TCI Magazine Audio Edition
TCI Magazine has upgraded its audio options so you can now listen to your favorite arboriculture articles on the go! Discover the latest in technology, techniques and best practices for climbing, rigging, gear and more, all while on the go. If it impacts our industry, we’ve got it covered in an all-new, easy-to-listen-to format.
Urban Biochar: From Pilot to Pathway in Debris Management
BY SARAH GASKIN
As professionals in tree care, the challenges of wood-chip management are nothing new. While traditional methods such as mulching and dumping have been the norm, a groundbreaking approach has been emerging – biochar production through pyrolysis – right in the heart of our cities.
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When in Doubt, Rig It Out
BY ZACHARY RICHARDS
With so many flashy devices and gear options available within the tree industry, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and stick with the basics – or even just resort to the trusty “cut and chuck” to get the job done. “Cut and chuck,” if we’re being honest, is typically the practice of a climber or bucket operator holding a limb with one hand and using a chain saw to cut with the other. While there are options such as snap cuts (mismatched cuts) available, and tools such as handsaws that are safer one-handed options, these alternat...
Rigging a Lightning-Struck White Pine Tree
BY CHRIS GIRARD
Recently, Girard Tree Service LLC, which I co-own and operate with my wife, Heide, was asked to take down a lightning-struck white pine tree (Pinus strobus) on an island here in New Hampshire. Due to the remote location and terrain, everything would have to be climbed and rigged down by hand. On top of that, there were no adjacent trees for me to remotely tie in to and use as a backup, so I was going to have to stay tied into the tree for the duration of the work.
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Collision Course – Tree Care and Insurance Industries
BY ERIC PETERSEN
By now, almost every practicing arborist has probably been involved in at least one conversation with a customer regarding their homeowner’s insurance company threatening to cancel their policy unless a tree or branch that is close to their home is removed. There often is no scientific basis for the removal expectation, leaving the homeowner confused and anxious about what they should do.
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Highlining Over the Elora Gorge
BY JOE LEGATE
A couple of years ago, we were contacted to remove a linden tree growing on the side of a cliff at the Elora Gorge, on the Grand River about 70 miles west of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. The tree was approximately 25 feet down from the top/edge of the limestone cliff and about 100 feet above the river below. The linden was leaning toward the spa building of the Elora Mill, which is a high-end hotel and spa that happened to have very expensive glass windows right next to the tree. I learned the windows cost...
Grapple Saws Revolutionize Debris Management for Bob Ray Company
BY DANIEL SHULTS
The adoption of grapple trucks and grapple saws transformed debris management in several ways for Bob Ray Co. Inc., an accredited, 55-year TCIA member company based in Louisville, Kentucky. For instance, the company was out in early May 2025 performing storm cleanup after tornadoes passed through the Louisville area. In years past, the company might have dispatched five to six three-person crews with bucket, chipper plus crane trucks.
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Insurance Pruning: Cut Risks, Not Canopies
BY JIM KASPER
Across neighborhoods in the U.S., something strange is happening. Homeowners are receiving notices from their insurance companies warning them, “Prune back those limbs overhanging your home or lose your coverage.” The offending branches? Those on trees that overhang roofs – even healthy, structurally sound trees and branches.
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No Bars? No Problem. Zoleo Satellite Communicator Keeps Crews Connected
BY TCHUKKI ANDERSEN, BCMA, CTSP
In the tree care industry, communication is more than just convenience – it’s a safety essential. That’s why arborists Charlie White, CTSP, QT (TCIA Qualified Trainer), and Angel Arroyo, both with Northern Tree Service, a 48-year TCIA member company based in Palmer, Massachusetts, recently spent time field testing the Zoleo Satellite Communicator. They wanted to see how it performed in an area otherwise out of reach of cell service. Their verdict? It’s a practical, compact tool with a few quirks and a lot of promise.
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Engaging Arborists Through Adaptive Training and Education
BY JAMES HOUSTON
Over the past 40 years, our industry has experienced a remarkable advancement in the quality of training offered to professionals. What was once a largely informal, hands-on trade has grown into a highly specialized field backed by science, standardized practices and a strong emphasis on safety and environmental stewardship.
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Inflation Reduction Act Funding Freeze Faces Legal Challenges
BY BAILEY GRAVES
After months of uncertainty stemming from executive orders issued by President Trump and ongoing litigation, a federal judge has ordered the resumption of funding for urban and community forestry grants established under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
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Part 5: Pesticide Handling, Spill Response and Maintenance
BY KATHY GLASSEY
Despite decades of experience in the pesticide industry, certain areas of pesticide handling and safety still pose challenges. Every stakeholder, manufacturer, distributor and end user has a responsibility to ensure safe and legal handling, transportation and application of pesticides.
