TCI Magazine Feature Article Archives

April 2018 (Volume XXX1, Number 4)

March 2018 (Volume XXX1, Number 3)

February 2018 (Volume XXX1, Number 2)

January 2018 (Volume XXX1, Number 1)

December 2017 (Volume XXX, Number 11)

November 2017 (Volume XXX, Number 10)

October 2017 (Volume XXX, Number 9)

September 2017 (Volume XXX, Number 9)

August 2017 (Volume XXX, Number 8)

July 2017 (Volume XXX, Number 7)

June 2017 (Volume XXX, Number 6)

May 2017 (Volume XXX, Number 5)

April 2017 (Volume XXX, Number 4)

March 2017 (Volume XXX, Number 3)

February 2017 (Volume XXX, Number 2)

January 2017 (Volume XXX, Number 1)

December 2016 (Volume XXIX, Number 12)

November 2016 (Volume XXIX, Number 11)

October 2016 (Volume XXIX, Number 10)

September 2016 (Volume XXIX, Number 9)

August 2016 (Volume XXVIII, Number 8)

July 2016 (Volume XXVII, Number 7)

June 2016 (Volume XXVII, Number 6)

May 2016 (Volume XXVII, Number 5)

April 2016 (Volume XXVII, Number 4)

March 2016 (Volume XXVII, Number 3)

February 2016 (Volume XXVII, Number 2)

January 2016 (Volume XXVII, Number 1)

December 2015 (Volume XXVI, Number 12)

November 2015 (Volume XXVI, Number 11)

October 2015 (Volume XXVI, Number 10)

September 2015 (Volume XXVI, Number 9)

August 2015 (Volume XXVI, Number 8)

July 2015 (Volume XXVI, Number 7)

  • Black Walnut's Uncertain Future
    In 2001, arborists and foresters started reporting black walnut deaths due to thousand cankers disease in Colorado. Today, green industry professionals still struggle to manage this disease.
    Read it now!
  • Restoration Pruning After Storms
    Tree restoration is an important part of caring for trees in our clients' landscapes. This article addresses damage to trees during storms (or poor tree care practices) and how arborists can help trees recover from these injuries.
    Read it now!
  • Safety Comes First in Stump Grinding Best Practices
    Modern stump grinders may be safer than their predecessors, but they still have potential to harm! This article provides examples of stump grinder accidents, and tips for avoiding them.
    Read it now!

June 2015 (Volume XXVI, Number 6)

  • Grappling with Safety Issues for Attachments
    Grapples and other attachments, can reduce labor and, in doing so, cut down on labor-related injuries. But they also introduce safety concerns of their own that, if you use grapples and attachments in your business, you need to get a grip on, as well.
    Read it now!
  • Aerial Lift Operator Safety: Bucket of Trouble
    When there's a serious fall from an aerial lift, the fallout comes from all over. This is the second in a series of articles to run in TCI Magazine looking at aerial lift operator safety.
    Read it now!
  • Climbing Tips for Long Term Body Health
    As arborists, tree climbers and "industrial athletes," we need to constantly be diligent and true to our bodies, our "machines." This article outlines eight simple steps to help remind you to keep yourself tuned and fit.
    Read it now!

May 2015 (Volume XXVI, Number 5)

  • Helping Heroes Stay Safe
    Arbormax Tree Service trained 150 soldiers in the Army National Guard on the fundamentals of chain saw safety, saw maintenance operations, and reactive forces. Such safety skills are crucial for these men and women, who often deal with dangerous situations in the aftermath of natural disasters.
    Read it now!
  • Lessons Learned in EAB Management
    Author Rex Bastian shares nine years' worth of EAB knowledge, and shows how the pest has slowly spread across the country via infested firewood, nursery stock, and landscape debris.
    Read it now!
  • First Aid, Part 5: Work Related Trauma Injuries Overview
    The majority of tree worker medical traumas are due to trauma, rather than illness. This 5th installment of our monthly "First Aid for Arborists" series covers basics types of trauma tree care professionals may suffer on the jobsite.
    Read it now!

