For more than 30 years, Arbor Age magazine has been covering new and innovative products, services, technology and research vital to tree care companies, municipal arborists and utility right-of-way maintenance companies
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/287424
1030 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 230, Park Ridge, IL 60068 www.arborage.com Group Publisher Jeff Patterson 763-383-4458 jpatterson@epgmediallc.com Editorial Staff Associate Publisher, Editor John Kmitta jkmitta@specialtyim.com Production Team Art Director Adam Lane Production Manager Karen Kalinyak Direct Mail List Sales Jim Scova, MeritDirect 914-368-1012 jscova@MeritDirect.com Reprint Service Debra Welter, Circulation & Audience Development Manager 847-720-5614 847-720-5601 (fax) dwelter@specialtyim.com For subscription inquiries and customer service questions please call: 845-856-2229; 845-856-5822 (fax) Advertising Account Managers Chris Pelikan Senior Account Manager - East 954-964-8676 cpelikan@epgmediallc.com Peggy Tupper Senior Account Manager - Midwest 763-383-4429 ptupper@epgmediallc.com Leslie Palmer Senior Account Manager - West 248-731-7596 lpalmer@specialtyim.com Publisher's Notice: We assume no responsibility for the validity of advertising claims in connection with items appearing in Arbor Age. Reader Service Numbers are given to facilitate further inquiry. Commercial product names are used for the convenience of the reader. Mention of a commercial product does not imply endorsement by Arbor Age or Specialty Information Media, or preference over similar products not mentioned. FROM THE EDITOR Stay Smart, Stay Safe Arbor Age columnist, Michael "House" Tain, often points out that his articles are too short to be all encompassing, and that there is a wealth of additional information available to tree care industry professionals on the topics of train- ing and education. But his message is still very clear — training and education are vitally important to our industry, especially when it comes to safety. The lead news item on page 8 of this issue presents the Tree Care Industry Association's (TCIA) fi ndings with regard to 2013 occupational tree care accidents. The news is sobering, and is a stark reminder that we cannot take workplace safety too lightly. As you well know, operating cutting, chipping and grinding equipment, and/or working at height (either from a climbing line or from a bucket) are demanding tasks — physically and mentally. And the tips and techniques presented in Arbor Age may seem like common sense or common knowl- edge. But the people who become statistics on the accident report each year are unfortunately a testament that preparation, knowledge, teamwork and communication are vital to going home safely at the end of the day. I once asked one of my contacts in the landscape industry, Rich Arlington of Rich Arlington & Associates, how he responds to those who think they know better or don't want to be open to his advice. "Anybody who takes their business seriously is willing to listen to others," he said. "They value the sharing of knowledge; they value the networking that can take place." The TCIA accident fi ndings report does show that TCIA member compa- nies have a much lower rate of accident than non-member companies. This further underlines the importance of creating a professional, trained, safety- conscious workplace. So I urge all of you to invest time and effort into training and education; share our publication and other industry journals with your crews; bring your team to industry events such as the International Society of Arboriculture Conference and Show and the Tree Care Industry Expo; seek out regional semi- nars and training sessions; strive for professional certifi cation; as well as share your knowledge and your questions with other industry professionals. Also, stay abreast of the latest tips, trends and tools to make your life and the lives of your crew members safer. The number of serious accidents in the tree care industry continues to rise. Let's work to reverse that trend. Picture this On a separate note: In an effort to get you, the reader, even more involved in Arbor Age maga- zine, we would like to get from you high-quality photography for possible publication. If you have photos of your crews at work, we would love to see them. Please include a detailed caption ex- plaining any photos you submit, along with your company name, location, and other pertinent details. We recommend that photos be taken with an approximate 5 megapixels setting (or at least a 9" x 12", 300 dpi, jpeg). Photos can be e-mailed directly to my atten- tion at jkmitta@specialtyim.com. John Kmitta Associate Publisher, Editor 847-720-5613 jkmitta@specialtyim.com 6 Arbor Age / April 2014 www.arborage.com