forms that can be completed online

3) Excel-format formsFor more information or

the forms, visit www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/RKforms.html.

6 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 T C I A R E P O R T E R

The TCIA Board of Directors met November 9, 2016, at the Baltimore

Convention Center in conjunction with TCI EXPO. Andy Ross, Chair of the Board, called the meeting to order at 9:29 am. Board members present in-cluded Senior Director Andy Felix, and directors Phil Chambers, Steve Mar-shall, Alan Jones, Mundy Wilson Pip-er, Tim Gamma, Bill Weber and Mark Garvin, president. Vice Chair Peter Sortwell was absent.

The Board ratifi ed the email vote ap-proving June 1, 2016, Board of Directors Meeting Minutes.

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances, & Roy-alty Agreements: Annual Affi nity Pro-gram Review

Per policy, TCIA is to annually review its affi nity programs against an established set of criteria for continuation. Because the Board approves all affi nity programs based on the established policy, the results of this review and management’s decisions are provided annually to the Board. The fol-lowing programs will be continued:

Market HardwareMidwest Arborist Supplies SherrillTreeAmerican Arborist SuppliesBenchmark Payment Systems

TCIA AwardsThe Board approved recipients for the Ad-

vancing Arboriculture, Legislator of the Year, and Award of Merit, which will be offi cially announced at WMC 2017 in Puerto Rico.

Request for a seat on ANSI A300

The Board discussed a re-quest to create an addition-al seat on the ANSI A300 Committee for the Society of Commercial Arboriculture (SCA). The Board explored balance and fair representa-tion of all sectors of the pro-fession and voted to approve a seat on the committee for the SCA.

Presentation of the auditThe Audit Committee reported on their

conversations with Tammy Michaud of Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker. The audi-tors presented the audit to the committee covering TCIA’s fi scal year ending Aug. 31, 2016. The auditors encountered no signif-icant diffi culties in dealing with manage-ment in performing and completing the audit. There were no signifi cant audit ad-justments as a result of audit procedures that were material, either individually or in the aggregate, to the consolidated fi -nancial statements taken as a whole. The Board voted to approve the 2016 Audit Report as presented.

Nominations Committee recommendationsAndy Ross presented the results of the

Nominations Committee’s interview pro-cess to the Board of Directors for a new Associate Member director. The Board vot-ed to select Jason Showers, Boxer product manager with Morbark, to be presented to the TCIA associate membership for election

to Director for 2017-20. (Associate Member director ballots are due January 17.)Presentations by Investment Advisors on TCIA Reserves

The Board reviewed the current TCIA reserve policy. Presentations were made by Harvest Capital, Eaton Vance and Morgan Stanley for TCIA and the TCIA Foundation. The companies reviewed allocation strategies, fees, investment philosophies and anticipated returns. Af-ter discussion the Board voted to move TCIA’s reserves and TCIAF’s reserves to Harvest Capital.

Discussion and update on SWOT & cur-rent Strategic Plan Outcomes

The Board held its annual discussion of the 2016 Strengths, Weaknesses, Oppor-tunities and Threats (SWOT) identifying impacts that may affect the future of the association. The discussion included an update on TCIA’s six strategic outcomes and updates on the newest initiatives on Accreditation, Associate Members and Workforce Development.

The Board reviewed the previous list of issues the association might address in the future. The consensus of the Board was that the new workforce development initiative and other ongoing initiatives should be the focus of new strategic ef-forts for the immediate future.

Executive Session: Annual Evaluation of the President’s Performance

The Board completed its annual per-formance evaluation of the President and made compensation determinations for the coming year. The offi cers met with the President to convey the results.

AdjournmentAndy Ross adjourned the meeting at

3:40 p.m.

TCIA is the secretariat for the ANSI A300 tree care management standards, which are divided into the following parts based on tree care practices:

ANSI A300 (Part 1) - 2008, R2014 PruningANSI A300 (Part 2) - 2011 Soil Management (includes Fertilization)ANSI A300 (Part 3) - 2013 Supplemental Support Systems (includes Cabling, Bracing, Guying and Propping) ANSI A300 (Part 4) - 2014 Lightning Protection SystemsANSI A300 (Part 5) - 2012 Management of Trees and Shrubs During Site Planning, Site Development, and ConstructionANSI A300 (Part 6) - 2012 Planting & TransplantingANSI A300 (Part 7) - 2012 Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM)ANSI A300 (Part 8) - 2013 Root Management ANSI A300 (Part 9) - 2011 Tree Risk AssessmentANSI A300 (Part 10) - 2016 Integrated Pest Management (IPM)For more A300 information, click on the Business tab at www.tcia.org.

Current ANSI A300 standards for tree care

Awards, nominations and reserve funds top November Board agenda

Those at the November Board meeting included, from left, Bill Weber, Alan Jones, Tim Gamma, Mark Garvin, Andy Ross, Andy Felix, Mundy Wilson, Steve Marshall and Jeff Wilson. Phil Chambers is not shown and Peter Sortwell was not present.

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 7T C I A R E P O R T E R

Student Career Days a hit at TCI EXPOStudents enrolled in arboriculture, for-

estry and related programs displayed their skills and knowledge at another successful Student Career Days event in Baltimore, Maryland, in November. The 20th annual Tree Care Industry Associa-tion Foundation (TCIAF) Student Career Days (SCD), held in conjunction with TCI EXPO, offers students a chance for hands-on practice, friendly competition and an inside look at their area of study.

A total of 213 college and vocational students representing 21 schools from across the country attended SCD, tak-ing full advantage of the opportunity to test their knowledge, converse with pro-fessionals and participate in a variety of skills competitions.

The Student Skills Competition was comprised of three main events: Safety Gear Check, Belayed Scramble and Work Climb. Top fi nishers in each event received gift certifi cates for Stihl merchandise. Overall winners included Drake Martin from The Crossing School (Vocational Men’s); Alexandra Scatena from Wamo-go Regional High School (Vocational Women’s); Linus Glady from Cuyahoga Community College (Collegiate Men’s) and Johanna Smith from Milwaukee Area Technical College (Collegiate Women’s). A full list of winners and scores can be viewed at www.tcia.org under the Events tab (click TCI EXPO 2016, then Students).

Mark Chisholm, CTSP, Stihl spokesper-son, ISA Certifi ed Arborist and three-time ISA international tree climbing champi-on, was on site during the Student Skills Competition to offer climbing tips. “It’s

fantastic to see so many students invest-ed in their careers and the future of pro-fessional tree care,” says Chisholm. “This event highlights the strength and future growth of our industry.”

Student Career Days also hosts a Job & Internship Fair during TCI EXPO, which allows students to meet with some of the biggest names in tree care and gives them the chance to interview for potential ca-reers.

Student Career Days is hosted by the TCIA Foundation whose mission is to advance education and professional de-velopment in the green industry, improve

safety and reduce accident rates in the tree care industry, and to disseminate infor-mation key to practitioners and consum-ers about proper tree care.

Student Career Days 2016 partners in-cluded Stihl, Ahlum & Arbor, Bartlett Tree Experts, Bandit Industries, Inc., Bright-View Tree Care Services, Davey Tree Ex-pert Company, the International Society of Arboriculture, SavATree and Vermeer.

There’s no better way for a company to help enhance the future of the industry than becoming a SCD partner. To learn more, contact TCIA at (603) 314-5380 or studentcareerdays@tcia.org.

The Student Career Days climbing skills contests were held in Federal Hill Park. The park is just a short walk around the Baltimore’s Inner Harbor from the Con-vention Center where TCI EXPO was taking place.

Who will help TCIA lead this industry forward over the next three years?

We are currently accepting nomina-tions for TCIA’s Board of Directors. The positions currently open are for active member companies. We need your com-mitment to serve and your support in identifying others who have talents we should bring into leadership.