April 2015 (Volume XXVI, Number 4)

March 2015 (Volume XXVI, Number 3)

  • Let’s Get Small: The New Age of Articulated Mini Loaders
    By Rick Howland
    Trending now in tree care equipment are smaller machines that can do as much or more work than their predecessors. One of the newer trends that’s expected to have a growing influence in the industry is the articulated mini skid steer or loader. Articulated means they “bend” or pivot on an axis somewhere amidships.
  • Expert Witness: And Justice for Some
    By Howard Gaffin
    Author Howard Gaffin writes about his experience as an arborist in the courtroom.
  • First Aid Part 3: Resuscitation – CPR and AED Skills for Tree Workers
    By John Ball and Megan Johnson
    Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a skill everyone should know, particularly workers in high-risk occupations such as tree care. In occupations such as line clearance and logging, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires at least two persons on every crew be trained in CPR and first aid. There is good reason for this requirement, as every year tree workers have survived serious incidents due to the quick action of a co-worker who was trained in CPR and first aid.

February 2015 (Volume XXVI, Number 2)

  • Archangel Ancient Tree Archive – Cloning and Propagating Earth’s Oldest Remaining Trees
    By Jim Clark, with Jake Milarch
    Our cover story explores David Milarch's work to clone over 147 species of the oldest and most ancient trees currently on this planet - some of which date back 3,000 years.
  • Conservation Arboriculture: Maintaining Old Trees In the Human Landscape
    By Philip van Wassenaer and Alex Satel
    For many people, trees are just another part of daily life. While everyone relies on, and many even take for granted, the ecological benefits trees provide every day, people’s interactions with trees are often limited. From time to time they might rake up leaves or prune a few branches, and even fewer may at some point in their lives plant a tree. But few people realize that trees, like works of art, stories or historic buildings, can also be part of a shared cultural, spiritual and natural heritage.
  • Collateral Effects of Neonicotinoid Insecticides
    By Michael J. Raupp, Ph.D., and Adrianna Szczepaniec, Ph.D.
    In recent years, invasive insect pests such as hemlock woolly adelgid and emerald ash borer have had a multibillion-dollar impact on lost property values and expenditures by private citizens and governments to thwart their attacks (Raupp 2014). To combat these pests arborists, government agencies, and private citizens have employed systemic insecticides belonging to a class of compounds known as the neonicotinoids. Now we are finding that arborists need to be aware of the potential for collateral damage using these insecticides.
  • Outdoor Wood-Fired Boilers are a Hot Idea
    By David Rattigan
    Brian Martin has a dream. Or at least a darn good idea. The North American distributor for Portage & Main Outdoor Water Furnaces envisions a world where tree care crews comes home at the end of the day with logs and other scrap that will be fed into the outdoor wood boiler that heats their company’s buildings during the cold-weather months.

January 2015 (Volume XXVI, Number 1)

  • Tier 4 Final Is Here – Learning to Live with New Off-Road Diesel Engine Technology
    By Rick Howland
    The mandatory arrival this year of the so-called Tier 4 Final diesel engines in chippers and other off-road vehicles brings with it some significant game-changers. Know now that these aren’t your grandfather’s diesel engines. Be prepared.
  • Not Your Everyday Crane Removal
    By Devon Hutton
    We had two intense thunderstorms go through our area September 5, 2014, starting in the Six Mile Lake area of Georgian Bay Township, Ontario, Canada, and traveling northwest to southeast. Straight-line wind shears of 90-110 km/h went through to the Orillia area (more than 60km away), picking up in strength to over 130 km/h, and eventually ending with a confirmed EF-1 tornado (winds with speeds of 135-175 km/h) just south east of Orillia in a small community of Udney. There, the first line went through at approximately 2 p.m., and then another just after 5:45 p.m., with some powerful straight line winds and intense thunder and lightning.
  • Effective Biological Control: Understanding the Relationship between Natural Enemies and Prey
    By Raymond Cloyd
    Biological control is a plant protection strategy that involves relying on natural enemies (or biological control agents) to regulate insect or mite pest populations. It is important to understand that biological control is a regulatory process. Natural enemies will not eradicate an insect or mite pest population; the success of natural enemies in landscapes and nurseries is contingent on maintaining insect or mite pest numbers at levels low enough to minimize plant damage.
  • TCI Magazine 25th Anniversary
    The May 2015 issue of TCI Magazine will represent the completion of 25 years of publishing. Starting with this January issue and continuing throughout 2015, we will take a look back through our archives and recall, and sometimes reprint, articles or accounts of people, places and events, as well as services, supplies and equipment, that had an impact on the industry during these 25 years.

