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CTPA Joins Sustainable CT in Planting Trees in Honored Communities

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This past fall, twenty-two cities and towns in Connecticut were recognized as the first “Sustainable CT Certified Communities” by Sustainable CT, a high-powered partnership that is working to get Connecticut’s communities thinking about their future in sustainable terms.

In April or May of this year, these 22 communities will each receive a tree from Sustainable CT in recognition of their accomplishments.  The CT Tree Protective Association is supporting this effort by donating these trees, doing its part to help this initiative get off the ground.

A Little Background

In 2016 and 2017, municipal leaders and residents from across the state, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and people from non-profits, businesses and key agencies such as DEEP all got together.  Their vision was to create a program that would recognize communities for acting in a way that advances sustainability – that takes stock of what they have and how they might move themselves forward. In a way that balances economic, social and environmental goals.  The sustainability goals are broad and inclusive.  They include such items as supporting local economies to improving transportation options to better energy planning.  ‘Well-Stewarded Land and Natural Resources’ is one of the Action Areas, with ‘Managing Woodlands and Forests’ being an item within that. 

Through this effort, Sustainable CT seeks to encourage more communities in the state to work consciously towards being better in the long-run.  The idea from the start was to provide municipalities with a menu of coordinated, voluntary actions.  Communities would select would actions to focus their efforts on, incorporating them into the way they do things, with the Sustainable CT partnership assisting with the resources and tools needed to achieve these milestones.

The Communities Response

The response from the communities has been strong.  To date, 83 communities, nearly half of those in the state, are participating in the program, with 22 having reached a level of accomplishment that the organizers deem worthy of recognition.  Of these 22, 5 have reached a silver level of certification (Hartford, Glastonbury, Greenwich, Stamford and Fairfield) while 17 have reach a bronze level (Bristol, Coventry, Madison, Milford, Hebron, Middletown, New Haven, New London, New Milford, Old Saybrook, Ridgefield, Roxbury, South Windsor, West Hartford, Westport, Windham and Woodbridge).

These are the communities that will be receiving a tree, along with a small plaque announcing the reason for the honor.  At the same time, Sustainable CT considers this as a project that has just begun, as new communities seek to reach this first level of accomplishment and those already honored seek to move up to the next level.

For CTPA, being a part of this effort just seemed natural.  What better way to symbolize sustainability than a tree planted in each sustainable community.  Many of these planting will be occurring in conjunction with Arbor Day.

To learn more about Sustainable CT, please visit SustainableCT.org.

 

 

CTPA Takes a Position on Two Bills Before the Legislature

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During its most recent board meeting, the CTPA Board took a closer look at the various bills currently before the Connecticut State Legislature. Several of these bills were mentioned in a recent CTPA post. In addition, at least two bills have surfaced since that previous post that CTPA members may want to be aware of.

HB 5312, An Act Concerning Vegetation Management in the Utility Protection Zone, would amend the existing law, CGS 16-234.

HB 6429, An Act Concerning a Grant-in-Aid Program for Municipalities Combatting Gypsy Moth and Emerald Ash Borer, proposes a process for bringing funding to towns dealing with trees killed due to those invasive insects.

Two bills in particular caught the Board’s attention. After extensive discussion of these bills, the CTPA Board decided to express its support for HB 5999 and its opposition to SB 76.

House Bill 5999, An Act Concerning Pesticide Regulation

This bill, would make 3 specific changes to current pesticide law. The first part of this bill would establish an account within state government, to be known as the Pesticide Enforcement Account. Money in this account would be used to

• cover the costs of regulating pesticides

• perform the inspections needed to enforce the laws on pesticide use and

• any other enforcement activities necessary in the regulation of pesticides by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The second part of the bill would set up an electronic reporting and record keeping system for pesticide registrations and for private and commercial pesticide applicator permits and certifications.

The third part of the bill calls for the creation of regulations regarding the on-line purchase of restricted use pesticides and for the implementation of a monitoring program to determine levels of pesticides in the soil, water and natural resources of the state, including, but not limited to, the state’s wildlife.

It is primarily the first part of the bill that caught the board’s attention. CTPA’s membership has long called for more effective enforcement of the Arborist Law. It is not clear, within the narrow confines of this bill, whether, if this legislation were to be enacted, it would increase enforcement related to the full range of arboricultural activities or just those related to pesticide use in tree care. However, as the Board sees it, the Arborist Law is regulated within DEEP through the Pesticide Management Program. Given that one of the limitations to greater enforcement of the Arborist Law is a shortage of personnel within the agency, any increase in resources provided to the Pesticide Program is apt to benefit arborists and to lead to better enforcement of the Arborist Law.

