tree service canada #9 spring 2009

Volume 3 Issue 4 Spring 2009 $5.00

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FEATURE XXX RATing

Rare trees need more sex.It’s something that’s

important to their survival, according to University of Guelph researcher Dr. Peter Kevan. Sex—or propagation—isn’t a big issue when there are many trees of any given spe-cies within a region, Kevan explains. It is a concern for rare species.

For Canada’s rarest tree—the red mulberry—a foreign interloper is the problem. When Morus rubra crosses with white mulberry orna-mentals, hybridization occurs and the genetics are diluted.

A more common issue for rare trees relates to isola-tion. The challenge facing the cucumber tree in Ontario is a prime example. “Our studies indicate that it must cross-pollinate to produce seed,” Kevan says. “The trees we have in Ontario are mostly isolated individuals . . . There are very few places where you see a small stand.” In the case of the cucumber tree—Magnolia acuminata—viable seed can be only produced when pollen moves between trees, even though individual trees have both male and female reproductive parts. Kevan says the cucumber tree’s complicated propagation ritual begins with the emergence of the flowers. These remain upright for three to five days forming an insect trap. There’s a waxy, slippery inner surface and a re-curved shape to the stigma that prevent such insects as the soldier beetle from escaping once they’ve entered.

Only after prodigious amounts of pollen have been produced to coat the insects does the flower open further to allow the insects to move on to other trees.

The cucumber tree fruit that forms changes from green to red and emits an aromatic scent that’s attractive to finches and other birds. These eat the fruit and later excrete the seed.

Rare trees need ooh la la!Lack of mates and mating situations threaten some species

Sex—or propagation—isn’t a big issue when there are many trees of any given species within a region, says Dr. Peter Kevan. However, it is a concern for rare species.

New life for old trees

City Forester ivan Listar

(pictured) says there’s been

warm response from residents

to the City of London’s inno-

vative trans-formation of

aging trees into cultural art.

The Donohue Tree, created by

artist Robbin Wenzowski, is one example.B Y J E F F R E Y C A R T E R

The Forest City—London, Ontar-io—is giving a new lease on life to trees that would otherwise have been ground into wood chips.

The city has hired a pair of carvers who’ve transformed a select group of tree trunks into art. City Forester Ivan Listar says the effort may be innovative in some respects but it is certainly not a new idea.

“Trees have been really impor-tant to a lot of cultures through the ages . . . Celtic clans or tribes named themselves after trees . . . most of the aboriginal cultures in North America had some sort of arborglyph tradition.”

The term arborglyph, Listar says, refers to the cultural modifica-tion of trees. While some markings may be best likened to graffiti, there are also traditions that have gained a great deal of esteem.

First Nations along Canada’s West Coast, including the Bella Coola, Haida and Gitxan, are renowned for the tradition of transforming cedar trees into totem

URBAn SOiLS

Big trees best

Continued on page 5

Continued on page 4

B Y J E F F R E Y C A R T E R

An urban forest researcher and professor at Virginia Tech feels municipal officials can be convinced to spend the money to grow bigger trees across their city landscapes.

In the long term, there’s a greater payback in terms of cooling power, storm water control, cleaner air, wildlife habitat and a range of other benefits, Dr. Eric Wiseman says.

“Larger stature trees have a much higher net benefit compared to small and medium-sized trees

They may cost more to maintain but the net benefits outweigh those of medium and small-sized trees

Continued on page 11

INSIDE:• Upgrading tree appraisal

techniques, p 3

• Avoiding shock load, p 10

• Technical tree felling, p 14

Coming soon. . .

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The bible of tree appraisal for North American arborists is getting an update.

Industry participants can expect The Guide for Plant Appraisals, 10th Edition, to provide a broader and more detailed explanation of the subject, according to expert tree appraiser and consultant Logan Nelson.

Nelson spoke at the 60th annual conference of the Ontario Chap-ter of the International Society of Arboriculture in London in Febru-ary.

She says the value of any given tree is a matter of perspective and how any given problem related to it is defined. It’s important to first understand the purpose for the appraisal before moving ahead.

“You need to know what the evaluation is going to be used for to understand the value,” she says.

“At the end of the day you can have people fighting and they’re not talking apples to apples; they’re talk-ing apples to oranges.”

There can be some interesting connotations to such situations.

If a tree is being evaluated for real estate purposes, there are times when little or any value may be attached—and trees might even be viewed as a cost.

For instance, if trees block the view of a lake, they may of limited value to potential buyers.

A similar type of thinking comes into play depending

on the most valued use of any given piece of property. Nelson cited the example of her family’s little farm outside Madison, Wisconsin.

The farm includes property next to the on and off ramps of a major interstate highway. The area is slated for eventual development. As with the tree blocking the view of the lake, any trees next to the ramps hold limited value since the high-est value use for the area will be for development.

More often, however, trees are viewed as a positive asset and there can be circumstances whereby their value needs to be determined. If a tornado downs trees on a property, the value of those trees as an insur-ance claim may need to be evaluated.

There are different ways of doing this and the preferred method depends on the intent of your client.

What’s most recognized in legis-lation circles is market value. That’s generally established by comparing real estate sales figures in a region to come up with an idea of how much trees contribute to the value of prop-erties. It’s an approach that arborists

might use, but only if they’re skilled with the technique or are working with a knowledgeable real estate agent.

Typically, about 20 to 25 per cent of residential prop-erty value can be attached to the land while five to 10 per cent of the land value can be attached to the landscaping. From there, it’s a matter of math, attaching specific values to the various landscape features, including the trees.

A second way well explained in The Guide for Plant

Appraisals, 9th edition, is the Trunk Formula Method. It’s a combination of tree measurements, such as trunk circum-ference, replacement cost based on regional comparisons, installation cost, species and other factors while taking into account the tree condition for depreciation purposes.

Arborists can also look at the 9th edition’s Replace-ment Cost Method, or cost of cure, which essentially estimates a replacement value based on the replacement providing an equivalent service—such as providing shade. In this case, the tree used as a replacement need not neces-sarily be an exact duplicate or even of the same species.

Nelson suggests arborists, when possible, rely on one or two of the three methods in estimating tree values.

“The more evidence you gather, the stronger your case will be . . . I think we all have an idea of what’s reasonable . . . and when you have established a number, you advocate for your opinion, not the client.” Tree appraisal is a nuanced and subjective exercise in many respects. Some homeowners may attach sentimental value to a particular tree. In other instances, the future value of a tree might be a factor that needs to be taken into consideration. There may also be times in which bigger does not nec-essarily equate with greater value. A tree near the end of its useful life may be worth less than one that’s just been planted.

The Guide for Plant Appraisal, 9th edition, is cur-rently being revised by the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers.

What’s most recognized in legislation circles is the market value of a tree.

According to expert tree appraiser Logan nelson, tree service industry par-ticipants can expect The guide for Plant Appraisals, 10th Edition, to provide broader and more detailed explana-tions about appraisals.