December 2014 (Volume XXV, Number 12)

  • Waste Not, Want Not: Tree Recycling Reaches 100 Percent
    By Rick Howland
    There’s no reason to have unwanted wood waste any more. And there’s absolutely no reason you shouldn’t be making money from the whole tree. Thirty years ago, I had asked a tree care guy if he’d leave the chips from a takedown so I could use them to mulch around my deck. He said, in no uncertain terms, that there was something wrong with my thinking and that he would not leave trash behind any of his jobs. Over the years, that “trash” has turned to treasure. And, by the way, he is out of business. Therein lies the story: Unrecognized opportunity.
  • These Crane Tools Bring Tree Work to a Higher Level
    By David Rattigan
    Through the years, resourceful arborists have borrowed and adapted tools from wherever they could find them. Going back to World War II, many an entrepreneurial veteran bought his first truck as Army surplus. The military had also made adaptations that brought the chain saw into the suburban backyard, and developed mist sprayers and chemicals to keep mosquitoes at bay. The nylon used in military parachutes later became the preferred material for climbing lines, until it was replaced by materials and weaves that came from sailing or mountaineering. Several changes have come within the industry itself, as arborists have tweaked existing machinery to make it better, safer, more productive and/or faster. They have then shared their innovations with others in the field.
  • Anthropogenic Tree Decline (Trees Dying for No Apparent Reason)
    By Ralph J. Zingaro
    Trees have been making a lot of news lately. Regardless of the primary (or secondary) causes, i.e. insects, pathogens, there may be something greater going on that is predisposing trees, particularly larger trees, to accelerated decline and death.
  • Evaluating Today’s Fuel Choices for Your Fleet
    By Michael Moser
    With all the buzz in recent years about alternative fuels, you may have given some thought to whether switching from gasoline or diesel could be a viable option for your organization. Alternative fuels are quickly becoming more popular for a number of reasons. The high cost of petroleum, market volatility, amplified environmental interest, advancements in technology and strict regulations are all contributing factors.

November 2014 (Volume XXV, Number 11)

  • Compact Aerial Lifts – How High and Far Do They Reach?
    By Rick Howland
    Manufacturers of compact aerial lifts may not agree on the exact nomenclature of the machines they make and sell. And they may not agree on the exact “sweet spot” in terms of up-and-out reach for tree care professionals. But they do agree that, while the aerial lift for tree care work may be in the early stages of its acceptance, the technology will become a staple in the industry’s equipment fleet.
  • Abiotic Tree Problems Should be Addressed Early On
    By Lew Bloch
    From time to time I have discussed with colleagues that we, as arborists, are on the tail end of the so-called food chain for tree problems. We are often faced with the challenges and problems caused by others in the green industry. I am not proposing that these problems are intentional or malicious, but they certainly are real problems. Let me explain; let us refer to it as the life of a tree.
  • New Rope and Rope Tools for Tree Care
    By David Rattigan
    For many of those in the tree industry, detecting the annual evolution of rope may seem a little bit like when the wife – or husband – stands in the doorway and asks, “Do you notice anything different?” Sometimes the changes are so incremental, it’s tough to answer that question, and sometimes the only thing to notice is a new dye job or, in the case of the husband, that the mustache or beard has been trimmed.
  • Bartlett to Establish Museum of Arboriculture
    By Don Blair, CTSP
    Whether it is a sport such as baseball, a hobby or passion for something such as motorcycles or classic cars, a profession such as engineering or lawyering, or a trade such as welding and fabrication, you will invariably find some common traits of the professional: at least one association (usually more), certifications and accreditations, magazines devoted to the subject, conventions, trade shows, exhibitions, and/or competitions of one form or another. The tree care industry has all of these in abundance, but one thing many of the others have that we have been lacking is a museum. That is until recently.