Funding for the Pesticide Enforcement Account will primarily come from the registration of pesticides, something that is required of companies that manufacture pesticides and seek to sell them in the state. This bill is before the Environment Committee. A Public Hearing on this bill will be held on Monday, March 18th. CTPA will be submitting testimony in support of this bill to the Environment Committee.

Senate Bill 76, An Act Authorizing Municipalities to Restrict the Use of Pesticides in Certain Areas of the Municipality or on Certain Types of Properties

SB 76 is being opposed by the CTPA Board on behalf of its membership.  The bill in its entirety reads as follows:

“Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 441 of the general statutes or any regulation adopted pursuant to said chapter, any municipality may, by ordinance, restrict the application of any pesticide, as defined in section 22a-47 of the general statutes, on any parcel of real property located in such municipality.”

The CTPA Board is concerned about this bill for 3 main reasons:

• It would undercut the authority of the DEEP Pesticide Program regarding how it regulates pesticides, including undermining the extensive review of pesticides and of the testing process that is a part of the DEEP’s determination as to whether specific pesticides are safe for use in Connecticut

• It would needlessly complicate how pesticides are applied by those businesses that are legitimate pesticide applicators, potentially leading both to errors due to confusion about what is permitted and what is not and to extra-legal applications by homeowners and other unlicensed applicators, and

• It is likely that it would make appropriate pesticide applications less effective in outbreak circumstances, as insect and disease pests do not recognize human drawn boundaries and as this bill would unnecessarily limit choices available to individual property owners during such outbreaks.

CTPA is joined with CT-EC in our concern regarding this bill. This bill is before the Environment Committee. The Public Hearing on this bill is also being held on Monday, March 18th. CTPA will be submitting testimony.

CTPA members who might wish to provide their own comment on these two bill or any other matters before the Environment Committee are encouraged to express their thoughts to the Committee through the following email address: envtestimony@cga.ct.gov.  Members are also encouraged to contact their own legislative representatives to let these representatives know of their interests and concerns.

Members interested in tracking the progress of these or other bills should visit the Connecticut General Assembly web site.

Arboriculture 101 September Registration

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Registration for the Fall 2019 Session of Arboriculture 101 is now open.  This series of classes will begin with the first class on Wednesday, September 4th.  All attendees must register before the start of this class.  Also, please note, this session of Arboriculture 101 tends to fill quickly.  There is a limit to the number of students that can be accepted into the course.

Details are available through the  and the Arboriculture 101 web page.

OR

If anyone would like further information, they should contact the CTPA office by e

Hands-on Night during the Winter 2015 class at Arboriculture 101.

mail or at 203-484-2512.

2019 Climbing Competition

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The 2019 Connecticut Tree Climbing Competition

is on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at the College Woods Park  and  in New Haven.

2018 CT Climbing Competition, Rocky Hill, CT

Each year, 25-30 climbers, men and women, participate in a competition that showcases the skill, safety, insight and knowledge that is all a part of climbing trees professionally.  The event also showcases the camaraderie, spirit and overall sense of fun that is also a part of this unique group of skilled individuals.

The Five Qualifying Events in the CT Tree Climbing Competition are:

  1. The Ascent Event – This is a new event and is replacing the footlock.
  2. Throw Line Accuracy – a timed event in which the competitor sets three different lines in specified parts of a tree.
  3. Belayed Speed Climb – a timed ‘free-climb’ (climber is belayed) 40′ to 60′ up a selected tree.
  4. Work Climb – five work stations are set within a given tree and competitors are scored as they move through the tree completing assigned tasks.
  5. Aerial Rescue – climbers are timed as they ‘rescue’ a dummy set in a tree.

This years (2019) Connecticut Tree Climbing Competition is at College Woods Park in New Haven, 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.

2019 Legislative Update

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The CT Legislature is currently in the midst of debating the bills that have arisen during this current session. Trees, and the need to manage and maintain trees, are the topic of several pieces of legislation. Not all these bills, however, are destined for full consideration by the Legislature – most, in fact are not. Legislators will often propose bills as ‘placeholders’, briefly outlining a perceived problem in the hopes that a solution can then be proposed. Often, these placeholders bills fade away as the session progresses. Either no substantive course of action arises for dealing with the indicated problem or another, similar bill is offered. Most of the bills relating to trees are placeholder bills and have already started to fade.

Town Tree Issues

One serious issue that the Legislature is grappling with is that of assisting towns with the number of dead trees along public roads. As CTPA members are well aware, the number of these trees has spiked, due to the emerald ash borer, gypsy moths, drought and other causes. Most towns simply do not have the resources to deal with the numbers of trees that that they have to.