Enclosed with this Reporter is a nom-ination form along with a listing of the qualifi cations sought in Board members. If you would like to serve from 2018-2021 as a TCIA Board member, please fi ll out the enclosed “Candidate for TCIA Board

of Directors Nominator Form” and re-turn it to TCIA by April 1, 2017. Candi-dates will receive a package to complete due no later than April 15, 2017. The Nominations Committee will then sub-mit at least two nominations per vacancy to the Board.

The Board will decide which candi-dates to recommend to the membership at their June 2017 Board meeting. Elec-tions will be completed by September 30, 2017, and the new Board members would begin serving their terms in February 2018, following induction at the 2018 Winter Management Conference.

TCIA Board nomination forms available

Send us your tree care photos!

Want to see your tree care company featured in TCIA publications and social media? Send us your photos for a chance to appear in TCI Magazine, our monthly Reporter member newsletter or even as the cover photo for the TCIA Facebook page.

Email editor@tcia.org with pictures or for directions for uploading fi les.

8 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 T C I A R E P O R T E R

Accidents in the tree care industry that occurred during the month of November 2016. Graphic compiled from reports gathered by, or submitted to, TCIA staff.

Got Safety? Upcoming CTSP workshops:January 18-19, 2017Milwaukee, WI

February 22-23, 2017Charlotte, NC

March 15-16, 2017Windsor, CT

April 4-5, 2017Arcadia, CA

May 16-17, 2017Apopka, FL

July 11-12, 2017

Get CTSP certifi ed in 2017! Call 1-800-733-2622 or email ctsp@tcia.org. Check www.tcia.org and click on the Training tab for the most up-to-date schedule.

Samuel Carr Brown and Company Ltd. St. George’s BermudaMichael Lee Arborworks, Inc. Coarsegold CAChriso Lee Arborworks, Inc. Coarsegold CAConway Lopez General Tree Service, Inc. Bakersfi eld CADustin Matthews Mountain High Tree, Lawn & Landscape Co. Colorado Springs COMike Dutil Mountain High Tree, Lawn & Landscape Co. Colorado Springs COCharley Wagner Aspen Tree Service, Inc. Carbondale COJoseph Michael Shoup Cypress Tree Care, LLC Frankford DELogan R. Fisher Bartlett Tree Experts Wilmington DEDaniel Berrios Lewis Tree Service, Inc. North Lauderdale FLJohn Freeman JP Trees and Landscaping LLC Winter Garden FLAndrew Tellier Arbor Experts, Inc. West Palm Beach FLRobert Wilson Appleseed Tree Service, Inc. Lilburn GAKevin Lee Myers ACRT Inc. Training Services Monroe GAMark Collins Appleseed Tree Service, Inc. Decatur GAJoe Caslow Oak Bros Tree Removal & Stump Grinding LLC Downs ILBryan Hendrickson K.C. Arborist Tree Care Olathe KSStephen Lightfoot Bofi nger’s Tree Service Baton Rouge LAWilliam Joseph Lynch Landscape & Tree Service, Inc. Sudbury MAMichael Melito Maltby & Co., Inc. Stoughton MADan Ripa Favreau Forestry Sterling MAAdam Winship Barrett Tree Service East, Inc. Medford MADan Zaccagnini, IV Carroll Tree Service, Inc. Owings Mills MDChristopher Sprague Bartlett Tree Experts Finksburg MDPatrick Turner Arbortecture, Inc. Myersville MDRick Sephton Mead Tree and Turf Care, Inc. Woodbine MDMatthew Jay Morrison Ex-cel Tree Expert Co., Inc Jessup MDPatrick J. Quin Bartlett Tree Experts Gaithersburg MD

Congratulations to these new CTSPs!The following new Certifi ed Treecare Safety Professionals earned their credential after

attending one of two concurrent workshops held in conjunction with TCI EXPO in Bal-timore, Maryland, in November.

(Continued on page 9)

TCIA On the Road

Peggy Drescher, TCIA Midwest regional outreach coordinator, with Dan O’Brien, arbor and turf specialist with Russo Power Equipment, during a visit by Peg-gy to Russo’s shop in November. Russo, based in Schiller Park, Illinois, is a distributor of arborist supplies and power equipment.

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 9T C I A R E P O R T E R

We’re looking to provide affordable safety training and educational

opportunities for tree care companies na-tionwide. Interested?

If the answer is yes, consider applying for a grant through the TCIAF Arborist

Safety Training Institute (ASTI).ASTI provides grants for job and safety

training to minimize consequent deaths and injuries, and to promote overall workforce safety. ASTI grants fund a va-riety of workshops, encompassing spe-

cialties such as chipper operator basics, felling, rigging, chain saw safety, aerial lift operation and aerial rescue, and many other safety training disciplines.

The next application deadline is March 1, 2017, for workshops tak-ing place August 1, 2017, through January 31, 2018. Learn more and complete your application online at www.tcia.org/foundation/asti.

Tina L. Graver Mead Tree and Turf Care, Inc. Woodbine MDJustin Harris A & A Tree Experts, Inc. Pikesville MDEric Jewell Ballard Enterprises, LLC Crownsville MDPaul L. Fox, Jr. Ballard Enterprises, LLC Gambrills MDJuan Argueta Lewis Tree Service, Inc. Pasadena MDTerry Bohner Bartlett Tree Experts Stevensville MDJoseph Modeen Lucas Tree Expert Co., Inc. Portland MEBen Read Read Tree Service, Inc. Traverse City MIMatthew Brugger Rainbow Treecare Minnetonka MNJohnathon R. Walker Walker Tree Service Inc. Liberty MOMichael Snook John Brown & Sons Inc. Weare NHGlenn Pearson Forest Glenn Arborists, LLC Milford NJKen M. Barber Ken’s Tree Care, Inc. Northvale NJPeter Chuck Beucler Beucler Tree Experts LLC Tenafl y NJRyan Duff Almstead Tree & Shrub Care Company North Haledon NJDominick M. D’Alonzo Dom’s Tree Service Port Washington NYDuane S. Brown Rick Turk Tree Service, Inc. Rome NYBrian Rath Jackson Dodds & Company Southampton NYBrad Nagle Independent Tree LLC Newbury OHAlan Kraus Independent Tree LLC Newbury OHMichael Brown The F. A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company Canada Ltd Scarborough Ontario, CanadaLyle Blum Lyle Blum LLC Allison Park PAArch Autenreith, II Lyle Blum LLC Pittsburgh PAWilliam Croop, III Jafl o, Inc. Orefi eld PARyan Kruljac Kruljac Tree Services Pittsburgh PATadd Leaman John B. Ward & Co., Inc. King of Prussia PADerek Furry Bartlett Tree Experts Chambersburg PAMatthew G. Giroud Giroud Tree & Lawn Huntingdon Valley PADale Kinney Greater Pitt Tree Service Pittsburgh PABenjamin Miklos Arborist Enterprises, Inc. Manheim PARobert Rush Jafl o, Inc. Allentown PAB.J. Schaltenbrand BeaverJack Tree Service, LLC Tarentum PADaniel A. Shaw Townsend Tree Service Co., LLC Gibsonia PAKarl Weaver Arborist Enterprises, Inc. Manheim PAJeffrey Van Dusen Bartlett Tree Experts Broomall PAAndrew Tomaskovic Bartlett Tree Experts Imperial PASean Woodbridge Jafl o, Inc. Simpson PAJack Kornahrens Lucas Tree Expert Co., Inc. Charleston SCDavid Mauk Jones Road Tree Service LLC Houston TXJason LaRose Bartlett Tree Experts Charlottesville VAMichael Hernandez Pittman’s Tree & Landscaping, Inc. Front Royal VAWilliam Higgins Asplundh Tree Expert Co Glen Allen VAJacob D. Stokes Bartlett Tree Experts Powhatan VAAlexander Morrow Bartlett Tree Experts Henrico VAGreg Ranallo Teacher’s Tree Service Shelburne VT

Congratulations to these new CTSPs!(Continued from page 8)

ASTI application deadline approaching

January 25, 2017Grow Maine Green ExpoAugusta, ME

January 18-19, 2017Certifi ed Treecare Safety Professional/CTSP WorkshopMilwaukee, WI

January 19, 2017CT Tree Protective Assn MeetingSouthington, CT

January 24-26, 2017Indiana Arborist Association ConferenceIndianapolis, IN

January 27-28, 2017*Maryland Arborist Association Conf.Ellicott City, MD

January 29-30, 2017*NY State Arborist Association Annual ConferenceSuffern, NY

January 31, 2017*Ohio Tree ConferenceCincinnati, OH

February 1-3, 2017*Midwestern ISASt. Louis, MO

Meet TCIA Staff at these upcoming events

For details on these and other events, contact Tom at 1-800-733-2622 or

tdunn@tcia.org, or visit www.tcia.org and click on Events

then Industry Calendar.

