The Arborist and the Law Workshop scheduled for Tuesday, March 15, 2016
at Sessions Woods in Burlington, CT is not able to accept anymore registrations
or take walk-in registrations at the door.
Sad News: CTPA Announces the Passing of Mike LeBlanc
Mike LeBlanc, arborist and longtime CTPA member, passed away on February 27th, this past Saturday. This is very sad news to CTPA members, who knew Mike as a steadfast contributor to tree care, passionate about trees and about his profession, who was always willing to share this passion with his colleagues, with young people and with anyone interested in learning more about trees. His loss will be felt by many.
Mike was the owner of LeBlanc Arborists LLC. A visit to the company’s website shows Mike’s support for arboriculture, including his participation in a series of public workshops called “Tree Care 101”. Within CTPA, Mike was a regular at meetings and workshops, served a stint on the CTPA board and was a frequent volunteer at CT Tree Climbing Competitions. He had also been Tree Warden for the Town of East Granby, where he lived with his family.
A memorial service for Mike will be held on Saturday, March 5th at 2 pm at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 55 River Road in Collinsville. More on Mike’s life can be found in his obituary from the Hartford Courant.
Mike’s family has asked that donations in his honor be made to the CTPA Arborist Scholarship Fund. (See also a list of previous recipients of the Arborist Scholarship.)
Mike at the 2007 CTCC at Elizabeth Park in Hartford, where he had volunteered along with his bucket truck.
Update on Bill 5258
A public hearing on Bill 5258 will be held before the CT General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, March 2 at 1 pm. Here are details on the public hearing.
Full details on this bill, including the text of the bill and public hearing testimony, can be found on the bill’s web page.
Bill 5258 would establish a procedure by which one neighbor would be able to recover clean-up costs from a second neighbor should a tree from the second neighbor’s property fall onto the first neighbor’s property. Part of the process involves inspection of the tree by an arborist (as defined by Section 23-61a of the General Statutes). Presumably, this inspection would be paid for by the first neighbor.
This bill is very similar to a bill passed by the General Assembly in 2014 and then vetoed by the Governor. This is discussed in a letter from the bill’s sponsor discussing what has changed between that earlier bill and this one. This letter is included as part of the Public Hearing Testimony on the bill’s web page.
CT Climbing Competition – Colt Park in Hartford
This years Connecticut Tree Climbing Competition is at Colt Park in Hartford, CT.
This is an all day event that is open to the public.
If you are interested in being a competitive climber or a sponsor, please register on-line or
by mail.
If you are interested in being a volunteer, please call Bud Neal (203)577-8144 (cell)
or Cathy in the office (203)484-2512.
Legislative Update 2016
There are currently two bills in particular before the Connecticut General Assembly that may be of interest to arborists, tree wardens, tree workers and others involved with caring for trees.
The first bill, #5150, is entitled “AN ACT CONCERNING TREE WARDENS’ NOTICES ON TREES AND SHRUBS PRIOR TO REMOVAL, TREE REMOVAL ALONG STATE HIGHWAYS AND CLEAN-UP BY PUBLIC UTILITY CORPORATIONS FOLLOWING CERTAIN TREE REMOVAL.” The bill has four sections. The first section slightly re-words the posting language in CGS 23-59, the state statute that describes the tree warden’s duties. The second section would require that a tree warden post trees and shrubs under consideration before deciding upon a permit requested by a third party for the pruning or removal of trees or shrubs under the tree warden’s care and control (CGS 23-65). The third section places a reporting requirement, to the legislature and DEEP, on DOT regarding the removal of trees along state highways. The final section requires the utilities remove debris following roadside tree work.
The full bill can be read on the CGA website.
A public hearing on this bill is being held before the Environment Committee today, Friday, February 19. Extensive comments on this bill have already been posted on the CGA website.
The second bill is something of a recurring event, as it has also been raised in similar form in the two previous legislative sessions. This bill, #5258, is titled, “AN ACT CONCERNING A PROPERTY OWNER’S LIABILITY FOR THE EXPENSES OF REMOVING A FALLEN TREE OR LIMB” and will be heard before the Judiciary Committee, although no date has been set as of yet.
The 2014 version of this bill actually passed the legislature but was vetoed by Governor Malloy. It would establish requirements regarding financial liability for removal of a tree that falls from one private property onto another.
This bill may also be viewed on the CGA website.
Announcing – Updated Disease Management Guide for CT Arborists
CTPA is very happy to announce that a fully updated edition of the Disease Management Guide for Connecticut Arborists has been released. This electronic form (pdf – 22.5 MB) has the advantages of including both color pictures and activated links. Heartfelt thanks go to Dr. Sharon Douglas, Emeritus Plant Pathologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. It is Sharon who put together the original version of this publication as well as subsequent versions that have been produced over the years.
A paper version of the publication is also available for sale through the CTPA office. Please contact the office for price and mailing details.
email: info@ctpa.org
phone: 203-484-2512
Also, please visit the Tree Disease Page on the CTPA website.
Download the Disease Management Guide for CT Arborists.
CTPA’s ‘Go To the Top’ Campaign in Support of Licensed Arborists
CTPA announces the start of a media campaign to develop public awareness of the value of the arborist license. Within the State of Connecticut, an arborist license is required of all those who advertise, solicit or contract to do arboriculture. The intent of the campaign is to do more than highlight this legal requirement, however. The campaign will also seek to emphasize the value to tree owners of working with a licensed arborist, for all of the knowledge, expertise and skill that a Connecticut licensed arborist brings. As CTPA says in its campaign, “a healthy tree is no accident”.