Tree Evaluation

Appraisal techniques to get upgrade

N EWS

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The Kentucky coffee tree—Gymnocladus dioci-ca—must also cross pollinate but they’re a dioecious species with both male and female trees. In Ontario, there are instances of isolated stands of female clones that will never set fruit for want of a male partner.

As with the cucumber tree, Kevan is fascinated with the Kentucky coffee tree’s love life. Night-flying insects looking for nectar facilitate the sex. Fertilized female trees produce large seed pods that squirrels cut from the tree. The seeds have a dense, hard coat that can require two years to germinate naturally.

The Pawpaw—Asimina triloba—has an equally interesting sex life. It’s found in a few places, such as along the Big Otter Creek in Elgin County and at Jack Miner’s bird sanctuary in Essex County. Kevan suspects it arrived in Ontario when aboriginal people brought the seed with them.

Isolation is a concern. While there may be many trees in a stand, they are sometimes solely composed of root-sprouted clones. The Pawpaw requires cross-pollination for propagation.

Where cross-pollination can occur, the produc-tion of viable seed isn’t an issue. Smelly flowers attract a wide array of insects. The edible fruit is fairly large and quite tasty—a bit like banana in flavour—when harvested at exactly the right stage. Raccoons and probably deer disperse the seed after they consume the fruit.

Chestnut blight is the chief concern for the American chestnut—Castanea dentata. It was once a dominant forest tree throughout much of the East-ern United States and parts of Southern Ontario.“It was said that a squirrel could travel from one end of the Appalachians to the other without leaving the chestnuts,” Kevan says.

Isolated trees will not self-pollinate. Pollination occurs through the combined action of wind and small flying insects.

The American chestnut will replicate itself through suckering but that can occur only so many times. Some blight-resistant cultivars have been identified. Kevan spoke at the annual meeting of the Ontario Chapter of the International Society of Arboricul-ture in London in February. He’s worked from the high Canadian arctic where trees are as short as a few centimeters to Indonesia where he’s climbed to the upper reaches of tropical giants. In recent years, Kevan has focused on Carolinian species growing in Southwestern Ontario.

~JC

The Kentucky coffee tree’s love life is

also lively. Night-flying insects look-

ing for nectar facilitate the sex. Fertil-

ized female trees produce large seed

pods that squirrels cut from the tree.

Lack of mates and mating situations threaten some speciescontinued from cover

COVE R STO RY


poles and funeral poles, a practice that reflects their rich cultural and spiritual lives.

The story for London is not all that different.Many of the 15 works created so far by artists

Robbin Wenzowksi and Neil Cox are inspired by the community. The example outside London’s drug rehabilitation centre is a prime example. It’s intend-ed to give people hope.

“Even though it’s considered public art, I think it’s more than that. It’s part of the culture. These are basically culturally modified trees.”

The London initiative was started by members of a local community organization who may have been inspired by a similar project in Orangeville, Ontario. The city has since become involved and there’s support from Stihl Canada.

The sculptures are made with a combination of power tools, including chainsaws, and hand tools and many are quite detailed, taking several weeks to create. The average commission is worth around $3,500.

It’s expected they’ll have an outdoor lifespan of about 10 years. After that, consideration will be given to moving them under cover.

Listar suggests other municipalities consider-ing a similar project should put a strategic plan into place.

Carvings are probably best located in visible locations and consideration might be given to mov-ing some trunks in new locations. In London, the city-sponsored sculptures concentrated in the down-town area.

Consideration needs to be given to maintenance, including a decommissioning plan. London also has a design approval process and the carvings are coordinated so that uncarved tree trunks are not left standing for a long period.

Along with their tourism potential, the carvings provide London with a more interesting option for some of the trees that need to be removed.

Aging trees are a considerable challenge for the

city. Listar says many are close to century old and suffering from the ravages of time.

The city is currently conducting a broad assess-ment of its canopy including the substantial rural areas that are now part of the municipality. The idea is to better understand the numbers, species mix and the environmental benefits.

There are more than 160,000 street and park trees in London. Roughly 34 per cent are maples, including a large contingent of Norway maples, sil-ver maples and sugar maples. There are also signifi-cant numbers of lindens, spruce, locust and ash.

Along with Listar, there are 15 city employees involved with the tree work in London including forestry supervisor Andy Beaton. Davey Tree is contracted for some of the pruning and removal work.

Listar says London, a city with more than 350,000 residents, has an annual tree budget of about $2.3 million. About 2,500 trees are plant-ed annually.

The city, founded in 1826, has long been known as the “Forest City.” This refers to the fact that it was once surrounded by forest. Listar spoke in London in Febru-ary at the annual conference spon-sored by the Ontario Chapter of the International Society of Arboricul-ture.

Along with their tourism potential, the

carvings provide London with a more

interesting option for some of the trees

that need to be removed.

New life for old trees continued from cover

COVE R STO RY

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HERiTAgE TREES

Roadside maples are making a comeback in Ontario. “We’re looking for older sugar maples along roadsides,” woodlot management consultant Anne-Marie Roussey says. “The few remaining trees that are healthy are the ones I want for my breeding program. They’ve sur-vived even though they’ve been exposed to salt and pollution.”

Roussey, who’s funded by the Canadian Tree Fund, wants to use those superior roadside genet-ics to establish a maple seed orchard. From there, seedlings can be produced to eventually repopulate Ontario rural concessions.

Simply collecting the seed might seem the obvi-ous strategy but there’s a drawback. Sugar maples grown from seed take more than 20 years to pro-duce viable seed themselves. As a consequence, Roussey has been using an alternative propagation method known as air-layer-ing to speed up the process. This involves exposing the cambium layer on the twigs of mature trees and applying a rooting hor-mone. The twig is then surrounded with a plastic bag containing moist earth. With a little luck, twigs treated in this manner will produce roots in six to 10 weeks. It’s a tricky procedure. Success seems dependent upon the weather patterns in any given year. The payoff is cloned saplings that will produce viable seed in just six to eight years. Roussey needs help. Rural Ontario residents with candidate roadside maples in mind can send her an e-mail at [email protected] or give her a call at 519-925-0439. She’s also looking for a location for a seed orchard where the saplings can be located. The orchard will need to be isolated from other maples by at least 130 metres. That’s the furthest distance that maple pollen will travel, according to research Roussey has conducted in Dufferin County. She’s also discovered that sugar maples rely solely on wind pollination to propagate naturally. That goes against suggestions from other authorities that insects have a role. With a seed orchard established, candidate maples could be cross-pollinated, producing what Roussey hopes will be trees that are better able to flour-ish next to roads. Along with genetics from select Ontario specimens, she’s been using the air-layering technique to clone maples along the East Coast that are naturally exposed to high-salt situations. Roadsides are not the ideal location for native maples, Roussey says. Along with the stresses of salt and air pollution, ditch-clearing operations often damage their root systems. Many of today’s big roadside maples were trans-planted from nearby woodlots nearly a century ago. According to the late Henry Koch, the interpretive horticulturalist at the University of Guelph, farmers were paid as much as 25 cents for each tree surviv-ing into the following year. The government program was a response to erosion concerns. Much of the tree cover in rural

Ontario had been removed by the late 1800s and erosion was a pressing concern, especially in areas of sandy soils. Roussey’s effort was inspired by Ken Jewett, founder of another tree-loving organization, Maple Leaves Forever. Jewett is supporting the planting of maples in Canada with his own program. Maple Leaves Forever, which is primarily funded by Jewett himself, pays for half the cost of the trees and any applicable taxes. Landowners pay the other half and are responsible for transportation and maintenance. The prerequisite is that trees are native to the region where they’re to be planted. Most Ontario nurseries market hybrid maples that are shipped in from Michigan or Oregon, Jewett explains. There are limits to Jewett’s philanthropic fervour. He says Maple Leaves Forever can probably spend no more than $200,000 annually on the program. Jewett is retired. He started in business with the Abitibi Paper Company in 1950 and in 1970 started Marsan Foods. For details, visit the organization’s website at www.mapleleavesforever.com.