1 0 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 T C I A R E P O R T E R

Jim Skiera retiring from ISAAfter more than 22 years of service,

James Skiera has announced his retire-ment as executive director of the Inter-national Society of Arboriculture (ISA) effective by the end of 2017.

Skiera began his career at ISA as associ-ate executive director in 1994. His prima-ry responsibilities were public relations and product and program development. He became executive director of the or-ganization in 2004. Under Skiera’s leader-ship, ISA has grown to serving more than 37,000 members and credential holders.

“It has been an honor to serve ISA for much of my professional life,” said Skiera. “It was a diffi cult decision to leave, but the timing is right. I have been working on a succession plan with ISA staff and the Board of Directors for several years. The Society is stronger today than it has ever been, and there is a foundation of talent in both staff and volunteer leadership. The future is bright and I am certain ISA will continue to make the world a better place one tree at a time.”

“Jim’s contributions to the success of ISA have been invaluable,” said Michelle Mitch-ell, ISA Board president. “His passion and dedication to the profession of arboricul-ture is widely recognized and appreciated.”

The ISA Board has appointed an Ex-ecutive Director Transition Committee to manage the search process for Skiera’s successor. Inquiries about the position can be sent to execsearch@isa-arbor.com.

ACRT employees honored by Utility Arborist Association

Two ACRT employees were recently hon-ored by the Utility Arborist Association (UAA). Richard Hendler, an ACRT consul-tant, was honored with the UAA President’s Award, which recognizes individuals that have assisted the UAA or the industry in ex-traordinary ways during that president’s term.

Kevin Myers, ACRT’s newest training instructor, received the Silver Shield Safe-ty Champion award, which is awarded to those who have a signifi cant role in pro-moting and infl uencing safety culture within their organizations and across the industry. Congratulations to both.

We regret to report…Richard Edward “Dick” Abbott

Richard Edward “Dick” Abbott, 87, of

Kent, Ohio, died October 16, 2016, at his home after a long illness.

Abbott was founder and owner of ACRT, Inc and a former vice president of the En-vironmental Services Division at Davey Tree. Prior to joining Davey Tree he was a forester supervisor for American Electric Power and Central Hudson Gas & Electric.

He was instrumental in forming and instituting safety standards for the in-dustry. He was vice-chairman of the Z133 Committee when the committee was first organized in 1969, and be-came chairman after the first publica-tion of the standard in 1972 until its revision in 1982.

He was a member of the United Meth-odist Church of Kent, a past president and member of the ISA, Buckeye Chapter ISA, Kent Rotary Club, Garden Club of Kent and a past director, Portage County Parks District Board and a Board member of Coleman Professional Service.

He was honored with and received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

He is survived by his wife, Sue Carol (Morse) Abbott; son, Richard F. Abbott of Kent; daughters, Mary Jo (Dr. John) Er-ickson, Susan Casey, Ann (David) Meix-ner, Sally (Jeff) Saltzman, Jane (Michael Wulk) Abbott and Patricia (Donald) Andrews; 18 grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; and many other family members and friends.

Gordon S. KingGordon S. King, 98, longtime teacher

and mentor in arboriculture program at

the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, died October 17, 2016.

King, of Livingston, New York, and for-merly of Leverett, Mass., earned a Bache-lor’s Degree in Forestry from University of North Carolina and a master’s in Urban Forestry from Michigan State. One of his fi rst jobs was managing a 5,000-acre rub-ber tree plantation in Liberia for Firestone as it geared up for America’s anticipated entry into World War II. While in Liberia, he met and married the late Frances Jolly, a missionary engaged in building schools and educating young children. Upon their return, King joined the faculty at the Uni-versity of Massachusetts where he headed up the two year Arboriculture and Park Management Program at the Stockbridge School, a position he held until his retire-ment in 1985. While teaching at the Uni-versity, he earned his Doctorate in Urban Forestry. Professor King, as he was thereaf-ter known, took a keen interest in his stu-dents and became a dear friend and men-tor to countless individuals over the years.

King was an energetic individual who worked with numerous organizations to promote the professional development of the arboriculture industry including the Massachusetts Arborists Association, the ISA and the Massachusetts Tree Wardens and Foresters Association. Also, in the late 1960s, he worked with Robert Felix, ex-ecutive director of the then National Ar-borists Association, now TCIA, and Dick Abbott of Davey Tree on the creation of the Z133 Committee. (See a full profi le of

Member News

(Continued on page 16)

Newly Enrolled Companies in the Residential/Commercial CategoryCompany City State Date Sam Hill Tree Care Dallas TX 11/14/16Arborworks, LLC Downers Grove IL 11/14/16Hiawatha Tree Services Minneapolis MN 11/14/16Organic Plant Care, LLC Frenchtown NJ 11/15/16Bristol’s Tree Service Canton Center CT 11/22/16Greenleaf Landscaping & Tree Care, Inc. Bellmore NY 11/22/16Reaccredited Companies in the Residential/Commercial ProgramNels Johnson Tree Experts, Inc. Evanston IL Newly Enrolled Companies in the Utility Contractor ProgramClearway Industries LLC Glenwood NJ 12/6/16Reaccredited Companies in the Utility Contractor ProgramTownsend Tree Service Co., LLC Muncie IN

Accreditation Updates

Are you accredited yet? Do you know who is accredited in your area? Find out. Go online to www.tcia.org and, at right, click “Find Qualifi ed Tree Care,” then search by area code or state. Don’t be last in your state!

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 1 1T C I A R E P O R T E R

By John Ball and Gemechis Djira

Every tree worker knows, or should know, that our work sites may harbor a multitude of hazards. A hazard is any-thing that can cause harm, and there are lots of things that can cause harm during arboricultural operations. They can be as minor as the tripping hazard of a down-spout to the far more serious hazard of energized conductor contact.

Risk is the probability that the hazard will cause harm. Unfortunately the risks in tree work are very high due to the daily exposure to hazards. But risk can be man-aged, and every tree worker wants to re-duce his or her risk.

A good start to reducing risk is the crit-ical pre-work inspection and job briefi ng. The downspout hazard is identifi ed and the pipe removed before the work begins. The electrical conductors are recognized, the nominal voltage determined and the minimum approach distance (MAD) observed. These actions can reduce inci-dents.

Incidents, unintended events that result in personal injury or property damage, are due to unsafe acts and/or unsafe con-ditions. An unsafe act is the performance of a task in a manner that may result in an incident. Unsafe acts are often actions by a worker. Examples: failure to follow an established command and response pro-cedure while pruning or not wearing per-sonal protective equipment (PPE) when operating a chain saw.

Unsafe conditions are conditions in the workplace that may result in an un-intended event. Examples of unsafe con-ditions are not having a company com-mand-and-response procedure in place or not providing the required PPE – cut-re-sistant leggings, helmet, eye protection and hearing protection – for workers op-erating chain saws. These are generally the responsibilities of the company, so where a tree worker is employed can affect risk as much as what they do. Every tree work-er can name a few companies they would never work for, or left fairly quickly, since there seemed to be little concern for safe-ty. Some companies put their workers at unacceptable risk and have more than their share of incidents.

