Energized Utility Alliances Mean a Bright Future for Trees
As the old adage goes, there’s power in numbers. For utility companies, working together to support the TREE Fund has been an effective way to gain new knowledge specific to utility arboriculture while helping shape the future of urban trees and tree care.
Through the Power Source Alliance, key utility industry players Arizona Public Service, National Grid, PacifiCorp and Unitil are sponsors of the STIHL Tour des Trees, the TREE Fund’s largest fundraising event supporting arboriculture research and education. This alliance demonstrates the industry’s commitment to pursuing science-based arboriculture knowledge in sustaining the world’s urban forests.
Utilities and utility arborists also support the future of arboriculture through the TREE Fund’s Utility Arborist Research Fund (UARF) campaign. In 2011, Arizona Public Service launched the fund with a $100,000 pledge and a challenge to other utilities to join in supporting research specific to utility arboriculture. The TREE Fund is pleased to announce that several companies have stepped up to do so. Major donors to UARF are:
| Arizona Public Service: | $100,000 | |
| Pacific Gas & Electric Company | $70,000 | |
| Utility Arborist Association | $20,000 | |
| Ameren | $15,000 | |
| National Grid | $10,000 | |
| Sacramento Municipal Utility District | $10,000 | |
| Texas New Mexico Power | $10,000 | |
| Edison Electric Institute | $5,000 |
The first project being funded by the UARF is already in progress! John Goodfellow of BioCompliance Consulting, Inc. was awarded a $25,000 grant in Fall/Winter 2012 to develop a business case for scheduling utility vegetation management on a preventive versus corrective maintenance basis. Up-to-the-minute details on Mr. Goodfellow’s research will be available at the upcoming Researcher Reception, a casual meet-and-greet at the start of the TREE Fund’s live auction on August 5, 2013 in Toronto. Mr. Goodfellow, along with other TREE Fund grant recipients, will be sharing their cutting edge arboriculture research with auction attendees. Hearing directly from the researchers is an exciting opportunity to see the impact that donors such as UARF are making in the field of arboriculture.
The TREE Fund would like to thank the members of the Power Source Alliance and Utility Arborist Research Fund for their commitment to the care and health of urban trees through research. With these important utility industry collaborations, the future of urban trees looks brighter than ever.