~JC

Roadside maples are making a comebackToughest survivors to parent new orchard

Anne-Marie Roussey, who’s funded by the Cana-dian Tree Fund, wants to use the superior genet-ics of roadside trees to establish a maple seed orchard.

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Ontario programs recognizing big and historic trees help boost the public’s awareness of the value of trees in the province.

The Honour Roll of Ontario Trees sponsored by the Ontario Forestry Association dates back to 1967. It recognizes the largest native trees in Ontar-io.

“We probably get five or six inquiries a month about the honour roll . . . people like the biggest and the best,” Carla Grant, executive director of the Ontario Forestry Association, says.

“This pulls on the sentimental voices that people have for trees.”The Ontario Heritage Trees Program, sponsored by Trees Ontario and the

Ontario Urban Forestry Council, is relatively new.Individual trees or groves of trees need not necessarily be big to be des-

ignated or be native to Ontario but they should have some historical value, according to Rob Keen, program manager with Trees Ontario. This includes: displaying evidence of cultural modification; having achieved landmark status in a community; having a historical tie to a person, place or event; or being associated with local folklore, myths or traditions.

Keen says the heritage tree program was launched a few years ago by the OUFC. Trees Ontario has only recently become involved. A website is soon to be launched and there are plans to encourage community involvement across Ontario.

This might include community tree hunts that culminate in the certifica-tion of trees or groups of trees. One idea is to have school children collect seed from heritage trees in their area for propagation.

Field supervisors with Trees Ontario have been trained in the certification process. More will be needed.

While the heritage program is gaining momentum, the honour roll pro-gram continues to capture the imagination of Ontario residents.

The honour roll is currently being updated, with an emphasis on new nominees and an assessment of past designations. A combination of height and circumference is used to determine which are the biggest trees.

For more information, visit the Ontario Forest Association website at www.ofor-est.on.ca.

More detailed information concerning the heritage tree program is to be available on the Trees Ontario website at www.treesontario.ca sometime this spring.

Making the honour roll

Ontario tree programs recognize big and historic examples

“We probably get five or six inquiries a month about the honour roll . . . people like the biggest and the best,” says Carla grant, executive director of the Ontario Forestry Associa-tion.

Rob Keen, program manager with Trees Ontario

This huge walnut in Prince Edward County oak could be a candidate for the Ontario Heritage Trees Program.

(Photo courtesy of Trees Ontario)

This huge red oak in Prince Edward County oak, being admired by a fellow next to the trunk, could be a candidate for the Ontario Heritage Trees Program.

(Photo courtesy of Trees Ontario)

HERiTAgE TREES

N EWS


Risk assessment is easy if all the assessor ever does is use the rating scheme to condemn the tree. This approach undoubtedly gives the assessor comfort since they really don’t have to think too hard, or justify why the tree does not need to be removed. However, using risk assessment as a means to remove trees is not the true intent of the system.

We assess risk as a part of a due diligence program. This means that we search for the extreme risk trees that need to be removed right away; the high risk trees that will become the obvious extreme risk trees in a few years, possibly sooner; and the moderate or low risk trees that are of no obvious concern for many years to come. In many cases, and especially where the trees are commonplace and have no outstanding merits (other than that they are trees providing a range of useful benefits), we may not need to justify very detailed

assessment. But some old and valuable trees in the landscape have extraordinary values, such as cultural or heritage significance, and the assessment process can then be used to justify retention subject to specific management recommendations.

When assessing tree risk, one of the key factors to examine is the probability of failure (POF). We are trying to see whether or not the entire tree, or one or more of its component parts, is about to fail. If not, then the POF is rated low and thus the overall risk is also low. If the POF is moderate or high, then the asses-sor should examine this factor in more detail.

When considering the POF we examine the biological and mechanical properties of the tree. Initially, we use visual assess-ment—that is, we look at the vis-ible parts of the tree from all sides to see if there are any aspects that indicate internal problems. We look for site condition factors, as well as cracks, abnormal bulges or bark patterns, lean, move-ment in the ground, dead limbs or crown dieback, fungal conks, or cavities. We may find many of the above factors. We call these visible aspects in or on the tree ‘defects’ but we must be care-ful how we use that term. In the Pacific Northwest ISA risk course that I have developed, we define defect as “One or more observable forms of injury, abnormal growth or bark pattern, or disease that may have altered the structural capabili-ties of stems, roots, or branches of trees, possibly predisposing them to fail sooner rather than later.” Note that just because you see a defect,

it does not immediately mean the POF is high. It is up to the asses-sor to see and interpret each of the attributes, and relate that to the many possible modes of fail-ure. In many cases, failure is not sudden or catastrophic (though it can be). Fungal conks certainly mean the tree has some decay. But how much? And is that enough to weaken the structure to an imminent point of failure, or will the tree be structurally sound for many decades to come? A crack in a lateral limb certainly indicates a mechanical failure and the structure now has very different properties than before the failure. Should we automati-cally condemn the limb or tree?

It depends. If the target rating is low, then it may not matter if the component does fail—the likeli-hood of damage is low so the overall risk may in fact be quite

acceptable, and the tree can be left alone. In subsequent years it may react and develop adaptive growth to offset the crack.

The risk assessor needs to be able to read and interpret many factors. Knowing the basic bio-logical and mechanical principles in trees is vital. Once those are well understood they can be applied to most species as a start-ing point. Sometimes additional information will be required in order to provide more certainty about what is taking place inside the tree. There are many ways to gain additional knowledge rang-ing from simple coring or drilling methods, to the more sophisti-cated resistance drilling machines,

Sonic tomography units such as the PICUS or Arbortom, ground penetrating radar, the newly emerging thermal imaging tech-niques, and controlled pulling techniques. Of course, we have to recognize that merely because we can use these machines does not necessarily mean that they will provide a better answer. In all cases the results of the tests require user interpretation, which can itself require very detailed knowledge and experience. The user also needs detailed under-standing about the limitations of these tests; misuse of the instru-ments or techniques may provide very erroneous results.