What are some of the best predictors that a company cares about safety and

therefore should have a lower incident rate compared to other companies? A re-view of the TCIA’s 2016 Accident Survey data revealed some interesting results. The companies were surveyed for their num-ber of injuries that resulted in days away from work, job transfer or work restric-tions; number of employees; the type of work the company did; whether the com-pany was a member of TCIA; whether the company held TCIA Accreditation and/or employed a Certifi ed Treecare Safety Pro-fessional (CTSP), and how often the com-pany conducted training, if at all.

The survey was online and TCIA mem-bers were informed of the survey via the Reporter member newsletter. The survey was also announced in TCI Magazine and company owners, regardless of their membership in TCIA, were invited to participate. The response was voluntary and the data provided was self-reported by companies. A total of 245 companies or municipalities responded to the survey.

We analyzed the data using a zero-in-fl ated Poisson regression to determine which of these variables (e.g. Accredita-tion, training, etc.) were the best predic-tors that a company would have fewer days-away-from-work cases. The number of employees is used as an offset vari-able since larger companies tend to have more incidents. The respondents ranged from companies with a single employee to more than 3,000. In other words, an incident-rate statistic allows us to make valid comparisons between different size companies.

While we don’t want to go into a long discussion of statistics, it’s helpful to know a little about p-values before read-ing the results.

A p-value is the probability that what the data shows you is true. A small p-val-ue (<0.05) means there is strong evidence

that what the data shows you is true, so a variable with a p-value of 0.05 or lower is a good predictor. By contrast, a variable with a p-value greater than 0.05 is not a good predictor.

A Days-away-from-work, Restrict-ed-work-activities, job-transfer (DART) rate was calculated for each company or municipality. The typical conversion assumes that each full-time employee works 2,000 hours a year, but actual hours worked can differ among companies and geographical locations. Northern compa-nies may only work 1,500 hours per em-ployee per year due to the winter weather curtailing production. Municipalities may be employing full-time tree workers for 2,000 hours a year, but some of that year might be spent plowing snow or engaged in other activities that are not tree related.

We utilized an average of 1,800 hours for all employers, regardless of company size or type of work. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports their DART as per 100 workers so that unit will be followed in this discussion.

What variable was not a good predictor?Membership in TCIA (p-value 0.6090).

While there is certainly value in being a member of TCIA, membership does not necessarily translate into fewer incidents. The reasons a company joins a trade asso-ciation are as numerous as there are com-panies. A company may join for marketing tools, business resources or networking opportunities to name a few. While being a member may be good for the company and the tree care industry, membership in TCIA, in itself, is not a good predictor of safety.

What variables were good predictors?TCIA Accreditation/CTSP (p-value

0.0097). A Culture of Safety has become a buzzword in arboriculture but it is really true. Safety begins with the employer. A culture of safety is a shared commitment to safety where safe behavior is encour-aged and followed by fellow tree workers, supervisors and management.

TCIA Accreditation requires companies to meet a number of criteria that speak to professionalism, including adherence to state and federal safety standards and reg-ulations. The Accreditation process also

TCIA 2016 Accident Survey Results:

What are the best predictors of a safe company?

(Continued on page 14)

The point to all this is that a culture of safety is key to worker safety. Companies that make safety a priority, not a pass, tend to have the fewest incidents.

1 2 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 T C I A R E P O R T E R

TCIA annual fi nancial statement information

TREE CARE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

August 31, 2016 and 2015

ASSETS

2016 2015

Current assetsCash and cash equivalents, unrestricted $ 1,167,917 $ 1,558,196Cash and cash equivalents, temporarily restricted 292,629 272,039

Total cash and cash equivalents 1,460,546 1,830,235

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for uncollectible accounts of$7,175 and $7,182 in 2016 and 2015, respectively 183,954 187,907

Current portion of contributions receivable 260,000 250,000Deposits, prepaid expenses and inventory 394,323 314,373

Total current assets 2,298,823 2,582,515

Property and equipmentComputer and software 1,129,098 730,867Office furniture and equipment 138,935 110,360

1,268,033 841,227Less accumulated depreciation 822,331 762,634

Net property and equipment 445,702 78,593

Other assetsInvestments 6,193,321 4,927,336Permanently restricted cash 262,593 104,919Contributions receivable, net of current portion and present value discount 413,327 650,805Program development costs, net 16,950 28,547

Total other assets 6,886,191 5,711,607

Total assets $ 9,630,716 $ 8,372,715

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

Current liabilitiesAccounts payable and accrued expenses $ 592,312 $ 480,937Deferred revenue 2,516,368 2,382,889

Total current liabilities 3,108,680 2,863,826

Net assetsUnrestricted

Undesignated 4,274,217 3,381,656Board-designated 554,563 548,355

Total unrestricted 4,828,780 3,930,011Temporarily restricted 315,600 272,039Permanently restricted 1,377,656 1,306,839

Total net assets 6,522,036 5,508,889

Total liabilities and net assets $ 9,630,716 $ 8,372,715

Below and on page 13 is a portion of the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Tree Care Industry Association, Inc. and Subsid-iary for the year ending August 31, 2016 (TCIA’s fi scal year runs September 1 through August 31). The audit was conducted by the

fi rm of Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, LLC. The accompanying notes, not included here, are an integral part of these fi nancial state-ments and can be obtained from TCIA. The TCIA Board of Directors accepted the complete audit report and accompanying fi nancial statements at the November 2016 Board meeting.

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 1 3T C I A R E P O R T E R

TCIA On the Road

Bob Rouse, TCIA chief program offi cer, with Natalie Carey, of World Tree Service, Inc., a brand new TCIA member based in San Anselmo, California. They were at the TCIA booth during the American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA) meeting in Boston in early December. World Tree Service joined at the show.

TREE CARE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

Consolidated Statement of Activities and Changes in Net Assets (Deficit)

Year Ended August 31, 2016(With Comparative Totals for the Year Ended August 31, 2015)

2016 2015

Unrestricted Total

UnrestrictedTemporarilyRestricted

PermanentlyRestricted Total Total

Association FoundationRevenues

Accreditation and related products $ 886,234 $ - $ 886,234 $ - $ - $ 886,234 $ 829,634ArborMAX program 125,859 5,000 130,859 125,859 - 256,718 248,974Grants 135,872 - 135,872 - - 135,872 112,043Winter management conference 377,830 - 377,830 - - 377,830 292,072Safety certification and related products 363,271 - 363,271 - - 363,271 287,562Contributions - - - 99,255 - 99,255 91,450Membership dues and related products 1,664,993 - 1,664,993 - - 1,664,993 1,562,545Advertising 1,334,872 - 1,334,872 - - 1,334,872 1,255,005Sponsorships 150,000 - 150,000 - - 150,000 129,167Trade shows 1,711,837 - 1,711,837 - - 1,711,837 1,530,091Golf tournament - 37,810 37,810 - - 37,810 40,395Foundation revenue - 43,386 43,386 - - 43,386 36,254Other revenue - - - - - - 6,490Net assets released from restriction 79,955 125,859 205,814 (205,814) - - -

Total revenues 6,830,723 212,055 7,042,778 19,300 - 7,062,078 6,421,682

ExpensesProgram services 4,591,290 339,602 4,930,892 - - 4,930,892 4,484,843Supporting services

Management and general 1,315,156 143,431 1,458,587 - - 1,458,587 1,320,318Fundraising 30,712 6,338 37,050 - - 37,050 42,514

Total expenses 5,937,158 489,371 6,426,529 - - 6,426,529 5,847,675

Excess (deficiency) of revenues over expenses 893,565 (277,316) 616,249 19,300 - 635,549 574,007

Nonoperating revenuesContributions and gifts - - - - 70,817 70,817 766,463Investment income 76,320 16,035 92,355 6,795 - 99,150 101,069Net unrealized and realized gains (losses) on investments 189,735 430 190,165 17,466 - 207,631 (233,874)

Change in net assets (deficit) 1,159,620 (260,851) 898,769 43,561 70,817 1,013,147 1,207,665