In this campaign, CTPA is working with CEL, a Minnesota based public relations firm well known for such tree-related public awareness campaigns as “Trees Pay Us Back” and “Kentucky Roots“. Outreach will include developing recognition for the brand chosen for this campaign “Go the Top: Hire a Connecticut Licensed Arborist”. It will also include the development of materials that underscore why Connecticut licensed arborists provide so much value, including protecting the homeowner’s investment in their trees and contributing to public safety and and the providing of environmental benefits.
This campaign is only in its initial stages. There is still much more work to do. CTPA members will be asked to participate in the support of this campaign as it moves forward.
Members interested in learning more are invited to contact the CTPA office.
A ‘mocked-up’ example of how the new “Go To the Top” brand logo might be used.
One view of the campaign logo.
CTPA Marketing Campaign will Educate the Public on the Value of Hiring a Licensed Arborist
Campaign to be Unveiled at the CTPA Annual Meeting, January 21.
Over the years, CTPA has tried by various means to address the issue of unlicensed tree work. Out of the many past efforts, most have led to mixed and limited success.
Now, CTPA is now trying a bold new approach. At the end of 2015, the Association contracted with CEL, a marketing, public relations and design firm out of Minneapolis, in an effort to raise broad public visibility regarding the value of the arborist license to tree owners.
The marketing approach/campaign CEL is developing for CTPA will be unveiled at the CTPA Annual Meeting
, during the morning Business Session. All CTPA members are encourage to attend.
With respect to tree programs, CEL is a widely known and highly successful marketing firm. CEL is probably best known for their “Trees Pay Us Back” campaign. This campaign, done for the purpose of promoting greater recognition of the value of trees, makes use of large ‘price tags’ hung on trees that list the actual dollar values of the benefits of trees.
In the initial release of this campaign, these price tags were hung on trees, on Arbor Day, all around the Minnesota State Capitol. The result was legislators impressed with the importance of trees through an appreciation of the real dollar value of the benefits they provide.
Any marketing campaign is a multi-stage process and CTPA is only at the initial stage of campaign development with CEL. The CTPA campaign will be something unique to CTPA, reflective of the interests and concerns of CTPA’s members. For this campaign to succeed, we will need input and involvement from CTPA members and, very likely, the additional financial support of Connecticut’s tree care companies.
To learn more, attend the Business Session beginning at 8:30 am on January 21. It is the first thing on the agenda at the CTPA meeting. Representatives of CEL will also be in attendance to meet with attendees and to hear your feedback and ideas regarding this campaign.
CTPA Looking for New Board Members
The board of CTPA is currently seeking candidates for board membership. We are looking for individuals who are committed to arboriculture and to advancing the care of trees in Connecticut; people who have a solid understanding of the goals of CTPA and who are willing to commit the time and effort needed to make CTPA better.
The people the board is looking for are those who can help plan the future of the Association and then work to make those plans come to life. The Association is continuously facing new challenges. Examples include:
- Currently it is renting office space. For a variety of reasons, it needs to determine the next steps regarding this office space and rooms for meetings.
- With the upgrade of the website, someone is needed who can spearhead communications.
- Over the past recent years, the Association has introduced several new annual events such as EHAP, the Climbing Competition, Arboriculture 101 and the Arbor Day celebration. Individuals are needed who can bring the same enthusiasm and dedication to these activities as did those who began them.
- The Association will continue to hold its Summer and Annual meetings and otherwise provide service to its 800-plus membership, with the responsibility for keeping these activities going falling on to the Board.
No small order, but that is why CTPA is seeking the right people. To be a board member, an individual should plan on attending monthly board meetings as well as be able to donate on average a day’s worth of time per month to CTPA. Commitment is key. Board members are also expected to chair a CTPA committee by the end of their second year.
Individuals interested in being candidates should contact Rich Mitchell, President of CTPA (rich.mitchell@altec.com or 203-695-5581) or Chris Donnelly, CTPA Past President (cmdonnelly@aol.com or 203-927-3052), prior to October 13th. Please be prepared to provide either Rich or Chris with a short bio and statement as to why you are interested in being on the board.
Alternatively, if you as a member know someone whom you feel would make a great board member, please pass the name of that person to either Chris or Rich. A current board member will contact this person to assess his or her interest in being on the board.
There is no monetary compensation for being on the CTPA Board of Directors – the reward comes in providing service to a highly-respected, highly-motivated association of individuals who are like-minded in their respect for trees and interest in trees and tree care. In just 7 short years, CTPA will be celebrating its 100th anniversary. Achieving that milestone will be testimony to the solid leadership the organization has received over the years. People who join the board now will also very likely be the ones who will help lead the Association into its second century.
Past President Jeff Ward at CTPA’s 2010 Annual Meeting.
Electrical Hazard Awareness Program
Electrical Hazard Awareness Program (EHAP)
The Connecticut Tree Protective Association
presents: an Electrical Hazard Awareness Program Workshop, Thursday, November 5, 2015.
This workshop will make attendees aware of the hazards all tree care workers face when they work around energized electrical conductors.
This is a one day workshop that includes lunch, a full day of instruction, the EHAP manual and workbook.
Register on-line or by mail by October 22, 2015.