October 2014 (Volume XXV, Number 10)

  • Crane Removal: No, Not That Tree!
    By Todd Kramer, CTSP
    Have you ever gotten that call from a sales rep about a tree that you are very familiar with, dread the thought of, and that now needs to be removed? I received that call late in the winter.
    We have a client who does a lot of work with us. She has three residential properties, all on the same block. They are full of mature trees, mostly white and burr oaks. We have been maintaining these trees for many years, and the client loves her trees and her property. She spends a lot of time working in the gardens in and around all of her trees.
  • Firewood Season Already Aflame
    By Rick Howland
    In most parts of North America, the firewood season is just getting started right about now. Though market-watchers agree that the firewood season usually starts slowly – well below the high prices of the prior year and topping out as demand peaks and the winter ends – not so this year. October is picking up right where March left off with spot shortages and high prices, and it’s due to a confluence of factors.
  • Phytophthora Diseases: Recognition & Control
    By Olaf K. Ribeiro
    The increasing incidences of Phytophthora species infecting several major tree species worldwide makes it important that we recognize what this pathogen can do and what we can do to control it in our local areas. Phytophthora is perhaps best known for being the causal agent of sudden oak death in California, where several thousand oak trees succumbed to this disease. Phytophthora is now also known to be causing the death of several valuable tree species throughout Europe. In fact, Phytophthora is known to cause diseases in over one thousand plant species.
  • Pruning Exceptions to the Rules: Topping and Heading Trees
    By Cass Turnbull
    I recently gave a talk on the work that PlantAmnesty has done to end tree topping. At the end of the talk someone asked the question, “Are there any circumstances where you consider crown reduction pruning is OK?” To which I replied, “Sure. There are even instances when tree topping is okay.”

September 2014 (Volume XXV, Number 9)

  • Gas Engines Hot Again with Tier 4 Diesel Restrictions Pending
    By Rick Howland
    It’s come full-circle – the debate over gasoline versus diesel engines for tree care equipment such as chippers and, to a lesser extent, stump grinders. About 20 years ago it was the gasoline engines that were falling out of favor, and diesel was the new power plant darling. There were two reasons for this. First, the gasoline engine went through the tortuous and mysterious path of clean-burn technology. Second, diesel engines provided more torque than gas engines in those days and were less costly to run.
  • Chain Saw Use: Plan and Position to Cut Safely Using Both Hands
    By Ken Palmer
    Today’s chain saws are designed, engineered and built to be handled with both hands, using very specific cutting methods. Tree climbing and rigging methods, bucket trucks, cranes and many types of lifting equipment all can be used to position someone, somewhere, to cut something. Professional tree workers frequently use chain saws, and in many different positions. As we all know, working with chain saws can be dangerous.
  • Climbing in Search of Asian Longhorned Beetle
    By Melissa LeVangie, CTSP
    I have the honor to work with 24 other climbers in the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Eradication Program in Worcester, Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, the ALB eradication program is led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Our primary focus is to find ALB-infested trees and to eradicate the beetle from central Massachusetts. The tree climbing position involves tasks, techniques and challenges that we encounter every day on the job as regular climbing arborists.
  • Implementing ANSI A300 in Real World Tree Preservation
    By Dane Buell, CTSP
    Here is the scenario: Your client has four linden trees (Tilia americana) and two London plane trees (Platanus × acerifolia) growing along a roadway and parking area. The property owner is building additional office space in the area that is a parking lot now. He is concerned about preserving the trees because he has noticed the ones on the adjacent property are not doing well.