Net assets (deficit), beginning of the year 5,077,041 (1,147,030) 3,930,011 272,039 1,306,839 5,508,889 4,301,224

Net assets (deficit), end of the year $ 6,236,661 $ (1,407,881) $ 4,828,780 $ 315,600 $ 1,377,656 $ 6,522,036 $ 5,508,889

2016 2015Cash flows from operating activities

Change in net assets $ 1,013,147 $ 1,207,665Adjustments to reconcile change in net assets to net cash

provided by operating activitiesDepreciation and amortization 71,294 65,932Net unrealized and realized (gains) losses on investments (207,631) 233,874Contribution revenue for long-term purposes (70,817) (766,463)Decrease (increase) in

Accounts receivable 3,953 (84,256)Deposits, prepaid expenses and inventory (79,950) (9,494)

Increase inAccounts payable and accrued expenses 111,375 33,257Deferred revenue 133,479 283,983

Net cash provided by operating activities 974,850 964,498

Cash flows from investing activitiesAcquisition of equipment and program development costs (426,806) (72,649)Purchase of long-term investments (1,785,820) (2,986,816)Proceeds from sale of long-term investments 727,466 2,022,317

Net cash used by investing activities (1,485,160) (1,037,148)

Cash flows from financing activitiesProceeds from contributions for long-term purposes 298,295 322,834Net change in permanently restricted cash (157,674) (21,719)

Net cash provided by financing activities 140,621 301,115

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents (369,689) 228,465

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year 1,830,235 1,601,770

Cash and cash equivalents, end of year $ 1,460,546 $ 1,830,235

Consolidated Statements of Cash FlowsYears Ended August 31, 2016 and 2015

1 4 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 T C I A R E P O R T E R

assists in creating and maintaining safety training. Companies are subject to audits to be sure criteria are being met. Orga-nizational safety has been shown to be a good predictor of worker safety in other surveys and it clearly was in this case.

A requirement for Accreditation is to have one or more CTSP. Having a person dedicated to safety is an essential part of the safety culture, but a CTSP role is more than just knowing safety regulations and standards. The old adage, “You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink,” makes the point that you cannot make people do what they don’t want to do. A key focus of CTSP is eliciting safe behaviors – getting the horse to drink. Companies need to foster behavioral safe-ty, and this is a key function of a CTSP. Companies that employed a CSTP had a days-away-from-work rate of 2.2 per 100 full-time workers, about half that of com-panies that did not have a CTSP.

Training (p-value 0.0092). Not only is this an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirement, it’s also a good idea. A tree worker has to be trained when he or she starts, when the employee is assigned new tasks or equip-ment or when the employee has been observed following unsafe work practic-es. The training must cover hazard rec-ognition, prevention and control as well as safe work procedures. Training should be documented and should be provided at least on a monthly basis. TCIA asked companies how often they trained, and we divided responses into four categories:

weekly, at least once a month, when need-ed or never.

Frequent training translates into fewer days-away-from-work cases. The aver-age DART for companies having weekly training sessions was 1.9 per 100 full-time workers, about a quarter of the rate among companies that never trained. Further-more, the DART almost doubles when training frequency drops from weekly to biweekly-to-once-a-month. There was not much difference in the rate between companies that trained as-needed and those that never trained. Clearly training has value, but relatively high frequency is a critical factor.

The type of work (p-value < 0.0001). Tree workers are employed in differ-ent sectors of the industry: residential/commercial, utility line clearing and municipal. Regardless of the sector, all tree workers are exposed to similar haz-ards, including struck by falling trees and branches, falls from trees or aerial lifts or contact with an energized conductor. But the risk levels differ to some degree among these three sectors. Municipal tree work-ers, for example, work on street trees so their exposure to the risks of being struck by passing traffi c is high. Residential/commercial tree workers run a gauntlet of hazards in their varied work, from angry dogs (and customers) to rigging out large limbs over houses. Utility line-clearance workers have a greater exposure to con-tact with energized conductors.

The sector that had the least lost-time cases was utility line clearance, at 0.1 days-away-from-work cases per 100 full-time workers. Residential/commercial and mu-nicipal had similar rates of 5.7 and 4.6 per

100 full-time workers, respectively.

Putting it all togetherIn the TCIA survey data, the average

days-away-from-work case rate for tree companies was 2.4 per 100 workers, about double the nation’s all-industry aver-age, which is about 1.1 per 100 full-time workers.

What were the characteristics of the companies with the lowest DART? Utility line-clearance companies that employed CTSPs and had weekly training experi-enced less than 0.1 days-away-from-work cases per 100 full-time workers. That is a remarkable achievement and clearly illus-trates the value of training and CTSPs.

The characteristics of companies with the highest? Companies that were not TCIA members, were not TCIA accred-ited, did not employ CTSPs and never trained. These companies had 13.6 days-away-from-work cases per 100 full-time workers, more than a hundred-fold dif-ference!

The point to all this is that a culture of safety is key to worker safety. Companies that make safety a priority, not a pass, tend to have the fewest incidents.

Dr. John Ball is professor of forestry at South Dakota State University. He is a Board Certifi ed Master Arborist and a CTSP. Dr. Gemechis Djira is an associate professor in the Department of Mathemat-ics and Statistics at South Dakota State University.

The excitement for Winter Manage-ment Conference 2017 is palpable,

and we are anticipating another excel-lent event this year in Puerto Rico. With a month to go, there is still time to book and plan your trip to the beautiful Wynd-ham Grand Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa, but you are cutting it close!

If you are still debating attending WMC 2017, consider the following:

Register by January 6 for the best sav-ings! While the knowledge and relation-ships you will gain at WMC are priceless, registering by January 6 augments the value by saving you $100.

TCIA has added more rooms to accom-

modate our growing attendance at WMC, but they won’t last long. Learn more and book your hotel room at www.tcia.org.

Still not convinced? WMC offers a one-of-a-kind educational experience for busi-ness leaders in the tree care industry. Take part in poolside forums and round-table discussions on industry issues, or attend seminars led by some of the most innova-tive and experienced professionals in the business world.

Oh, yeah, did we mention have some fun in the sun!

Learn more and register for WMC at www.tcia.org. Questions? Call (603) 314-5380 or email wmc@tcia.org.

Write a Caption for this...

We know it was at Winter Man-agement Conference last year, but what do you think is being said here? Send your caption to editor@tcia.org.

There’s still time to register for WMC!

Accident Survey results(Continued from page 11)

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 1 5T C I A R E P O R T E R

Welcome these new TCIA members!Active Members

5 Saplings, LLC503 Crestview CtJeffersonville, IN 47130Eric BitnerPhone: (502) 264-2986http://fi vesaplings.com

ALM Tree Pros1092 SaxonburgSaxonburg, PA 16056James O’ConnorPhone: (724) 841-0234

Alpine Arborists Professional Tree Care11585 Clayton CtDenver, CO 80233-2301Luke LeFebvrePhone: (303) 638-5433Fax: (303) 920-0865

Apex Arborist7 Forest View TerHanover, PA 17331-7463Joshua GragerPhone: (443) 340-6199

ATS Tree Services, LLC215 Frontier RdPerkasie, PA 18944Adam Thor ServinPhone: (267) 679-6223Fax: (215) 249-3250

Everett Tree Service7044 Wildlife TrailRaleigh, NC 27613-5684Jimmy EverettPhone: (919) 271-6108www.everetttreeservice.com

Excel Tree Care LLC5050 Wright Bridge RdCumming, GA 30028-7904Tyler LambPhone: (404) 964-6508

Fielder Tree Services LLC2509 Barrington Circle, Ste 112Tallahassee, FL 32308Adam FielderPhone: (850) 656-8737Fax: (850) 656-8737www.fi elderlandscapes.com

Greenleaf Landscaping & Tree Care, Inc.2232 Legion StreetBellmore, NY 11710Toniann BattaglinoPhone: (718) 345-2000Fax: (718) 649-2565