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Changes to CDL Medical Examiner’s Certification
BY KRISTOFFER RASMUSSEN, CTSP, QCL
For tree-service companies, the open road is as much a workplace as the treetops. Operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), such as chip trucks, aerial lifts and log loaders, demands strict adherence to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations – a complex web of rules that can feel like untangling a knotted rope.
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Executive Order Tightens CMV Driver English Proficiency Rules
BY KRISTOFFER RASMUSSEN, CTSP, QCL
Drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) with limited English proficiency (LEP) are about to face a significant regulatory shake-up that could have real consequences for the tree care industry.
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Safety Training for the Long Term
BY TAMSIN VENN
For Timothy Brogan, gaining TCIA’s Certified Treecare Safety Professional credential (CTSP) was a way to empower him to teach other tree care professionals the tools needed to increase their longevity in the industry through safe practices and a safety-culture mindset.
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Safety Update: Who Is a Tree Worker?
BY JOHN BALL, PH.D., BCMA, CTSP, and Mike Tilford, CTSP
Who is a tree worker? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) spent a lot of time and effort defining this – through the questions they asked of small business representatives during SBREFA (Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act) – concerning the scope and application of a proposed rule.
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Rebecca Johnson, Breaking Ground on the Accreditation Auditor Team
BY PATRICIA CHAUDOIN
Rebecca Johnson, founder and owner of Arborholic LLC, has a list of arborist credentials a mile long, but laughs when she says she’s never worked full time for a tree care company. “I actually ended up in forestry kind of by default,” she says of her degree from Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
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The Ins and Outs of Subcontracted Tree Care Professionals, Part 1
BY AARON SCHAUER, CTSP, WITH ERIC PETERSEN
This is the first installment of a two-part article. Part 1 looks at the benefits of being a subcontractor and working with subcontractors. Part 2, in a future issue of TCI Magazine, will look at how to become and operate as a subcontractor.
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The DMM Kinisi Max Climbing Saddle
TCI Magazine corralled the climbing arborists of Girard Tree Service, a 17-year TCIA member company based in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, to test drive and review the DMM Kinisi Max climbing saddle. They shared their initial impressions and experiences for this article and a related video
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Casey Trees and Bartlett Tree Experts A Crowning Partnership Made in the Shade (of Urban Trees)
BY TIM BARTELT
There are symbiotic relationships across the natural world, with organisms counting on other organisms for success and survival. Symbiotic relationships also exist in the corporate environment, with one organization working with another organization for success and, in this case, tree survival.
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Developing Safety Programs That Stick
BY DAVID VINCENT
Safety programs are the lifeline of every company – they ensure everyone goes home at the end of the day in the same condition they arrived. Yet too often these programs become ineffective. They’re rolled out with fanfare, only to end up as binders gathering dust, neglected by leaders who see them as “someone else’s job” or training sessions no one remembers. Why? Because they fail to connect with the very people they’re designed to protect.
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Ash to Ashes: Don’t Be Part of the Process
BY CHRISTOPHER LULEY, PH.D.
Billions upon billions of ash trees are dying or have been killed by emerald ash borer (EAB) in both urban and forested environments in the U.S. and Canada. (Photo 1) With time, the ash all will be returned back to the soil and air from whence they came. For better or for worse, arborists are often in the middle of this process of removal and renewal.
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Rocking Crane-ASSISTED Tree Removal
BY JONATHAN FOOTE, CTSP, CCO
Watch out for the mechanical beasts!
For years now, I have been asked the question with regard to cranes, “Are you worried these machines will steal your job?” I simply reply, “No, we complement each other.”
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The Legacy of Blossoms: Honoring the Unsung Heroes Behind D.C.’s Cherry Trees
BY KRISTOFFER RASMUSSEN, CTSP
I was in Washington, D.C., April 30, 2025, during the breathtaking peak of the cherry tree blossoms. Millions of people flock to the Tidal Basin each year to witness this explosion of color, and I was no exception. Children ran and played beneath the pink canopy, lovers strolled hand in hand, pausing for selfies with the blossoms as their backdrop.
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Part 4: Understanding FIFRA Compliance for Pesticide-Application Companies
BY KATHY GLASSEY
As a pesticide-application company, compliance with regulations is not just a legal requirement, it’s a fundamental part of operating safely and responsibly. One of the most important regulations you need to be aware of is the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which governs the sale, use and distribution of pesticides in the United States.
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Buckthorn, an Invasive but Useful Pest
BY MICHAEL HOPPE
Originating in parts of Europe and Asia, Rhamnus cathartic, aka buckthorn, was brought to these shores intended to be a welcome addition to our native landscaping stock. Now that it has gone feral, pushing its way into many necks of our urban forests and crowding out native species, it has worn out that welcome.
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It’s Not Easy to Be a Role Model
BY DAVID M. ANDERSON, CTSP
A mentor of mine would always say to me, “You are what you put up with. You are not your safest job, you are your least safe job. You’re not your best employee, you are your worst. You are not your best client-service-interaction experience, you are your worst.” From this perspective, we can be driven to be our best – not perfect, but the best we can be.