Similar caveats apply to the numerical guidelines widely known in arboriculture. The most widely misused guideline is the shell wall thickness (t/R) number of 33 per cent. It is a guideline, not a rigid number to be applied with no further thought (one reason why many trees have been unnecessarily cut down). The assessor must understand the origins of these guideline num-bers, as well as their limitations, and the circumstances when they are far from valid. Of course, the assessor also needs to understand how they all fit together and what

other issues any one of them might indicate. For example, worrying about a shell wall thick-ness of 31 per cent in a Western hemlock in the Pacific Northwest region. The more crucial ques-tion is what caused the cavity to occur? In this case it is almost certainly root rot moving up the stem as a butt rot. Shell wall thickness is irrelevant when the tree may well have no structural roots intact!

Beyond all of the above, the risk assessor needs experience looking at trees, how they have failed, how they might fail, how much longer they have before they fail, and how all of these factors work together. Remember that all trees will eventually fail, without exception. The crucial question is when. How much longer before that failure occurs? When we are assessing prob-ability of failure we do so for the typical or normal weather conditions in that area. Do not attempt to assess risk for extreme weather conditions. We have no way of knowing what those con-ditions will be, and we should not be using such conditions as an excuse to remove additional trees. Oddly enough, the most really experienced assessors know that the trees they thought might fail in extreme weather are sometimes the ones that survive, and those thought to be stable and less likely to fail, fall down.Dr. Julian Dunster is a consult-ing arborist, forester, and planner based on Bowen Island, BC. He is the designer, lead instructor, and Certified Tree Risk Assessor # 1 in the Certified Tree Risk Assessment course accredited by WorkSafe BC. The programme is administered by the Pacific Northwest Chapter of ISA and is available across North America. Julian has undertaken consulting assignments all over the world, and regularly lectures about urban forestry, arboriculture, and risk issues at conferences and work-shops. He is a member of the ISA Best Management Practices – Risk panel. He can be contacted by email at [email protected]

The probability of failureUnderstanding concept is key to better risk assessment

Should a risk assessor automatically condemn the limb or tree? it depends. if the target rating is low, then it may not matter if the component does fail—the likelihood of damage is low so the over-all risk may in fact be quite acceptable, and the tree can be left alone. if, on the other hand, the target rating is high. . .

Do not attempt to assess risk for extreme weather conditions. We have

no way of knowing what those conditions will be, and we should not be

using such conditions as an excuse to remove additional trees.

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Bob Burke, of Smith Falls, Ont, is the win-ner of the last Arborwear jacket in our reader competition. Burke, an instructor in Hydro One’s utility arborist training program, first joined the Ontario power utility in 1988, then worked for 21 years as a utility arborist. He has been an instructor for the last year and half, working with approximately 200 utility arborist apprentices.

Bob reads Tree Service Canada in the office and has since made use of a number of articles in the classroom.

Sayla Palluq of the Hamlet of Pond River, Nunavut, takes home an Arborwear oil skin hat.

Tree Service Canada and Arborwear thank the many readers who took the time to participate in the jacket and hat program. Watch for another great competition coming soon!

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Hydro One utility arborist instructor Bob Burke is the winner of an Arborwear jacket.

ACCIDENT REPORTS

In November 2008 a faller working for Acer Tree Services of North Vancouver was thinning the canopy of a ponde-rosa pine. While repositioning himself, he grabbed a branch, which broke, and he sustained a fractured leg after fall-ing about 14 feet. The employer was advised by the WorkSafeBC inspector to complete a formal accident investi-gation, provide evidence of orientation on the rigours of arboricultural work to new workers and to ensure all young and new workers have health and safe-ty training specific to the workplace.

• • •In January 2009 the owner/operator of a tree removal company on Vancouver Island was seriously injured by a tree he was falling. He was transported to hospital with multiple fractures and internal injuries. The follow up investi-gation found there, “Is evidence to sup-port this employer and/or workers are not qualified to fall trees to a standard acceptable to the Board. The employer is directed that he or any workers are not to perform manual tree falling until they have provided the Board with documented evidence to support he or any workers are qualified to a standard acceptable to the Board.”These orders were written in response to the following findings. The faller had allowed excessive brushing of standing trees. A tree with evidence of dead or dying limbs was allowed to remain standing while the falling of full length trees was occurring in the hazard area. Also, the ground worker was not maintaining a minimum of two tree lengths' distance. And finally, there was no traffic control to ensure there was no entry within the hazard area.

• • •In December 2008 a worker with Qualified Tree Service Ltd. was stand-ing on top of a bucket truck assisting a certified arborist who was in the buck-et of the truck. The arborist contacted secondary voltage lines (120/240v). The assistant was taken by ambulance to hospital with a bruised arm after being thrown backward. During the investigation the employer was advised the driven-feed chipper must have a guard chute or apron extending at least three feet from the rollers and it must have a panic bar to stop the feed rollers. The owner ensured the acci-dent investigation was complete and installed anti-skid tape on the roof and made the workers aware of the chip-ping process.

• • •On January 22, 2009 a thirty-one year old tree slasher was airlifted to hospital after a tree he was felling struck his head and back. His condition was not publically reported. A safety investiga-tion was completed and orders were written for hazard assessment. The slasher was working for the contractor Tallcree Wildlands Firefighters Inc. which was working for the Athabasca Oil Sands Corporation.

• • •Grizzly Logging Ltd., of BC, was fined $9,333 after several poor falling practices were observed (cutting off holding wood, low back cuts, falling trees within two tree lengths of other workers, including a WorkSafeBC officer).

Unsecured climber, unqualified falling lead to recently reported accidents


Saf ETY

B Y PAT K E R R

Bill Gardiner has 34 years' expe-rience using cranes to lift seven to eight trees per day over about one hundred and fifty days a year. He also instructs at Humber Col-lege’s arborist program introduc-ing cranes to tree service workers. “Cranes greatly increase your safety and productivity due to the fact that [lifting] uses wood in tension which is its strongest engineering property,” he says.

Gardiner reviewed the pho-tos of the Beaverton, Ontario accident—featured in the Sum-mer, 2008 issue of Tree Service Canada, where a crane toppled during a tree removal job—and he is quick to say he was not at the site, but he isn’t sure authori-ties considered all the possibilities before concluding that the mis-hap was simply a matter of tree weight. “Shock loading may have played a major role in this acci-dent as the tree climber appeared

to have used a notch and back cut method which could have side loaded the crane. When lifting with a crane, the crane tip should be placed over the centre of grav-ity, as the boom is designed to lift straight up and down and be gradually loaded. It gets really hairy for the tree climber if the load shifts as the crane picks it up.”

Technically, according to Don Blair’s book Arborist Equip-ment, “Shock load is the sudden impact that results when load comes rapidly on to a slack rope. The measurement strain, a shock load, can far exceed the load that produced it. Instantaneous chang-es in load up or down in excess of ten percent of the line’s rated working load constitutes hazard-ous shock load that would void normal working loads.”