Hilty Tree Service6514 Boston State RoadHamburg, NY 14075Michael HiltyPhone: (716) 867-0243

J & J Tree Service Specialists, Ltd.PO Box 817Valley Stream, NY 11582-0817Jason S. SantiagoPhone: (516) 779-2013

JR’s Tree Service, LLC3286 W Mount Morris RdMount Morris, MI 48458-8240Season RoyPhone: (810) 547-1100www.jrstreeservicemi.com

M & L Tree Service125 Cannon RdChapin, SC 29036-9182Brian LarmonPhone: (864) 710-4060

Mac’s Services15317 Little Egypt RdOrange, VA 22960-2636McPherson FryePhone: (540) 717-5102

Merrill Tree Experts, LLC14826 Jarrettsvl PikeMonkton, MD 21111-2409Aaron Merrill

Monster Tree of the Research Triangle106 Parkbow CtCary, NC 27519-6663Richard BaldygaPhone: (919) 600-0949

Peachtree Arboriculture dba Peachtree Tree Service750 Hammond DrBLD 17Atlanta, GA 30328Michael OrmePhone: (843) 284-3153

Pure Life Palm and Tree Care18 Kai Makani Loop Apt 103Kihei, HI 96753-5517Dan Robert KolpPhone: (808) 633-6958

Recinos Landscaping & Tree Services, LLC1162 Carrs Wharf RdEdgewater, MD 21037-4505Hector E. RecinosPhone: (410) 858-3537

Rite-A-Way Tree ServicePO Box 373Cottleville, MO 63338Bradley StrickerPhone: (636) 237-3237Fax: (636) 352-2043www.riteawaytreeservice.com

Steve & Son Tree38 Warford RdFrenchtown, NJ 08825Steve NovackPhone: (908) 246-8573

Tim’s Tree Care LLCPO Box 60512King of Prussia, PA 19406-0512Timothy S. BennettPhone: (215) 353-1382

Timber TenderPO Box 572Woodstock, VT 05091Al RomeroPhone: (802) 457-3789

Tree Tech Services of Northeast Ohio, LLCPO Box 2502Canton, OH 44720Thomas P. Brown, IVPhone: (330) 316-2326

Under the Sun Tree CareP.O. Box 934Niwot, CO 80504-5655Stephen ReynoldsPhone: (303) 775-7929

White Oak Tree & Landscape LLC33 Ezra StNorth Haven, CT 06473Jim DeanPhone: (203) 654-6345Fax: (203) 239-7900

Woodie’s Tree Service3106 Lanvale AveRichmond, VA 23230-4217Farran Davis, Jr.Phone: (804) 690-1600

Affi liate (International) MembersGlenwood Tree Services663 Winston Churchill Blvd.Mississauga, ON L5J 4P9CanadaSteven LukacPhone: (905) 855-8711Fax: (905) 855-2921

Associate MembersTriLink Saw ChainCentinnial Tower101 Marietta St NW Ste 2425Atlanta, GA 30303-2708Terry MelenPhone: (520) 638-6258

TriState Forestry Equipment207 Garfi eld AveWest Chester, PA 19380Christina WardPhone: (484) 905-2292Fax: (610) 696-7247www.tristateforestryequipment.com

Your TCIA regional outreach coordinators (ROCs)David Lee, national outreach & retention manager, and New England/New York region dlee@tcia.org Peggy Drescher Midwest (Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois) pdrescher@tcia.orgMargaret Spencer Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma mspencer@tcia.orgDanae Jackson Florida, Georgia djackson@tcia.orgLesa Scarbrough California – lscarbrough@tcia.orgDawn Thierbach Great Lakes (Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky) dthierbach@tcia.orgTravis Vickerson North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia tvickerson@tcia.orgTim AndersonMid-Atlantic (Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania) tanderson@tcia.org

1 6 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 T C I A R E P O R T E R

King in the November 2014 TCI Maga-zine at www.tcia.org, under Publications/TCI Magazine/Magazine Archives.) King was honored with TCIA’s Award of Merit in 1983.

King is survived by a son, John King of Alva, Florida, and a daughter, Muriel La-verty of Nicaragua. He was predeceased by another son, James. He is also survived by numerous grandchildren, great grand-children, nieces and nephews.

Donations in his memory can be made to The Gordon and Frances King Scholarship Fund administered by the Mass Arborists Association, www.massarbor.org; to the Massachusetts Tree Wardens and Forest-ers Association Scholarship Fund, http://masstreewardens.org; or to The Town of Le-verett Blueberry Fund, www.leverett.ma.us.

Robert ReederRobert S. “Bob” Reeder, 82, of Houston,

Texas, , former safety director at Trees, Inc. of Houston, through 2000, passed away Sep-tember 6, 2016. He was a long-time member of the National Arborist Association (now TCIA) Safety Committee. After leaving Trees, Inc., Reeder served as a safety con-sultant in Texas. He was a TCIA Privileged Member.

He received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees at the University of Houston. He was a devout Catholic,

served proudly in the Army, and had a great passion for singing, animals, and his work as a teacher and safety consultant.

He is survived by his son, Joseph Reed-er, daughter, Stefanie Coffey, and four

grandchildren: Arya Reeder, Eve Coffey, Deckard Reeder, and Jonathan Coffey.

Send your company’s Member News to editor@tcia.org.

Member News

Choosing fall protection when using a bucket to access a tree

We fi nd that many TCIA members do not know or truly understand all

that TCIA can do for them. Our “Call of the Month” highlights a request for help from a member – and TCIA’s response to that request. This month’s call was handled by Peter Gerstenberger, TCIA’s senior advi-sor for safety, compliance & standards.

This question from a member stems from the revised federal OSHA “walking/working surfaces” rule requiring the use of either a “fall arrest system (with a full body harness, or FBH) or a “work restraint sys-tem” while aloft in an aerial lift. Q: We supply FBHs for our bucket trucks and our operators use them when they are working out of the bucket. The problem I foresee, and a situation that I have personally found myself in, is when the arborist knows they can do the majority of their work

from the bucket, but that at least some work will have to be completed by put-ting a line in the tree and working aloft outside of the bucket. Instead of wear-ing the FBH, they attach their climbing harness to the lift anchorage, antici-pating a small climb.

Could the arborist wear a FBH over their saddle, in an effort to comply with OSHA without having to purchase an entirely new harness? When no longer needed, they could remove the FBH.

A: TCIA believes the member’s solution is feasible and compliant. For compa-nies that encounter this scenario more frequently, a climbing harness that also functions as a full body harness (i.e.,

with shoulder straps and a dorsal at-tachment point) may be a more effi cient solution.

In either scenario, the arborist must fi rst be secured against falling in the tree and check/test their climbing system before releasing their securement to the lift. The time interval during which they are secured to both the tree and the lift should be as minimal as possible, to avoid any issues that might be caused by movement of either the bucket/plat-form or the tree.

Remember, TCIA staff are here to help with just about any question you may have. If we don’t have the answer, we’ll do our best to help you fi nd it. Call us at 1-800-733-2622. And, if you have an an-ecdote about how a staff member helped you with a question or problem, please email editor@tcia.org.

Call of the Month

Amy Tetreault, TCIA’s former director of marketing, is the association’s new director of development and special programs. She fi lls the position left by Sarah Winslow, who is pursuing a position in development with the University of Massachusetts.

Amy started at TCIA as a mar-keting assistant in 2010, moved up to senior marketing co-ordinator, then director of mar-keting. She left TCIA in April 2016 to explore an opportunity at an integrated

marketing fi rm, but determined that she missed the tree care industry and returned to TCIA in early November.

As the director of development and

special programs, Amy is responsible for leading the association’s fund-raising and development efforts and cultivating and strengthening rela-tionships with current and potential do-nors. She works to coordinate awareness for TCIA’s Partners Advancing Commer-cial Tree Care (PACT) program, the Voice for Trees Political Action Committee, the Arborist Safety Training Institute, and other TCIA Foundation programs. Amy also works with the entire TCIA team to manage large, long-term projects that aim to further the tree care industry.

