TREE Fund and UAA Sign Extension of UARF Grant Program

During the 2025 Trees and Utilities Conference held in Knoxville, TN, representatives from Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund) and the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) signed an agreement to continue the Utility Arborist Research Fund Grant Program (UARF) in perpetuity.

This signing comes on the heels of the 15-year celebration of the grant program, which has granted out over $712,500 to researchers since its inception in 2010.

Managed by TREE Fund and co-sponsored by UAA, the UARF Grant Program is a research grant that focuses on research that is beneficial to utility tree care professionals and provides grants of up to $50,000 annually. Applications for this grant are accepted during TREE Fund’s Spring Grant Application cycle which traditionally begins on January 15 of each year.

“This grant has been so important to the work and safety of utility arborists and we are proud to see it continue and shape the best practices for these professionals,” said Dennis Fallon, Executive Director of UAA.

Research funded by the UARF Grant includes topics such as vegetation management, tree failure characteristics and utility line outages, and identifying risk of electrical contact to workers.

“Partnering with UAA on this grant program has been a great way to fund the research that gets necessary information into the hands of the utility arborists who are often the ones that are called on when problems arise and how to keep those workers safe when they do it,” said Paul Putman, President and CEO of TREE Fund.

For information on how to apply to the UARF grant or to make a donation directly to this grant program, see TREE Fund’s website, www.treefund.org/uarf.

TREE Fund is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support scientific discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in the fields of arboriculture and urban forestry. TREE Fund promotes scientific inquiry designed to benefit commercial, residential, utility and consulting arborists, urban foresters, and other professionals in related fields in their shared work to create, support and sustain vibrant urban canopies. TREE Fund surpassed the $6 million mark in grant and scholarship giving in Spring 2025. More information can be found at www.treefund.org.

The UAA is an organization of over 5,000 individuals with interest in and a commitment to the maintenance of trees and other vegetation for the purpose of ensuring the safe and reliable distribution of energy, including electric, oil and gas, to business and residences. More information can be found at www.gotouaa.org.