Shock load is the difference between lifting 10 pounds of seed and having a 10 pound dog leap on your back. In shock load,

weight is not the only issue. You must factor in the sudden change, the impact. Wayne De L’Orme of Ontario’s Ministry of Labour said, “There are lots of war sto-ries out there of what someone observed or didn’t do. Have a good lift plan and apply what you know.” And if there is a shock load the crane must be inspected for cracking or other damage before another lift is attempted.

Mark Graves of Graves Oak Tree Care Inc. is also an instructor in Humber College’s arborist program. He says it is difficult to gain crane experi-ence with trees before you are faced with the situation on the job. Learning is often done on the job.

A related issue is rappelling from a crane. A tree service work-er told Tree Service Canada that he would rappel from the boom of a crane to hook up a load in preference to climbing a widow maker. Gardiner said, “rappelling

from a boom

is an accepted method of escape

from a disabled boom mounted bucket on a crane or an aerial device.” But this itself can cause a shock load. In BC rappel-ling from a crane is strictly illegal under any and all circumstances. In Ontario the law is written a little differently but the end is the same. Technically, in Ontario you can rappel off a boom or step out of a cherry picker if the manufac-turer of the crane says the crane was designed for that purpose.

One Ontario crane operator said, “The inspectors ‘turn a blind eye’ when it is a judgment call for safety.” However, Tree Service Canada was told this worker’s interpretation is not correct. In areas where this situation is not strictly mandated [like Ontario] the concept of “every reasonable precaution” applies. De L’Orme says, “In these situations we rely on the manufacturer’s specifica-tions on how equipment can be used.”

De L’Orme continued, “You aren’t going to find a manufac-turer who will certify that it is safe for a worker to be anywhere on the boom or elevated outside of the cherry picker.” He added, “Lifting with a crane is in some ways like fishing. You have to keep the tension consistent. If the rigging slips, the load shifts or there is a sudden change in weight, this is a common hazard called shock load.”

A prairie tree service worker said, “We don’t have a lot of trees here but the ones we have are huge. Do everything to avoid shock load. Double wrap the

sling.” And he continued, “Think first. If things go

bad, how can I improve it in my favour?”

Yet, according to Graves, “Double wrapping won’t affect the shock load. It is the weight coming free and exerting a force. Taking the slack out of the sys-tem.” Grave’s comments raise bigger questions for tree service workers in general. “The more the weight the more strain on the rope.” He repeats over and over. “Just don’t take too big a piece of wood. Don’t push the limits.”

Shock load affects more than the crane. It should never exceed the weakest point of your lines.

No reliable tree service worker would ever say anyone should break health and safety legislation. All agreed, if quoted for the record, that you should never rappel from the boom of a crane …or any piece of equip-ment. But off the record several said things like, “It is safer if the tree service worker knows what they are doing and are tied off properly to a crane than to climb a widow maker. You know there are defects in a widow maker. 99.9 percent of the time when you are within load limits the crane is a better bet …But every piece of equipment eventually fails.”

The use of cranes in the tree service industry is challeng-ing. They introduce new hazards. The professional worker knows their limits and the limitations of their equipment. Gardiner says, “Anything is safer than climbing an unsafe tree. We need to know how to tie in safely.” You can find Bill Gardiner at www.treedoctor.ca

Avoiding shock loadSudden impact of a load can be disastrous for crew & equipment

“Lifting with a crane is in some ways like fishing. You have to keep the tension consistent. If the rigging slips, the load shifts or there is a sudden change in weight, this is a com-mon hazard called shock load.”

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COVE R STO RY

Big trees best continued from cover

. . . when trees live longer, you have a longer period of time to recoup the costs,” Dr. Eric Wiseman explains.

Wiseman, citing several cost-analysis studies, says the annual maintenance costs and establishment costs attached to big trees may be higher but these are often outweighed by the benefits.

Once a big-tree mandate is established, the chal-lenge for city arborists relates to water availability, nutrition and having an adequate soil volume—factors that are interrelated.

Wiseman, citing work by renowned landscape architect and urban arborist Jim Urban, says many tree species require at least 1,000 cubic feet of soil in order to reach what might be con-sidered large-tree status. That’s often not available when trees are surrounded by sidewalks and pavement.

The lack of soil volume explains the short lifespan of many city trees. When a tree runs out of soil, growth is halted and it soon goes into decline.

In some instances, arborists might better choose a smaller species, such as crab apple, to be placed in areas where soil vol-ume is the key limiting factor. They can also rely on street-tree designs that incorporate larger-sized, open planters filled with good quality soil.

In other situations, there may be technological solutions allow-ing access to a great volume of soil.

Wiseman describes several different strategies.

A system patented by Cor-nell University and produced and marketed by Amereq, Inc.—CU-Structural Soil—involves a mix of 80 per cent gravel to 20 per cent soil that’s placed under the sidewalks. The material will accommodate root growth, provide some nutrients and can also be compacted for the structural stability that’s required for pedestrian traffic.

Davis soil, developed at the University of Cali-fornia, is similar to the Cornell innovation but is a combination of 75 per cent lava rock to 25 per cent clay-loam soil. Wiseman says it has a superior water-holding capacity and will also hold onto some of the nutri-ents and heavy metals contained in the runoff.

Yet another type of structural soil is a mixture of mineral soil and Stalite PermaTill—a kiln-fired, expanded slate material. Higher pH levels may make it unsuitable for some tree species, Wiseman notes.

Another option, perhaps more expensive, provides for larger volumes of quality soil without the need for gravel or other sta-bilizing aggregates. This involves the installation of a load-bearing structure under the pavement or sidewalk into which good-quality, uncompacted soil can be in-filled.

One load-bearing system, developed by DeepRoot Urban Landscape Products, is being tried in the City of Winnipeg, Wiseman says. It involves modular units—about four feet long, three feet wide and a foot and a half deep—that can be stacked and arranged in a vari-ety of configurations.

Another possibility is to take advantage of uncompacted soil reserves near to the loca-tion where a street tree is to be planted. The idea is to create a zone or path through which roots can grow. Structural soil could be used for this strategy and some urban planners place underground root channels—essentially tile drains—for the purpose. Advancements in street-tree technologies began in Europe and have gained popularity in North America over the past decade, Wise-man says.

As the trees planted using

these systems mature, their full

value will be better understood.Municipalities may still want to

irrigate during dry periods and ferti-gation may eventually be warranted.

Wiseman spoke at the 60th annu-al conference of the Ontario Chapter of the International Society of Arbo-riculture in London in February.

The lack of soil volume explains the short lifespan of many city trees. When a tree runs out of soil, growth is halted and it soon goes into decline.

Dr. Eric Wiseman, citing several cost-analysis studies, says the annual maintenance costs and establish-ment costs attached to big trees may be higher but these are often outweighed by the benefits.Image © Casey Trees 2009. From: Casey Trees Tree Space Design Report.

Load-bearing structures under sidewalks (above) provide room for greater soil volumes to support larger trees. Image © Casey Trees 2009. From: Casey Trees Tree Space Design Report.

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A century ago, what has become Saskatchewan’s capital city was little more than a sea of prairie grasses. Beyond the few trees growing naturally along area waterways, the nearest forest was miles away at Qu’Appelle Valley.