When she’s not staring intensely at her MacBook screen, Amy is reading, listening to NPR, volunteering, hanging out with her dog, Zealand, and husband, Kris, or hitting the trails for a run.

She can be reached at (603) 314-5380 or atetreault@tcia.org.

Amy Tetreault rejoins TCIA as director of development

Amy Tetreault

Zealand

(Continued from page 10)

Dear Fellow TCIA Members,

TCIA is currently seeking nominations for positions on its Board of Directors for the term

running 2018-21. The positions currently open are for active member companies.

The Board of Directors is comprised of nine industry active tree care company members,

one associate member representative (vendors and suppliers) and the association president.

Its primary role is to establish the association’s strategic direction to influence such things as

how we are perceived by the general public and government, our positioning within the

green industry and the overall advancement of our member tree care businesses.

The TCIA Nominations Committee is charged with identifying leaders to advance these

efforts over the next three years. Accompanying this letter is a listing of the qualifications

for Board members. Serving on the TCIA Board has been a wonderful experience for me. I

have had the opportunity to work with some great people who have a tremendous insight to

our industry. This experience has allowed me to work with colleagues from across the coun-

try who bring unique perspectives to the problems and challenges we all face. The

friendships that I have developed through this process are priceless.

To express your interest in serving on the 2018-2021 Board, or should you wish to nom-

inate a fellow member, please complete and return the accompanying “Candidate for

TCIA Board of Directors Nominator Form” by April 1.

We seek active tree care company members who are ready to serve in a leadership capacity

and who have talents and experience that will compliment and expand the breadth of our

existing team. As senior director and Chair of the Nominations Committee, I can tell you that

we are committed to assembling the most talented team possible to help ensure our industry

continues to grow and prosper well into the future.

Please consider serving.

Sincerely,

Alan Jones

2017-2018 Senior Director

Chair, TCIA Nominations Committee

BOARD OF DIRECTORS QUALIFICATIONS

TCIA seeks and values the following qualities and characteristics in its Board members:

Strategic - Focusing on the big picture.

Visionary – Looking to and anticipating the future. Embracing change and studying past history to learn what has been working well and why.

Communication – Possessing oral and written communication skills to communicate a broad vision to fellow board members and the membership, while also seeking to be a good listener.

Integrity - Supporting an environment of honesty and openness; following through with commitments.

Commitment – Dedicating oneself to the industry, professional leadership, and responsibilities of being a Board member.

Time – Setting aside adequate time to participate in three Board meetings annually, review monthly financial statements, engage in environmental scanning, and devote time to read quarterly reports on the strategic progress of the Association.

Involvement – Having a clear understanding of the TCIA goals and objectives

Team-orientation - Having a collaborative spirit and being interested in coming to the best decision. Being respectful and welcoming of differing ideas and opinions but having the ability to funnel this energy to stay within the TCIA's core values and mission. Leveraging fellow board members' talents and tactfully assisting in the development of their weaker points.

Contributor – Willing to draw on personal experience and support and mentor new Board members.

Expertise – Being active and respected in their particular area of expertise.

Personable – Being approachable and in touch with members at large to mentor and educate them about TCIA's objectives and encourage them to participate

Enthusiasm - Having the desire to serve the TCIA membership

The Nominations Committee should consider the following factors:

1. Is the candidate a principal or corporate officer in a member tree care company? 2. Personal Recommendations 3. Resume Review 4. Diversity of Board Representation – cultural, geographic, size of company 5. Overall Composition of the Board - styles, positions, backgrounds, length of time in business 6. Relevance to TCIA’s Governance Needs – in other words, having qualities that contribute to

a well-rounded team is most important. Qualities needed for decision-making in the next three years may be very different from qualities needed in the past or in the succeeding three years.

Purpose: To act with full authority and responsibility to establish the strategic direction of TCIA; to

develop policies, procedures and regulations for its operation; to monitor the organization’s financial

health, programs, and overall performance; and to provide the President with the resources to meet the

goals and objectives of the organization.

Mission: To advance commercial tree care companies.

Board Responsibilities:

Believe strongly in the vision and mission of TCIA.

Establish the strategic direction.

Establish policies regarding the guidelines and limitations on operations in accomplishing the strategic

direction.

Regularly evaluate the accomplishment of the organization’s goals and objectives.

Attend all Board meetings, orientations, retreats, and industry meetings. (The Chair’s reception at Winter

Management Conference, associate member breakfast and reception, ribbon cutting for trade shows, all

TCI EXPO’s, Legislative Conference, VFT-PAC events and to serve as moderators as requested.)

Publicly represent TCIA consistent with Board policy and position statements and provide any statements

for review in advance by the Chair or the President. All actions by any individual will be consistent with

the best interests of the membership.

Become knowledgeable about all aspects of TCIA including fiduciary and legal responsibility, program-

ming, bylaws, policies, orientation materials, and etc.

Hold the contents of Board meetings in the strictest of confidence, while publicly supporting the final deci-

sion made by the entire Board.

Annually review the conflict of interest policy and sign a statement indicating there are no conflicts of

interest or disclose any conflicts for review by the Board.

Arrive at Board meetings well prepared, well informed, and ready to actively participate by contributing

your expertise and knowledge.

Hire and evaluate the President.

Budget for adequate funding for the association’s goals and objectives.

Monitor financial management, including investments.

Designate depositories/portfolio managers for the investment of TCIA funds.

Authorize the President to enter into binding contracts on TCIA’s behalf.

Author articles for the Reporter.

Support the Voice for Trees Political Action Committee

Make Committee member, Committee Chair, TCIA Representative, and Task Force Appointments

May chair or serve on task forces as needed.

TCIA Board of Directors member position description

CANDIDATE FOR TCIA BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINATOR FORMI recommend that the TCIA Nominations Committee consider the following candidate for a nominee to the TCIA Board of Directors. (Members can recommend themselves.)

Name of Candidate _______________________________________________________

Professional Title of Nominee at TCIA Member Company _____________________________

Name of Nominee’s TCIA Member Company ____________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________________

Phone __________________ Fax ____________________ E-mail _________________

Your recommendation for this Nominee: (Please include industry and association volunteer activities you are aware of at the local, state, and national levels; greatest attributes of the individual; and any professional expertise which TCIA may find valuable – financial, marketing, strategic planning, and etc.)

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

I verify that I have contacted this person, and they are interested in serving on the TCIA Board.To nominate yourself, you do not have to provide a second signature.

Your Name _____________________________ Date_____________

Your TCIA Member Company _____________________________

Phone _______________________ Fax __________________ E-mail ______________

Return by April 1 to mgarvin@tcia.org; fax: (603) 314-5386;or mail to TCIA, 136 Harvey Road - Suite 101, Londonderry, NH 03053.

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1. What were your firm's estimated gross sales in the last fullyear of operation??o Less than $50,000o $50,000 - $99,999o $100,000 - $199,999o $200,000 - $499,999o $500,000 - $999,999o $1 million - $2.9 milliono $3 million - $9.9 milliono Over $10 million

The following questions are about the benefits available to your employees.