Among the bills that have been proposed to assist towns in dealing with this problem are those that have recommended DEEP establish a grant program for tree removal but which offer no funding for this program and one that would exempt tree removal activities from the sales tax. One bill that is moving along is HB 5886, AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF LOCAL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND GRANTS FOR THE REMOVAL OF CERTAIN TREES. The purpose of the bill is to allow Local Capitol Improvement Funding to be used by towns for tree removal. This bill is currently before the Joint Committee on Planning and Development, with a Public Hearing scheduled for March 6.

The same language as is contained in HB 5886 is also contained in the Governor’s Budget Bill, SB 876.

Property Owner’s Liability for Fallen Trees

There are 3 other bills that are moving along that also might interest arborists. HB 7188, AN ACT CONCERNING A PROPERTY OWNER’S LIABILITY FOR THE EXPENSES OF REMOVING A FALLEN TREE OR LIMB, revives a bill that has been before the legislature several times in recent years, including having been passed in 2014, only to be vetoed by the Governor. The purpose of this bill is to establish conditions under which a tree owner could be held responsible for the clean-up of a tree that falls upon a neighbor’s property. In this discussion, the role of a Connecticut-licensed arborist is given importance, both for the arborist’s ability to identify trees with significant problems and also to indicate that the problems have been mitigated or otherwise no longer exist.

A Public Hearing on this bill was held before the Judiciary Committee on February 27th.

DOT and Trees

Another ‘public tree bill’ that has gained a great deal of attention relates to trees along state highways. Essentially, HB 5308, AN ACT CONCERNING VEGETATION MANAGEMENT ALONG STATE HIGHWAYS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, would require DOT to develop specific guidelines relating to the management of trees and other vegetation along state roads. Included in the provisions of this bill is the requirement that these guidelines be reviewed by a licensed arborist employed by either DOT or DEEP.

While this bill drew strong support at its Public Hearing before the Environment Committee on February 15th, it is worth pointing out that, in its response to this bill, DOT stated that it has already produced detailed guidelines regarding that Department’s management of trees and vegetation along state roads. This document, CT DOT’s Vegetation Management Guidelines, was published in February 2018 and is readily available on the DOT website.

DOT has at least two CT licensed arborists on staff who had an active role in the development of these guidelines and will have an active role in their implementation. Nonetheless, this bill is moving forward, as it has been filed with the Legislative Commissioner’s Office and is ready to move out of Committee.

Local Pesticide Regulations

The last bill to mention is not specifically focused on trees, but on pesticide use in general. SB 76, AN ACT AUTHORIZING MUNICIPALITIES TO RESTRICT THE USE OF PESTICIDES IN CERTAIN AREAS OF THE MUNICIPALITY OR ON CERTAIN TYPES OF PROPERTIES, would give towns the ability to ban or restrict the use of pesticides that may not be banned or restricted on the state level and restrict the application of pesticides in certain areas of the municipality or on certain types of properties.

While not yet a drafted bill, the general direction of this bill has caused certain groups, such as the Connecticut Environmental Council (CT-EC) to become concerned. The thrust of CT-EC’s concern is that giving this sort of authority to local governments will diffuse the effectiveness of state-level pesticide management and regulation through DEEP and, as a result, make a mess for legitimate pesticide applicators, including licensed arborists.

Due to this concern, CT-EC is organizing a Day of Public Concern regarding this bill on Friday, March 8th at 9:30 am, in the atrium of the Legislative Office Building. CTPA is a dues-paying member of CT-EC and supports CT-EC in its efforts to educate our members and work on our behalf on key legislative issues. CT-EC and CTPA would like to see arborists join with other professionals who use pesticides in expressing their concern regarding this potential legislation.

CTPA members who wish to learn more about this specific legislation may contact:

Erica Fearn, CAE
Executive Director
Connecticut Environmental Council, Inc.
860-586-7508
efearn@ctenvironmentalfacts.org
www.ctenvironmentalfacts.org

Oak-calypse and Ash-mageddon: CT Trees In Trouble Workshop

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As has been documented in several newspaper articles, and our own eyes, there has been widespread mortality of trees in Connecticut in the past few years. A 2-year drought combined with an outbreak of gypsy moth has been devastating to oak trees, particularly in the eastern part of the state. Meanwhile in the western part of the state, mortality of ash trees from emerald ash borer is spreading.  In this workshop, we will discuss the history and current extant of these two problems, how and when trees can be saved, how to safely remove trees that cannot be saved,  some potential uses for the wood resulting from these removals and finally some of the legal issues surrounding dead trees.

CEU Credits:  CT Arborist License (3D) – 5.0 CEU’s, Tree Wardens’ Association – 5.0 CEU’s, ISA – 5.0 CEU’s and TCIA CTSP – 1.0 CEU.