Regina’s manager of urban forestry, horticulture and pest control says those things go a long way to explaining the love Regina’s citizens have for their trees.

“There’s a lot of public support to protect these trees and the public recognizes their importance because as soon as you drive out of the city you’re in the middle of a dry, prairie landscape,” Ray Morgan says.

Morgan’s fairly new to his job in Regina, having arrived from a similar position in Prince Albert—a community in Saskatchewan that’s surrounded by boreal forest.

He says the attitude of Regina’s citizens has helped make his job easier but the challenges are considerable. Extremely cold winter temperatures, short, hot summers and sparse precipitation make the city of 210,000 one of the most challenging places in Canada to establish and maintain an urban canopy.

“If we can get a tree to live for 90 years in this city, it’s considered an amazing feat,” Morgan says.

The Regina Urban Forestry Management Strate-gy, completed in 2000, has proven a valuable tool for Morgan and other members of the city’s tree team.

It’s estimated there are more than 125,000 trees on public property.

While there are substantial costs involved with planting and maintenance, there are also measurable benefits. Using a formula developed by the Forest America organization, it is estimated that Regina’s trees have a total value of close to $250,000.

Murray says there are benefits related to reduc-tion in winter heating costs and summer cooling costs, erosion and storm water control, reduction in air pollution and a value associated with wildlife habitat. For a single tree with a 50-year lifespan, that adds up to a $60,000 benefit.

The annual tree budget in Regina comes in around $1.5 million. About 20 city staff members are involved during the peak season and about 30 per cent of the maintenance work is contracted to private companies. For pruning and other above-ground work, most trees can be accessed with the city’s bucket trucks.

Morgan says there are relatively few trees in Regina much taller than 60 feet.

The goal is plant at least 2,000 trees annually for a net increase of close to 1,500.

Another goal, as outlined in the strategy, is to have a broad mix of trees with no more than 25 per cent of any single genus represented in any city sec-tor.

Regina is moving toward that goal incrementally. According to numbers from 2000, elms comprised 36 per cent of the city’s trees and ash represented another 32 per cent.

Murray says most of the new planting stock is grown in the municipal-owned 50-acre nursery. There’s been a focus on silver maple, American basswood, little leaf Lyndon and Scots pine.

Regina falls within Zone 2 and 3 for hardiness but Morgan says there are some microclimates in which such species as the butternut can survive.

Watering is especially important to the main-tenance of Regina’s trees. There are sprinkling or drip irrigation systems along many of the city’s main boulevards. There’s a watering program for newly planted trees and city residents have been encour-aged to give trees next to their homes drink, espe-cially during dry periods.

City staff address tree-specific issues and there’s also a 10-year, rotational, block-pruning program.

The Dutch elm disease in Regina is controlled by removing infected trees.

Another concern is cottony psyllid, an insect that was first detected in Edmonton and has since spread to other areas in Canada and the US. The European native attacks the black ash and mountain ash.

Morgan says another challenge is to attract and keep good employees. In many cases, valued employees move to other city departments or the private sector.

Regina loves its trees

Treeless prairie landscape increases appreciation of urban forest

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Using a formula developed by the Forest America organization, it is estimated that Regina’s trees have a total value of close to $250,000.

“If we can get a tree to live for 90 years in this city, it’s considered an amazing feat.”

~ Ray Morgan, Regina’s manager of urban forestry, horticulture and pest control.


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B Y PAT K E R R

Iceland has forests. If you are surprised at this simple truth you aren’t alone. In his report Throstur Eysteinsson the Divi-sion Chief of their national forests said, “Planting trees was considered a harmless hobby of a few eccentrics.” Today he says, “The future of Icelandic forestry is bright. The main obstacle, the psychological one, has been over-come.”

Archeological records indicate beech forests were once com-mon in Iceland. Later coniferous forests were the norm. Successive glaciers limited the number of tree species. Finally, settlements clear cut forests and grazing prevented regrowth; until one hundred years ago, few Icelanders had ever seen a tree. Brynjolfur Jonsson, managing director of the Icelandic Forestry Assoc, said the consequences of degradation and soil losses are not possible to calculate.

Organized forestry started on this island just south of the Arctic Circle in 1899 but it wasn’t until the 1950’s that some serious experiments started with exotics like spruce, pine and larch. This

was funded by a new tax on ciga-rettes. In the 1990s afforestation increased with 30 per cent of the seedlings being native northern birch, Betula pebescens.

Five hundred exotics were also studied for introduction to Ice-land including southern Ontario’s endangered chestnut. Only three species made it to the selection and breeding stage: these includ-ed the Siberian larch, sitka spruce, and black cottonwood.

There are disagreements on the numbers but there is between 1.4 percent and .3 percent of Ice-land that is now forest. Planting is proceeding at a rate of 1,800 ha/year starting with lupins in most areas as a nitrogen fixer and to bind and fertilize the top soil. (This converts to 6 mil-lion trees/year but the goal is to increase this to 100 million trees/year.) At the present rate it will take 50 years to replant 1 percent of the island. One of the new plans includes planting in grids with open spaces to encourage

“Most eroded country in Europe” plans massive plantationsGoal is to foster natural regeneration

Until one hundred years ago few

Icelanders had ever seen a tree.

iceland, the “most eroded country in Europe,” could become a forester’s dream.

R E fO R E STaTION

natural regeneration and quickly cover vast areas. Fencing around grazing areas and a decrease in sheep production also support the process. Jacob Herman Lund a Landscape Architect and Master of Urbanism from Norway but now working in Iceland hopes the pilot project will be a test trial to help reforest devastated areas around the world.

Herman Lund says, “The size of the grids varies, as we are try-ing out the concept. They might vary from a hundred by a hun-dred metres to as much as 500 by 500 metres, depending on the situation and the land we wish to cover. The grid is based on the pattern of the bees` construction. They dampen the wind and cre-ate small microclimates allowing

seed to germinate naturally under the protection of the surrounding trees, thus recreating a natural flora.”

Iceland, the “most eroded country in Europe,” could become a forester’s dream. For more information about forestry in Iceland visit www.ice-landicforest.com and www.skog.is (click on the English link).


Tree felling has been taking place for thou-sands of years because trees have provided resources necessary for the survival of humankind. This is the very reason why it is such a controversial and varying subject. In the past trees were in some cases burned to the ground. This required a lot of time and tending and when it was finally weakened enough by the flames, the tree would fall in any direction. This method gave way to chopping at trees with stone implements, like tomahawks. In the not-so-distant past, felling accuracy, tree place-ment and landing improved with the use of a crosscut saw and axe.

Tree felling techniques date back beyond the advent of the modern day chainsaw. Unfortunately some techniques and practices used to fell trees have not kept up with the technology of the chain-saw itself. For example, it is often thought

that there is a safety or wood quality reason for the common 45 degree notch opening. But the fact is that this notching technique originates back to the crosscut saw and axe. In order to notch in a tree with a cross cut saw and an axe you have to make the under cut first and then chop out the wood above the cut. It is easiest for an axe to remove wood in this situation at a 45-degree angle and that is the very reason why a 45-degree face notch is so common. In other words, it is a legacy from long-ago.