2. Which benefits does your company offer to salariedemployees? (Please check all that apply.)o 401(k)o Annual Bonuso Cell phoneso Clothing/boot allowanceo Company vehicleso Continuing education/training

& tuition reimbursemento Dental Insuranceo Employee-only Health Plano Family Health Plano Fuel allowanceo Life insuranceo Paid Holidayso Paid Sick Leaveo Paid Vacationo Profit Sharingo Other (please specfy)________________________

3. Which benefits does your company offer to hourlyemployees? (Please check all that apply.)o 401(k)o Annual Bonuso Cell phoneso Clothing/boot allowanceo Company vehicleso Continuing education/training

& tuition reimbursemento Dental Insuranceo Employee-only Health Plano Family Health Plano Fuel allowanceo Life insuranceo Paid Holidayso Paid Sick Leaveo Paid Vacationo Profit Sharingo Other (please specfy)________________________

4. Would you like to share any additional comments regard-ing employee benefits offered at your company?

Welcome to the TCIA 2016 Wage and Benefit Survey. Participating in this survey is FREE and is an investment in your organization. All datawill be treated confidentially and aggregated in a way that prevents identification ofindividual companies. The deadline to complete and return the survey is January 31, 2017. Participants will

receive a FREE copy of the results. Non-participants must pay $99 to access results. As an added incentive, all participants will be entered into a drawing to win an iPad Mini! You will also receive the 2015 Wage and Benefit Survey results for free. Please include your company name and email address so the results can be emailed to you. Thank you for your participation!If you have any questions about the survey, contact TCIA at 1-800-733-2672 or email info@tcia.org. Void where prohibited by law. All federal, state and local laws apply.You can also enter the drawing by hand printing your name, address, daytime phone number and birth date on a 3-inch x 5-inch index card and mail to: TCIA, 136 Harvey Road Suite 101 Londonderry, NH 03053.

Note: If you have already completed this survey, we have your informationand you do not need to send it again. Thank for your participation!

Please fax completed form to (603) 314-5385

2016 Wage & Benefit Survey As an added incentive, all participants will be entered intoa drawing to win an iPad Mini!(For drawing details, see page 5 of the survey online,

www.surveymonkey.com/r/D6P3HMM)

The following questions apply to starting 2016 salaries (i.e. January, February, March 2016 salaries).

5. Annual Salaries by Job Title. Please include total annualcompensation including salary, commission, bonus andprofit sharing. (Please exclude independent contractors andofficers of the company. Where "other" is specified, pleaseindicate title and hourly wage.)

President/CEO/Owner ______________________

Production/Operations Manager ________________

Office Manager____________________________

Supervisor ______________________________

Sales Representative________________________

Accountant/Bookkeeper ______________________

Other (Title, wage) _________________________

Other (Title, wage) _________________________

6. Please fill in the highest hourly wage paid in starting 2016salaries (February/March 2016) to the following field posi-tions:(Please exclude independent contractors and officers ofthe company. Where "other" is specified, please indicate titleand hourly wage.)

Full-time Aerial Lift Operator __________________

Full-time Tree Care Foreperson ________________

Full-time Landscape Foreperson ________________

Full-time PHC/Spray Foreperson ________________

Full-time Climber __________________________

Full-time PHC/Spray Technician ________________

Full-time Ground Person/Laborer________________

Other Full-time (Title, wage) __________________

Other Full-time (Title, wage) __________________

Other Full-time (Title, wage) __________________

Don't forget, as an added incentive, all participantswill be entered into a drawing to win a iPad Mini! Seeall the rules and regulations on page 5 of the survey

online, www.surveymonkey.com/r/D6P3HMM) Please fax completed form to (603) 314-5385

Great Lake States (IL, MN, WI, MI, IN, OH)

Great Plains States (ND, SD, NE, KS, MO, IA)

Mid-Atlantic (MD, DE, DC, VA, WV)

Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT)

Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)

Rocky Mountain (CO, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY)

Southwest (AZ, NM, OK, TX)

Southeast (AL, AR, LA, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN)

9. Please indicate if your tree care company is TCIA Accredited.

My company is not TCIA Accredited

My company is TCIA Accredited

7. Please fill in the lowest hourly wage paid in starting 2016salaries (January, February, March 2016) to the followingfield positions: (Please exclude independent contractors andofficers of the company . Where "other" is specified, pleaseindicate title and hourly wage.)

Full-time Aerial Lift Operator __________________

Full-time Tree Care Foreperson ________________

Full-time Landscape Foreperson ________________

Full-time PHC/Spray Foreperson ________________

Full-time Climber __________________________

Full-time PHC/Spray T echnician ________________

Full-time Ground Person/Laborer ________________

Other Full-time (Title, wage) __________________

Other Full-time (Title, wage) __________________

Other Full-time (Title, wage) __________________

8. Please indicate in what region(s) you operate?(select all that apply.)

10. Please include your company name to ensure you receive the results when finalized.

_________________________________________

11. Please include the email address where you would like the results emailed when finalized.

_________________________________________

Don’t Use Climbing Spikes When Pruning Trees

Is your tree care provider using spikes to climb while pruning your trees? Ouch!

Climbing spikes are sharpened steel spikes attached to the climber’s leg by leather straps and padded supports. A tree worker should

only use them to access trees being removed. When these spikes are used on living trees, it is traumatizing to the tree and creates unnec-

essary damage.

Each puncture from a climbing spike produces a certain amount of tree tissue death, though this varies from tree to tree. In most cases,

isolated wounds will seal, but over time, groupings of spike holes can cause the entire area on the trunk to die back with no chance of

recovery. This happens when a tree is repeatedly climbed for pruning while using spikes.

The likelihood of piercing the cambium (living tissue beneath the bark) is high, even with larger trees and thick bark. If soon after the

work is performed with spikes there is sap oozing from the wounds, the tree is responding to spike damage. Repeated damage of this type

is harmful to the tree.

So why would climbers use spikes if they are harmful to the tree?

There are a few exceptional situations where using spikes is appropriate, such as:

• when the tree is being removed.

• when branches are more than throwline distance apart and there is no other means of climbing the tree (for example: when there are

no branches lower than 50 feet), with no access for an aerial lift device or crane.

• if the tree is too close to power lines and cannot be accessed safely by other means.

• to reach an injured climber.

Professional tree care companies are aware of the dangers of spikes and use proper tree equipment such as ropes and climbing harnesses

to climb (or aerial lift devices or cranes, if accessible). This, coupled with their training and experience, contributes to the future health of

the tree.

Homeowners searching for qualified tree care companies should look for the following:

• Good References: Ask for references, and check on the quality of their work. Don’t be rushed by a bargain and don’t pay in advance.

• Proof of Insurance: Ask for current certificates of liability and workers’ compensation insurance, if applicable. Be aware that if the tree

care company you hire doesn’t have insurance or is not a legal company, you could be held responsible as a contractor.

• Solid Reputation: Verify professional affiliations the company might have, such as memberships in business and/or professional organ-

izations such as the Tree Care Industry Association.

• Up-to-Date Knowledge: Ask if they follow ANSI Standards. A professional arborist will be aware of the current safety, pruning, fer-

tilizing and cabling standards.

• Contract: Insist on a signed contract as to cost, dates when work is to be performed, and exactly what is to be done. Insist that climbing

spikes are used only if the tree is to be cut down.

Find a Professional

A professional arborist can assess your landscape and work with you to determine the best trees and shrubs to plant for your existing

landscape. Contact the Tree Care Industry Association, a public and professional resource on trees and arboriculture since 1938.

136 Harvey Road

Londonderry, NH 03053

Email: info@tcia.org

Website: treecaretips.org

Tel: (603) 314-5380; 1-800-733-2622

Fax: (603) 314-5386

Contact: Tchukki Andersen, CTSP, BCMA

Email: tandersen@tcia.orgFor immediate release

(Page 1 of 2)Editors: If you would like additional information or digital photos, please contact marketing@tcia.org

TCIA arborists, safety and business professionals are also available as sources for tree related articles and issues: 1-800-733-2622 or tandersen@tcia.org.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, TCIA has more than 2,300 member tree care firms and affiliated companies who recognize strin-

gent safety and performance standards and who are required to carry liability insurance. TCIA also has the nation’s only Accreditation

program that helps consumers find tree care companies that have been inspected and accredited based on: adherence to industry standards

for quality and safety; maintenance of trained, professional staff; and dedication to ethics and quality in business practices. For more, visit

www.tcia.org or www.treecaretips.org.

(Page 2 of 2)Editors: If you would like additional information or digital photos, please contact marketing@tcia.org

TCIA arborists, safety and business professionals are also available as sources for tree related articles and issues: 1-800-733-2622 or tandersen@tcia.org.