TREE Press article: TREE Fund Liaison Spotlight
TREE Fund Liaison Spotlight
Every ISA chapter recruits a volunteer to serve as their TREE Fund Liaison. These volunteers spend extra time attending meetings, spreading the word about TREE Fund happenings, events, and news, and often being the point person for TREE Fund fundraisers at their local chapters.
We’d like to highlight these wonderful volunteers and let you know a little more about them.
New England Chapter Liaison: Paul Sellers
Paul Sellers Horticulture (recently retired as Manager of Vegetation Management at Eversource Energy)
Third year as a liaison
Q: Why do you enjoy being an arborist?
A: I gained an interest in trees from my youth as a Boy Scout. I’ve always appreciated the forms, colors, and uniqueness trees and plants have. After 40 years in the tree care industry, I’m still blown away that I’ve been able to make this my vocation.
Q: Why did you choose to be the liaison for your chapter?
A: We had several people fill this role in the NE Chapter and they generally were part of the Tour des Trees. I’m still riding and it was a good time to step up.
Q: Why do you feel the need to communicate TREE Fund’s mission and events to chapter members?
A: Ensuring chapter members and those that donate to TREE Fund have current information on how and what is being accomplished is critical to the role of the TREE Fund.
Q: What would you like to learn more about in your field or what research would you like to see done?
A: We are challenged to find and retain tree workers. Over the last several years, I have heard this concern as it impacts the commercial, utility, and municipal sectors of arboriculture. We need a better understanding why we are not seeing improvement in the work force and how we can improve recruitment.
Q: Why is new research important to you?
A: After four decades in the tree care industry I’ve seen practices we thought were correct but, with research, we discover the how and why to proper arboriculture practices. We are working with one of the most dynamic, diverse growing mediums and only now have scratched the “bark” of our knowledge.