The wood left uncut during the fell-ing process is called: “hinge wood”. It is formed by cutting a notch and using a back cut to release the wood behind the notch. The purpose of the hinge wood is to provide control during the arc of the fall. This control is only available as long as the hinge is intact and working. Many things can work against the hinge wood and cause it to break prematurely resulting in a loss of control of a falling tree. Some other things that cause hinge failure are side lean, hinge too thick, wood fiber decay, by-pass and uneven hinge wood, all of which I will discuss later in the series. I have not met anyone that fells trees that wants to lose control of a tree.

The most common method of notch-ing trees today is the 45-degree face notch. The flaw in this is that it only allows your hinge to work for about half of the arc of the fall of the tree. A tree generally grows 90 degrees to the ground with the excep-tion of slopes and uneven terrain and even then the trunk is parallel or in line with the force of gravity acting downward along its length. When a tree begins to fall, the angle of the trunk to the ground closes and in order for the hinge to bend from start

to finish, the tree must have gone from standing to laying on the ground. The hinge can only provide this control if it can remain intact through the entire arc of the fall. And the only way to maintain control of the tree being felled using a hinge is to allow the hinge to work or hinge through the entire arc of the fall and control of the tree can only be achieved if the hinge is allowed to work through the entire arc of the fall and this typically requires a notch opening of 70 to 90 degrees.

In this series I will expand on a five-step tree felling planning process that allows anyone felling trees to remain in control of trees they are felling and also be as safe as possible during any tree felling process. If you are interested in learning about control and accuracy when it comes to tree felling then look for my next article where I will touch on the first step in the plan which is evaluating site hazards, tree risk indicators and tree placement con-siderations such as tree height, felling site location and placement.

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In the first of a six-part series on felling, Dwayne discusses how the legacy from the days of the axe & crosscut still influences modern techniques

Burning as a way of felling trees gave way to chopping at trees with stone imple-ments, like tomahawks.

Technical Tree Felling: A Historical Perspective

The hinge can only provide this control if it can remain intact through the entire arc of the fall.

Control of the tree can only be achieved if the hinge is allowed to work through the entire arc of the fall, and this typically requires a notch opening of 70 to 90 degrees.


Technical Tree Felling: A Historical Perspective

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B Y PAT K E R R

The beautiful emerald ash borer, EAB continues to be a nightmare for forestry, hockey lovers and tree huggers. Cute as a lady bug it is consuming its way across Ontario hitch-hiking on firewood. New sites with EAB finds include areas in the City of Hamilton, Bluewater at a private campground outside of Bayfield in Huron County, Ottawa at St Laurent Boulevard and Hwy 417, Pickering at Finch and Liverpool Rd., Vaughan at Hwy 7 and Weston Rd. Mississauga, Oakville and Sault Ste. Marie at MacDonald and Pim. The complete results are on the CFIA website at www.inspection.gc.ca.

EAB’s “threat potential” continues at “high.” The multi disciplinary task force has dumped their initial short term plan of “ash free zones,” as this insect was transported beyond the limits (possibly even before the EAB was discovered). Experts in the US sug-gest Ontario is full of the EAB and they suggest that Canadian experts are hiding the truth.

Taylor Scarr of Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources deigns this statement: “while much of southwestern Ontario is infested, there is no evidence EAB infests the area in between the southwest on the (Greater Toronto Area) GTA, or between the GTA and Ottawa, or between the southern infestation and the one in the north in Sault Ste. Marie". He said they are continuing to search for EAB and reporting each find to the public as it is discovered. “We should expect to continue to discover new infestations resulting from people moving infested material such as firewood.”

The cryptic behaviour of the EAB continues to be one of its biggest challenges. Usually it is discovered after it has been feed-ing in an area for years and for many trees it is too late. This is because it starts in the small branches at the top of trees; the early signs of infestation are just not obvious. Scarr said, “Dr. Kris-ta Ryall at the CFS has developed a survey method of detecting infested trees by sampling in the

branches of the tree to detect infestations in the canopy. This is where we think the beetle first attacks.”

Physical searches require excessive manpower and fail to discover infestations early enough. Jon Sweeney of Atlantic CFS explained another option. Insects and many ani-mals communicate with pheromones or smells, often for sex. These “smells” are the cheese in the mouse trap for insects. For example, an insect may emit a sex pheromone that says to the opposite sex of his species: “Here I am. Let’s get wild!” Researchers in the US think they found an EAB pheromone but alone it fooled only a few EAB. Research is ongoing.

The formulation of Neem developed in Canada and called TreeAzin is now marketed through Bioforest Technologies Inc. It received emergency registration for use in Ontario and Quebec against the EAB in 2008. Resubmission was made for 2009. (They are in the presubmission phase with PMRA for registration in Canada.)

The situation our forests are facing with the EAB is an emergency with many researchers working on chemical and non-chemical solutions.

Monitoring the Emerald Ash BorerEnigmatic pest continues to spread, defies easy tracking

The cryptic behaviour of the EAB continues to be one of its biggest challenges. Usu-ally it is discovered after it has been feeding in an area for years and for many trees it is too late.

Emerald Ash Borer’s threat potential continues at “high.”

TR E E H EaLTH


It was volunteers who launched the first arboriculture organization in Canada 60 years ago. Volunteers continue to move the organization forward today.

The Ontario Chapter of the Interna-tional Society of Arborists celebrated it's history at the conference in London in February.

Del Cressman, of Cobourg, a long-time member, presented an historical overview.The organization began on October 30, 1949 when 11 arborists gathered in Mon-treal.

“There were 11 people in 1949 that had a vision . . . I think we do a fabulous job today of what the founders intended,” Cressman says.

Prior to 1949, arborists had a loose affiliation with the US-based Shade Tree Conference—an organization that began in Connecticut in 1924. Canadian arborists had been attending functions sponsored by the organization on an informal basis.

In 1950, the Canadian Chapter of the National Shade Tree Conference was formed. There were 28 charter members.

In years that followed, the annual con-ference tended to alternate between Toron-to and Montreal. The Canadian organiza-

tion soon became recognized within the North American context, hosting its first international conference in 1956.

In 1982, the name of the organization was changed to the International Society of Arboriculture.

The Ontario Chapter was created after other parts of Canada decided to form their own organizations. That began with the formation of the Quebec Chapter in 1978. British Columbia joined the Pacific Northwest Chapter the following year. In 1987, the Prairie Provinces and Atlantic Canada set out on their own, forming the Prairie and Atlantic chapters.

“By attrition we became our own chapter . . . It wasn’t until 1992 that we changed our name to ISA, Ontario,” Cressman says. Annual conferences have been a high-light for the Ontario Chapter. The num-bers attending have increased along with membership numbers.

From just 11 interested arborists in 1949, the organization grew to 140 mem-bers in 1980. In 2008, there were 600 members, despite Ontario having become its own chapter.