August 2014 (Volume XXV, Number 8)

  • Get Your Share of the ROW Boom
    By Rick Howland
    What’s new in heavy equipment for ROW maintenance is… ROW maintenance. And it’s not just that it’s simply the busy season for this kind of work. What we found are certainly some innovations and trends in use of larger ROW equipment. More to the point, however, we discovered that the right-of-way business is hot. You might say “ROW is WOW!”.
  • Weathering a Storm as a Residential Tree Care Company
    By Dane Buell, CTSP
    The news is buzzing with reports of a severe storm headed your way. You feel excited because once again you will be the local hero. You begin your normal preparations and think positively about all the good things this storm will bring to your business.
  • Choosing the Right Hand Pruner or Handsaw
    By Jen Kettell
    I can talk about tools all day long; I won’t, but I certainly can. Since pruning is my most preferred horticultural task, I hope to share what I have learned and what I love about hand pruners and handsaws. Before deeply delving into tool talk, let’s review the importance of one particular article of PPE (personal protective equipment) – eye protection.

July 2014 (Volume XXV, Number 7)

  • Beech Nut – Understanding, Appreciating and Caring for Fagus sylvatica
    By Howard Gaffin
    The European beech (Fagus sylvatica) is native to parts of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Some research suggests its spread through continental Europe is linked to agricultural patterns. The purple variety was found growing naturally in three or four places in central Europe, the first written accounts appearing around 1680. While there is no record of the date of introduction to the U.S., it was noted in both George Washington’s and Thomas Jefferson’s plant lists.
  • Arborist Weigh in on One-Handing a Chain Saw
    Chain saw one-handing is controversial practice among professional arborists. We can make two points about it that shouldn’t be that controversial: It’s epidemic in our industry, and it’s NOT allowed by the industry’s standards for safe work practices. What is your company’s position on it? Do you allow it? Disallow it? Permit it in certain situations? Or do you ignore that it’s happening?
  • First Aid: What's in your kit?
    By John Ball, CTSP
    First-aid kits are as essential to tree care and removal operations as the personal protective equipment (PPE) we wear during the work day. The latter helps keep you from getting hurt; the former helps you if you’re hurt.
    Unfortunately, too often first-aid kits are regarded as talisman, a mystical box that wards off all evil. The kit sits unopened for years, often stuffed under the truck seat buried beneath the accumulated debris of countless jobs and breaks. Then one day, in an emergency of course, the rusted kit is pried open and mysterious packages that have yellowed and become brittle with age appear, or the box is empty – so much for any aid.
  • Matching Stump Grinders to Your Business
    By Rick Howland
    Right off, most manufacturers will tell you that even the smallest stump grinder will do the job of making stumps disappear. If you do only one or two here and there, or have a lot of close-in work in highly populated areas, the basic stumper is fine.

June 2014 (Volume XXV, Number 6)

  • Single Rope Ascent and Work Positioning
    By Odis Sisk
    Single rope technique, or SRT, is a set of methods to ascend or descend on one part of a rope. You are moving up one tail of the rope, while the rope is stationary. That is a single rope system in its most basic form.
    SRT has been the accepted method for many types of industrial rope access for as long as there has been industrial rope access. It is also very common in cave exploration and rock climbing. However, there are many differences between those and arboricultural SRT.
  • Five-Year Analysis of Fatal Tree Care Accidents
    By Peter Gerstenberger
    In 2009, the TCIA began compiling information on tree care-related accidents as reported in the media through its “Accident Briefs” feature in TCI Magazine. Typically, the accidents we report are those covered in the news media, and conveyed to us by a “Google Search” on selected keywords. Occasionally a member sends us a newspaper clipping from their area, or we find an account of a fatal accident on OSHA’s website.
  • The Science, Politics, and Art of Urban Tree Selection
    By Bob Polomski, Ph.D.
    When I was asked to present a topic on urban tree selection at the 2014 ISA Southern Chapter Annual Conference in Myrtle Beach this past February, I was honored – and humbled – by the importance of this task. The trees you select, plant, and maintain now become your legacy in the future.
  • Grapples Let You Get a Better Grip on Business
    By Rick Howland
    It’s not difficult to see that the word “grapple” is derived from the French word “grape.” It harkens to the days of grape harvesting and vintners working with primitive tools attempting to efficiently grasp those awkwardly shaped fruits at harvest time. From grape harvesting then to tree care now, the word still applies. When we use a grapple, the tool from which the word derives, we are trying to gain control, get a grip of something so we can manage what we move and how we move it.

