City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/30662
Partners Updates Utility Arborist Association Tree Growth Regulators and Municipal-Utility Partnerships by Jim Neeser, National Utility Sales Manager, Rainbow Treecare Scientific Advancements P erception is everything! An arborist is a professional trained in the art and science of planting, caring for, and maintaining individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants. Even though this is the percep- tion of professionals in the industry, this doesn’t always carry through to the general public. Utility arborists are often referred to as “tree butchers” or “a necessary evil” when they are performing their work. So what can municipal and utility arborists do to raise the standards and perceptions of the entire arboricultural industry? To fully understand why this perception exists we must first look at the stakeholders. The municipal arborist, utility arborist, and the homeowner all have different objectives when it comes to managing a tree. Municipal arborists are primarily concerned with safety, the ben- efits of trees, and the health of trees. They utilize their skills to improve the health of the urban forest to pro- vide economical, ecological, and social benefits to the people living in and visiting their communities. Utility arborists are primarily concerned with safety, delivering reliable power, reducing costs, and improving customer relations. They utilize their skills to ensure that when you flip the switch in your house, the light turns on, and that nobody is injured during the process of transport- ing that energy from a power plant to your home. A homeowner’s objective is to have beautiful trees on his or her property and in the community. The difference in objectives is what leads to the negative perception. What tools are being used to change the perception of utility arborists as “tree butchers”? Currently the main tools being used are professional organizations and education. Groups like the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA), and the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) all work to improve the professionalism and perception of arborists through ANSI standards, best manage- ment practices (BMPs), certifications, and programs such as “Right Tree, Right Place”. Sharing informa- tion between groups at conferences and in magazine articles like this is a great way to explain the objec- tives of both municipal and utility arborists, as well as the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was drafted and approved between the SMA and the UAA. These are great tools from an educational perspec- tive, but not necessarily from the practical field side of arboriculture. Tree growth regulators are a valuable Live oaks (Quercus virginiana) in southern Alabama eleven months after pruning. The tree on the left was treated with paclobutrazol while the tree on the right is an untreated control. 16 City Trees