Certification has been of key impor-

tance to the ISAO since the 1990s. Various levels are available. As Master Arborists, Ruurd van de Ven, Bill Buchanan and Del Cressman have reached the pinnacle of certification. Research has long been a focus for the ISAO. Since 1996, ISAO has collected upwards of $300,000 for the Canadian

TREE (Tree Research and Education Endowment) Fund. Climbing competitions are another important aspect of the ISAO, serving to build skill levels and providing a great deal of fun and camaraderie for members of the industry. The first Ontario championship was held in 1990 but Ontario climbers have competed at the international level since as early as 1978.

At the 60th annual conference, several awards were handed out. * Ruurd van de Ven of Aborvalley Urban Forest Company received the Maple Leaf Awards for long years of service. * Receiving a special award for his service to the International Society of Arborists was Randy Lidkea, former ISAO executive director. * Joy Black of Owen Sound, publisher of the chapter newsletter, was presented with an Honourary Membership. * John Wilson of Aurora was presented with a Special Achievement Award for his support of the Canadian TREE Fund and other activities. * The Aboriculture Award of Merit went to Ken Lund of Four Season Tree Care in Stouffville. * Bruce Hartnett of Champion Tree Care at Dundas received the Outstanding Vol-unteer Award. Along with his reputation as an Ontario champion, Hartnett has been a key volunteer for the annual climbing competition. * Recognized as past president over the past two years was Murray Potts of Niaga-ra Region. Steve Mann of Huntsville is the incoming president.

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ISa news

ISA Ontario celebrates 60th anniversaryChapter history, awards anchor conference

Del Cressman detailed the history of arborist organizations in Ontario.

Randy Lidkea (right), the former executive-director of the Ontario Chapter of the international Society of Arborists and former vice-president of the international Society of Arborists, receives the special award from the iSA. Making the presenta-tion is outgoing iSAO president Murray Potts.


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ISa news

This group is hosting a conference on Thursday, April 9th, at the Blainville Community Centre, 1000 Bouchard Avenue, Blainville, Quebec.

The theme of the conference this year is “The Urban Tree - Return to our Roots.” The presenters include Michael Rosen from “Trees Canada” and agenda items include:

-The integration of the tree into the urban framework-Tree plantations in urban settings - it can be done!-Case Study “Le Chambery”: Integrating public and environ-

mental concerns on this 250 hectare residential development.-Trees Canada - Your urban forest partner!Chapter members are also looking forward to the Annual

Quebec Tree Climbing Championship, to be held Sunday June 7, 2009 at the Blainville Equestrian Park, Blainville, Quebec.

This championship will have five main events: working with ropes and cables, free climbing, aerial rescue, footlocking contest, and throwline contest (placing and setting climbing ropes).

These events will be followed by the “Masters Challenge” event which will be a mixture of the five techniques mentioned above.

The top five winners from last year were Simon Imbeault, Vincent Lamothe, Charles Moreau, Leilak Anderson, and Martin LaroucheTo register for these events please contact:International Society of Arboriculture–Quebec (SIAQ)PO Box 69042, Laval, Québec, H7X 3M2 Phone: (450) 689-9393email: [email protected]. Website: www.SIAQ.orgSIAQ will also be present at the very popular annual Horticultur-al Rendezvous at the world famous Botanical Gardens of Mon-treal on May 29-31. Members will be on hand to demonstrate tree climbing techniques and impress the public with their deft maneuvers!~Translated by Harry Williams

ISA QC (Société Internation-ale d’Arboriculture-Québec) Conference, tree climbing competition part of busy spring schedule

The hard work of Brian Phalen (Halifax Regional Municipality) and Dan Hicks (City of Moncton) has finally come to fruition and their website was launched in June with the help of Ernie Noa, the tech guru at ISA. Now it will keep members and the general public informed of their many different activities and can be found at www.isaatlantic.org.

The chapter has been busy. They had a chance to show off their new display booth when they attended the HortEast Conference & Trade Show in Halifax in November. Brian Phalen, Matt Follett (Halifax Tree Works), and ISA Chapter President Stan Kochanoff (Environova) staffed the booth.

Kochanoff encourages chapter members to take part in continuing learning opportunities and would like to offer more educational opportunities for members. He would like to organize financial support for members to attend NB Power’s Aerial Lift Operator’s course in Fredericton and organize a program so members can become Certified Aerial Lift Arborists and Evaluators. Matt Follett and a paramedic will also be doing aerial lift rescue and first aid demos at the chapter’s spring event, which

will be held at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College on April 25. It can be difficult for Newfoundland members to attend chapter events, so the chapter also hopes to offer another educational outreach program for members there.

There are also plans to update and revise the Atlantic Tree List for certification testing, revise the Atlantic Tree Climbing Championship Guide, and organize group travel to help members attend the ISA International conference in Providence, RI next July. Chapter Secretary Jim Urbanowsky will be participating in the Tour des Trees Bike Ride for Research that will finish at the conference, and sponsors are always welcome. Naturally everyone is looking forward to the next AGM in Saint John, NB, which will be held September 17-19. Chris Gaudet from the Saint John Parks Department is already hard at work planning the Tree climbing competition, which will be located in Rockwood Park.

~Kate Merlin

ISA Atlantic Chapter

New website now online, professional development programs in the works

Ruurd van de Ven (right) receives the Maple Leaf Award at the 60th annual conference sponsored by the Ontario Chapter of the international Society of Arborists. Among his many accomplish-ments, the owner of Arborvalley Urban Forest Company is a past president of the organization. it’s the second time he received the award. Making the presentation is John Wilson who was himself recognized with the Special Achievement Award for his support of the Canadian TREE Fund and other volunteerism.


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APRiL 2009

April 7 ISA QC Conference: The Urban Tree—Return to Our Roots”,

Blainville, QC. Tel. 450-689-9393, www.SIAQ.org

April 25 ISA Atlantic Spring event, Nova Scotia Agricultural Col-

lege. www.isaatlantic.org

JUnE 2009

June 7 Annual Quebec Tree Climbing Championship, Blainville, QC.

Tel. 450-689-9393, www.SIAQ.org

JULy 2009

July 3-5 Prairie ISA Tree climbing Championship, Medicine Hat, AB.

www.isaprairie.com

July 24-29 International Society of Arboriculture Annual Conference

& Trade Show, Providence, Rhode Island, www.isa-arbor.com

SEPTEMBER 2009

Sept 17-19 ISA Atlantic AGM, Saint John, NB. www.isaatlantic.org

OCTOBER 2009

Oct 3-7 ISA Pacific Northwest Chapter Annual Training Conference &

Tree Climbing Competition, Kelowna, BC, www.pnwisa.org

nOVEMBER 2009

Nov 5-7 Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) Trade Show & Confer-

ence, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 1-800-733-2622, www.tcia.org

Nov 19-20 Green Industry Show & Conference

Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton, AB Phone: 780-489-1991

or 1-800-378-3198 Email: [email protected];

www.greenindustryshow.com


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