May 2014 (Volume XXV, Number 5)

  • The Current State of Tree Injection Methods and Materials
    By Patrick Parker, CTSP
    Last fall, in response to a growing interest in the subject, TCIA organized a tree injection summit aimed at “combining cutting edge presentations, demonstrations, and practical application discussions related to tree injection ... covering everything from the deeply scientific to the practical.” For all intents and purposes, the November 13, 2013, event, held in conjunction with TCI EXPO in Charlotte, North Carolina, and hosted at the Bartlett Tree Research Lab in Charlotte, did just that.
  • Origin of Buds, Branches and Sprouts
    By Kevin T. Smith, Ph.D.
    Recent research shows that survivor trees in rural, managed forests rebuild broken crowns with new branches and foliage after ice storm injury. Veteran trees in historic parks and landscapes show repeated cycles of crown loss and recovery. Crown rebuilding or reiteration from sprouts is a physiological response with architectural effects that occur after crown injury or as part of tree aging, or senescence. That a tree would form new shoots and branches to replace lost foliage and photosynthetic capacity makes sense. However, arboriculture and the public sometimes seem divided on what to do with branch and stem sprouts.
  • Forces in Rigging
    By Todd Kramer, CTSP
    Myself and one of our crews had a pretty challenging day a while back.
    I received a call from Juan Yepez, one of our top-performing crew leaders, on a gorgeous summer day. I was out pruning trees on a residential job enjoying the day. He mentioned he was on a crane job (we own two smaller boom trucks, 18 and 23 ton) with a broken branch on a house. He mentioned he could get the brush off the limb but not the wood at the contact point on the house. The butt of the limb was still attached to the trunk with a little wood holding, I was told.
  • TCIA Launches Arborist Safety Training Institute
    By Tamsin Venn
    Access to local, affordable, high-quality safety training has been a challenge for arborists for decades. TCIA has launched a new initiative that will, once fully underway, provide cost-subsidized safety training and education for tree care companies nationwide. The initiative launched last fall and fundraising for the Arborist Safety Training Institute, or ASTI, is now well underway.
  • Chippers Unlocking the Door to Mulch and Biomass Markets
    By Rick Howland
    Chippers can be a gateway to profitability in the emerging mulch and biomass markets. With a chipper, the small- to mid-size tree care professional can do more than reduce waste volume. They can join the “big boys” and actually make money in the waste-to-mulch or waste-to-biomass markets.

April 2014 (Volume XXV, Number 4)

