Spring 2011 TREE Fund Report: Heritage Oak Society Spotlight: Rose Epperson
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Heritage Oak Society Spotlight: Rose Epperson
Rose Epperson lives her life with passion, and trees have been her passion since she was a teenager working for her brother’s tree care company. She’s also a firm believer in the power of planning, and in the importance of giving back to those aspects of your life that sustain you.
Rose joined the TREE Fund’s Heritage Oak Society in late 2010 by making a provision for the TREE Fund in her estate planning. It was a decision that made sense to her on every level. “I’m a believer in putting your money where your mouth is”, she said recently. “I had an opportunity to do something significant with my money, and I chose to create a legacy. The tree care profession has treated me well, and this was a chance to give back by paying forward.” Her legacy gift to the TREE Fund will fund future research and education programs and scholarships for aspiring tree care professionals.
Rose has been both a driving force and a stabilizing influence at West Coast Arborists and the Western Chapter of ISA for many years. She brings to both a facility for long-range thinking, an eye for detail and seemingly limitless energy, and her dedication to safety, training and workforce development has benefited both organizations and the industry as a whole. She has held multiple leadership positions in her career, sitting on the WC-ISA board from 1994-2003 and serving as its President in 2002. She remains involved with West Coast Arborists, Inc. as a vice president and shareholder and is currently contracted to manage the Western Chapter ISA through her association management firm, Epicenter Management.
Her decision to include the TREE Fund in her long-range financial planning was motivated in part by a desire to inspire others to do the same. “We in the industry know that trees are not an amenity that can be neglected when the economy gets tight. This is a way to provide for their care into the future, and to make sure that the safety programs that protect our workforce continue to evolve. I didn’t make this decision because I was asked; I did it because it’s important. We all have a role to play in planning for the future of our trees.”
To learn more about becoming a member of the Heritage Oak Society contact Janet Bornancin, TREE Fund Executive Director