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INDUSTRY NEWS ISA names the 2011 True Professionals of Arboriculture The International Society of Arboriculture announced the 2011 winners of its True Professionals of Arboriculture recognition program: Richard Adkins, Forestry supervisor, City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department, Phoenix, Arizona Richard Adkins said managing trees and the urban forest is not clearly understood by city leaders and the public. It's why he leads programs like the Tree Care Academy for city mainte- nance staff, Brown Bag Lunch presentations for city employees, and the Shade Phoenix 2030 Master Plan; all of which show trees are critical to the city's infrastructure and sustainability. Casey Combs, ISA Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philadelphia. Casey Combs manages numerous creative and formative tree care programs in eastern Pennsylvania, such as Philly Tree Map, Plant One Million, and the Tree Tenders. Combs is credited for his work with the nonprofit, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS.), while operating with a lean budget. Philly Tree Map is a free computer software resource that identifies tree species and maps them. The goal is to help people get more interactive with urban forestry. Mike Galvin, ISA Certified Arborist and former deputy director, Casey Trees, Washington, D.C. Mike Galvin is responsible for developing the nation's first Tree Report Card, which looks at the tree canopy in Washington, D.C., and shows how many trees there are and where they are located. It grades the city in five key areas: awareness, coverage, health, planting, and protection. Among Galvin's other achievements is improving tree care licensing in Maryland. Gordon Mann, arborist consultant, business owner, and former municipal forester, Mann Made Resources, Auburn, Calif. When a United Nations World Environment Day was celebrated in San Francisco in 2005, Gordon Mann decided to hold a local event connected to the Tour des Trees, an annual fundraiser for tree research and education endowment (TREE Fund). He also helped launch the nonprofit, City Trees, in Redwood City. Carl Mellinger, ISA Certified Arborist, consultant, business owner, Mellinger Tree and Landscape Service, Pacific Palisades, Calif. Carl Mellinger supports his workers by offering uniforms, registers them for regular conferences and workshops, provides them with Spanish handbooks — all as a focus to improve customer service and apply the best in tree care. Because of the need in Southern California, Mellinger pushed for increasing the translation of arborist publications into Spanish, as well as expanding seminars in Spanish. He helped launch the John Britton Fund to raise money for tree research. William Spradley, instructor, consultant, lecturer, business owner, Trees, Forests and Landscapes, Inc., Kirkwood, Mo. A consulting job at Boys and Girls Town in St. James, Mo., showed the campus landscape was suffering and there wasn't any money to accomplish the restoration goal. Thanks to donations of trees, mulch, equipment and manpower, Bill Spradley and his crew pared down what would have been a $30,000 to $40,000 landscape project to a cost of only $3,000 to $4,000. Spradley also launched a tree recovery program at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri, after a major ice storm damaged historic pin oaks and red oaks there. Tim Womick, self-employed contractor with state forest agencies and nonprofit organizations, performance artist, Asheboro, N.C. Tim Womick once ran through the state of Georgia to spread the message of how $18 billion in jobs is added to the economy there thanks to trees. For 10 years, the National Tree Trust gave Womick the industrial backing to educate, plant, and promote community volunteerism. Those ideals are still part of his agenda. Co-founding the nonprofit, Trees NC, is considered one of his best accomplishments as a True Professional. www.arborage.com Arbor Age / September 2011 7