  • Soil Tree Treatments – Lessons learned from invasive insect control
    By Phil Lewis, Ph.D.
    When they write the history books for destructive tree pests for the 21st century, there will be two extensive entries for the emerald ash borer (EAB) and the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). Both insects are thought to have first arrived in the U.S. in the 1980s or so, when both our economy and our trade with China experienced exponential growth.
  • Useful Tools in Plant Health Care – Phenology and Degree Days
    By Sylvia McNeill, BCMA
    Caught up in the depths of winter, we hold fast to the knowledge that spring will indeed come. We know it will … it’s on the calendar. It appears every year on the exact same day with the exact same circumstances. Or does it? Calendar-wise it can vary just a couple of days, but climatically, it can vary a lot. We know buds will start to swell, birds become active and insects start to develop. In addition to providing pleasing fragrance and visual appeal, those beautiful blooming plants offer an opportunity to assist plant health care (PHC) professionals in predicting the emergence of insects.
  • What’s Behind the Mini Lift’s Growing Popularity?
    By Rick Howland
    When the mini lift arrived on American shores a bit over a decade ago, it would have been difficult to see how quickly they’d grow into such a key part of the tree care equipment fleet, overtake climbing and challenge the venerability of the bucket truck. After all, these mini lifts were just re-purposed aerial units designed largely for building maintenance. However, as soon as the mini lift started reaching into the branches, it became clear that they would be here to stay, based on two business needs: safety and productivity. If you’ve been in business for any period of time, you’ll recognize that safety and productivity are often at odds. Will safe practices slow productivity (and thus impact the bottom line), or will increased productivity threaten safety (and drive up labor costs)?
  • Aerial Rescue: The Complexities of Preparation
    By Sam Kezar, CTSP
    During my presentation on this same subject at TCI EXPO in Charlotte last November, I asked the audience how many of them practiced aerial rescue. Most raised their hands. Then I asked, “How many of you do crane removals?” A handful raised their hands. Then I asked, “How many of you practice an aerial rescue for an accident involving a crane?” No one raised a hand …
    Emergency response takes a lot of careful planning for it to work effectively if the need arises. This article outlines those challenges, and the planning, preparation and protocols needed to be ready for a rescue.
  • Mr. Arborist, Save My Ash
    By Howard Gaffin
    Although it was a sad sight to see, I cannot deny the delight I took in calling this one. A virtual classroom of cracks, included bark, and excessive end weight, a main scaffold of a white ash tree had ripped out of its defective attachment point during a late summer weather event.

March 2014 (Volume XXV, Number 3)

  • Proper Maintenance on Compact Loaders and Skid Steers Pays Dividends
    By Rick Howland
    What kind of skid-steer or compact loader user are you? The kind who takes great care of the equipment, able to get right to the job? Or one of those who treats machines like disposable tools, running them until they need to make repairs (and they always seem to be making repairs)?
  • Chain Saw Safety: Keeping the Fundamentals in Mind
    By Keith Norton
    Chain saws are important, everyday tools for arborists, used for any number of felling, pruning or crane jobs – and sometimes it can be easy to forget a few simple safety measures that can lead to injury or tragedy.
  • Pruning For Performance
    By Tyler Altenburger
    Developmental pruning is the art of training a tree to grow as a single stemmed structure through the practice of pruning. If left untouched for many years, trees will often develop problems for the next generation of homeowners and arborists that will be difficult to solve or mitigate. Although there are other reasons for developmental pruning, we will mainly focus on one, the future structure of a young deciduous tree.
  • CNG for Tree Care Fleets
    By Mike Ingles
    President Obama, in his State-of-the-Union address in January, extolled the benefits of compressed natural gas (CNG) technology and explained, “Businesses plan to invest almost a hundred billion dollars in new factories that use natural gas. I’ll cut red tape to help states get those factories built and put folks to work, and this Congress can help by putting people to work building fueling stations that shift more cars and trucks from foreign oil to American natural gas.”

April 2012 (Volume XXIII, Number 4)

  • Asian Longhorned Beetle: The Threat in Black and White
    By Joe Boggs and Amy Stone
    This article reviews key Asian Longhorned Beetle diagnostic features. ALB myths are addressed and an update on the ALB status on Ohio is addressed
  • Chipper Safety in Ground Operations
    By Dane Buell, CTSP
    For the past 25 years, Dane Buell has been working with chippers and ground operations. This month, he takes a look at his personal experiences and reviews what can happen while operating a chipper.
  • Spar Pole Rigging - Mitigating the Hazards
    By Anthony Tresselt, CTSP
    This article looks at climber tie-in points (TIPs) for both-single and doubled-line climbing systems. The variations are numerous, so the article focuses on the basic benefits and application of a few simple set ups.
  • Aerial Lifts Are Going, Going, Gone Hybrid
    By Rick Howland
    The concept of a hybrid lift may be difficult to wrap one’s head around, but this article highlights the myriad of options that may spark ideas about customizing a piece tailored to your business.