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The State of the Association and Industry: Where Are We Going?
BY DAVID WHITE, CAE
The following is the text of the “2025 State of the Association” speech presented by David White, TCIA president and CEO, during the Association’s annual business meeting, held during Winter Management Conference on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, this past February. It has been edited slightly for brevity.
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An Introduction to Supplemental Tree-Support Systems, Part 4: Business Benefits and Long-Term Opportunities
BY ANDY JONES, CTSP, AND NICK GREENWOOD, CTSP
Over the first three installments of this series, we’ve explored the role of supplemental tree-support systems – why they’re needed, how they’re installed and the equipment required to implement them effectively. While these systems play a crucial role in mitigating risk and extending the life of structurally compromised trees, installation is only part of the equation.
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Eager Beaver Tree Service Practices the Right Stuff with Accreditation
BY PATRICIA CHAUDOIN
Sometimes doing the right thing is just, well, the right thing to do. And for Mark Stephens, owner of Eager Beaver Tree Service in Floyds Knobs, Indiana – and a Certified Treecare Safety Professional (CTSP), a Board Certified Master Arborist (BCMA), Tree Risk Assessment Qualified (TRAQ), pesticide applicator licensed and a New Albany (Indiana) city arborist – it’s the only way to do business.
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On the Job After Natural Disasters, Part 1
BY JOHN BALL, PH.D., BCMA, CTSP
During the past year, natural disasters rippled across the country, from hurricanes in the East to wildfires in the West. These disasters destroyed properties, disrupted essential services and, tragically, resulted in the loss of lives. They also left a trail of shattered and fallen trees in their wake.
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Luck Runs Out, but Safety Is Good for Life
BY TAMSIN VENN
“Luck Runs Out, But Safety Is Good For Life”
So says a post on the Tufts Tree Service LLC Facebook page. It could be owner Brandon Tufts' guiding principle.
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Hydraulics Rule #1: Pay Attention, or Pay the Price
BY RICK HOWLAND
Hydraulics are one of a tree care pro’s best friends, powering tools that lift and move heavy objects and debris, or doing specialty work like cutting, digging or grinding. The growing proliferation of tool carriers and hydraulic tools has expanded the capability of almost every arborist operation and, by transferring tasks from the human to the machine, improved safety and prolonged careers.
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Transforming Tree Care With AI: Practical Applications for Your Business
BY MONICA HEMINGWAY, Ph.D.
As a licensed arborist and marketing strategist for tree care companies, I’ve seen my fair share of industry transformations. But none quite matches the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize how we operate our businesses, serve our customers and grow our bottom line.
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Growing Strong: The Business Case for a Holistic Approach to PHC
BY KEVIN BREWER, BCMA, RCA
In today’s competitive green industry, professional arborists, landscapers and plant-health-care providers face mounting pressure. Stabilizing revenue, managing rising labor costs and navigating a market of price-sensitive customers make the road to sustainable growth a winding one.
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Winning the PPE Battle
BY NOEL BOYER
As I visit with my tree friends in person and online, I often hear of the challenges we all face as we work to keep our customers happy and our team safe. There are a lot of important pieces to our safety programs, including training, equipment inspections and maintenance and documentation.
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Developing Trainers Who Inspire
BY KOREY CONRY, CTSP
There are many aspects to being a successful trainer, but for the sake of this article, we are going to focus on just one: building and presenting effective PowerPoint presentations.
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Arborist Apprenticeship Lays Out a Career Path
BY JIM KASPER
How did your tree-work journey begin?
Did you grow up in the midst of arboriculture, a member of a family team?
Did you, like me, stumble upon men swinging – precariously! Wildly! How are they doing that? – far above you as you passed them on the street?
Maybe you simply needed a job and answered an ad in a local listing.
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Targeting Gun Violence Aimed at Line-Clearance Workers
BY SARA DREISER AND RICH ALEXANDER
On December 31, 2024, a man in Massachusetts barricaded himself in his house after shooting at a line-clearance crew with a high-powered air rifle. The crew was working down the road from his house, with no direct connection to his property.
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Never Waste a Crisis: Lessons Learned From a Serious Incident
BY CRAIG BACHMANN, BCMA, CTSP, TRAQ
The goal of “zero incidents” is an impossible standard. As a profession, we have promoted this concept, but it is simply not realistic. While safety is always a priority, arboriculture is performed in a high-hazard environment, and every day requires thousands of decisions with incomplete information.
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Pruning Solutions for Urban-Compatible Trees
BY LINDSEY PURCELL, BCMA
Conditions of concern may be defined as tree issues that the client and arborist perceive as unacceptable. In my experience, they usually fall into one or more of three categories. Typically, it is about structure, clearance and appearance. (Photo 1) Our task, as arborists, is providing solutions to these issues.
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