Your voice on the future of arboriculture
TREE Fund’s booth at this year’s International Society of Arboriculture Annual Conference in Columbus, OH, centered on “The Future of Arboriculture,” so booth visitors were asked to vote for the topics they feel are most important to the future of arboriculture.
Given that tree care is a dangerous field, it’s not surprising that safety, including workforce practices, tree biomechanics, and risk assessment and management was seen as the number one area on which to focus. Right behind safety was the foundation of arboriculture – roots and soil research. Participants also cited climate change and extreme weather as an important factor impacting the future of the field. Rounding out the top five responses were pests/invasives/diseases and the labor challenges the tree care industry currently faces, including recruiting, training, and engaging women in the workforce.
The good news is that TREE Fund research and initiatives are right in line with these priorities. You can find studies and resources related to each topic by clicking the links below.
- Safety/biomechanics/risk assessment and management – In addition, the Frank E. Gamma, Sr. Arboriculture Education Fund supports workforce safety training through TCIA’s Arborist Safety Training Institute.
- Roots and soil
- Climate change and extreme weather
- Pests/invasives/diseases
- Workforce – Many of our Arboriculture Education Grants have funded programs designed to get youth outdoors and interested in careers in tree care. Our scholarships support students training for work in arboriculture and urban forestry. The Collier Arborist Training Trust Fund has been established to foster, promote, and support the teaching of practical applied arboriculture.
Thank you to all who participated in the voting!