March 2012 (Volume XXIII, Number 3)

  • Getting to Know ANSI A300 Part 9:Tree Risk Assessment
    By Eric Wiseman, PhD.
    ANSI A300 standards are the generally accepted industry standards for tree care practices. Eric Wiseman explains Part 9 Tree Risk Assessment, whichaddresses tree structure assessment practices, including: levels of tree risk assessment, target identification, risk analysis and reporting, owner determination.
  • Loss Control: Reflecting On Safety Provides Better Financial Health
    By David Rattigan
    The net result of a safer workplace is a healthier bottom line. This article explains how Loss Control Surveys – part of an insurance program for companies that qualify – are one tool to help companies get there.
  • Tents, Cankers and the Return of Spring
    By Michael J. Raupp
    Michael J. Raupp explains why the return of tent caterpillars, cankerworms, and other early season defoliators provide incentive for arborists to redouble monitoring activities on a wide variety of landscape trees and shrubs for symptoms and signs of pesky early season caterpillars.
  • Bad Weather Ahead? Time To Load
    By Rick Howland
    Selecting a loader for maximum productivity isn’t as simple as choosing one with the most horsepower. With so many different sizes and options of loaders available, horsepower is only one consideration, explains Rick Howland.

February 2012 (Volume XXIII, Number 2)

  • Can Stump Grinders Really Go Green?
    By Rick Howland
    Rick Howland explains how the biggest thing stump grinders have been doing to be green is to maximize productivity while minimizing fuel consumption.
  • Organic Land Care: Healthy Soil for Happy Trees
    By Bill Duesing
    Organic land care encourages diversity and avoids harsh fertilizers and toxic chemicals. This article is an excerpt of the NOFA Standards in Organic Land Care, Practices for Design and Maintenance of Ecological Landscape.
  • There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute: A whirlwind tour of sucking insect pests of woody plants
    By Michael J. Raupp, Ph.D
    This article reviews how sucking insects attain epic densities on woody trees and shrubs.
  • A Preview of Changes in the New Z133
    By Peter Gerstenberger
    The ANSI Z133 is a comprehensive safety standard written by arborists for the arboriculture profession that applies to employers and employees engaged in arboricultural operations. Since the last revision of the Z133 was six years ago, Peter Gerstenberger previews the standard’s upcoming changes.
  • ROW Equipment Has a Green History
    By Tamsin Venn
    This article explores how Right of Way (ROW) mechanical equipment consists of some of the biggest toys in the tree care industry and yet, these rugged monsters can still be environmentally friendly.

January 2012 (Volume XXIII, Number 1)

  • Diary of a Storm Chaser
    By Michael Roche
    Michael Roche of TCIA member company Stowe Tree Experts tells the story of how he drove to Connecticut in October 2011 to aid in the recover from the catastrophic “snowtober” that devastated so much of the landscape across the state.
  • Insect Vectored Plant Diseases
    By Gary W.Moorman
    When plant pathogens and insects work together, the results can be devastating – Oak wilt, Dutch elm disease, bacterial leaf scorch, elm yellows and thousand cankers are five such diseases. This article explores these damaging diseases.
  • TCI EXPO 2011 Photos and Wrap Up
    Despite an unprecedented snowfall that wreaked havoc on the region, nearly 2,000 attendees enjoyed three days of workshops, seminars and  demonstrations focused on the tree care industry. Take a peek at what happened at the world’s largest tree care industry trade show and conference in 2011.   
  • Rigging: Mechanical Advantages for Arborists
    By Anthony Tresselt
    Mechanical advantage is the amplification of input force gained by using a tool, devise or machine. This month, Anthony Tresselt explores this useful art and science.
  • Keep on Truckin’: New Trucks Are Lighter, More Fuel Efficient and Customizable
    By Rick Howland
    This article talks about the new trucks on the market with a body manufacturer, a truck/chassis maker and companies that custom build trucks for tree care.