March/April 2017 | The Davey Bulletin 7
Two crucial improvements were
made to the Tree Care Industry
Association (TCIA) ANSI A300
standards in 2016.
The changes were accepted at
the TCIA ANSI A300 committee
biannual workshop hosted at the
Davey Institute in October. Richard
G. Rathjens, Ph.D. urban forester
and senior agronomist at the
Davey Institute, and Chris Klimas,
operations manager, Mid-Atlantic
operating group, represented Davey
on the 15-chair volunteer committee.
"We approved revisions to the tree
risk assessment and tree pruning
standards," Rathjens said. "It was a
big accomplishment."
However, such improvements
don't happen overnight. First, the
committee must agree on the new
DAVEY HOSTS WORKSHOP TO IMPROVE INDUSTRY STANDARDS
standard to be developed or which
existing standard should be revised.
Then, a subcommittee forms to draft
the details of the change. Third, the
committee creates an updated Tree
Care Operations standards draft for
general public comment.
After multiple years of healthy
industry debate, a consensus was
made, and the new standards were
approved in Kent.
Chris Klimas, operations manager,
Mid- Atlantic territory, discusses ways to
improve standards with other committee
members at the TCIA ANSI A300 workshop.
Richard G. Rathjens (pictured far left), and Chris Klimas (pictured fifth from the left)
represent Davey on the Tree Care Industry Association's (TCIA) ANSI A300 committee.
The Texas A&M University Agrilife
Extension Service recently held a
two-and-a-half day training session
to improve arboriculture knowledge
of participants in the Texas Master
Gardener program.
A.D. Ali, technical advisor, and
Matthew Petty, sales arborist, South
Houston Residential/Commercial
office, were among the workshop's
presenters. Petty discussed proper
training and pruning techniques
while Ali spoke about tree pests and
diseases.
"Individuals from selected counties
attended the training, which is
meant to improve their arboricultural
TALKING TO TEXAS MASTER GARDENERS
knowledge and allow them to train
other agents in their respective
counties," Ali said. "This is a unique
program in which intensive training is
Matthew Petty talks to members
of the Texas Master Gardners.
concentrated on a specific discipline,
arboriculture in this case, and not
just a day-long seminar on a laundry
list of topics."