Cost:  Members Only – $75.00, Non-Members – $95.00

Where: CT Agricultural Experiment Station – Jones Auditorium, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven

Date: Monday, March 25, 2019

Agenda
8:00 – 8:30 – Check in, coffee etc.
8:30 – 8:45 – Welcome, logistics – (organizers)
8:45 – 10:00 – How did we get here, and where are we now? – History and biology of the two pests, compare contrast (gypsy moth cyclic, EAB here and awful), Current distribution of mortality, what to expect in the next year or so. Dr. Claire Rutledge and Dr. Kirby Stafford CAES
10:00-10:20 – Break
10:20 – 11:00 – Not Dead Yet– How to decide whether or not to save a dying oak, or ash? Tree condition, future prospects, other issues, when to treat. Dr. Rich Cowles, CAES
11:00 -12:00 – OK, it’s dead – now what? Safe removal of Ash and Oak. – These are very different trees, and they react differently to these pests. How can you get them down with minimal risk. Dr. Brian Kane, UMass
12:00 -1:00 Lunch – box lunch provided
1:00 – 2:00 – Wood Recovery – some options for the cut down trees. Tom Worthley, UCONN
2:00 – 3:00 – Legal Concerns around Dead Trees – If you are a commercial arborist, or a municipal employee, what are the liabilities and concerns with these dying trees? Who is responsible if they fall? Can you cut a tree down if an abutting neighbor asks? Mike Galvin, SavaTree
3:15 – Credits

DMV Safety and Compliance Seminars

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The CT Department of Motor Vehicles will be holding FREE safety and compliance seminars to Connecticut motor carriers. 

Are you a business that is worried about roadside inspections or being in compliance?  Did you have a roadside inspection and learned you were not in compliance?  Do you know what regulations you are subject to?  Do you know the difference between Intra and Interstate DOT numbers? Do you need a CDL? Do you need a Drug and Alcohol Program?  These are just a few things that will be covered.  Please see and/or print the flyer for more details:

Where: Tunxis Community College – Room #3-324, 271 Scott Swamp Road, Farmington, CT 06032

When: The First Wednesday of every month     Time: 9am – 12pm

To Register: send an email to dmv.newentrant@ct.gov with the word CLASS in the subject line.

Cancellations will adhere to the Tunxis Community College Schedule – Please check the Tunxis website for school cancellations: https://www.tunxis.edu/

 

UConn and CTPA Announce Plans for a New Degree Program at the University

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At the recent CTPA Annual Meeting, CTPA and the University of Connecticut announced that they will work together to initiate a two-year degree program in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry at the University.

This program will be housed within the Department of Natural Resources, within UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources.  Once fully implemented, students will be able to graduate with an Associate degree in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry. This degree program is intended to prepare students for direct entry into the working world of professional tree care. It will also, for students so motivated, prepare these students for continuing their studies in a four degree in a related natural resource field.

The establishment of this program involves designing a series of required courses for these students. Several of these courses already exist, such as those in plant pathology and integrated pest management. New courses, relating to Arboriculture and to Urban and Community Forestry, are in the process of being created.

As this plan moves forward, the Department of Natural Resources will work with the University to ensure that all requirements are met and that it has gained all of the necessary curriculum approvals. The Department will seek to implement this new program in stages, with the Arboriculture course and a Dendrology course to be added to the Department’s course offerings in the fall of 2019. A Fundamentals of Urban and Community Forestry course will be offered in the spring semester 2020 and the full degree program announced for new students in the fall of 2020.

CTPA has an important role to play in moving in this effort forward. It has agreed to provide the funding for the two adjunct professors who will be needed to teach the additional courses, in Arboriculture and in Urban and Community Forestry. CTPA has committed to do so out of its current resources. As the degree program proves its value and becomes established, CTPA will likely then spearhead the creation of an ongoing funding source to pay for these professors.

CTPA members will also have an important role to play both in encouraging students to enroll in this program and, maybe more importantly, in their willingness to hire graduates from this program. For these reasons, UConn is very open to the input CTPA and its members are able to provide as these courses are developed and implemented.

The CTPA Board has established a long-term committee to work with UConn. This committee began meeting this past summer and is chaired by Carter Peck. Stay tuned for more details as they emerge.

CTPA Must Change Speakers At This Week’s Annual Meeting

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CTPA regrets to announce that, due to the shutdown of the federal government, it must make a change in its speaker line-up for this Thursday’s (January 17th) Annual Meeting.  Doctor Kevin Smith is an employee of the US Forest Service.  During a government shutdown, government workers are forbidden from performing job duties that are considered as a normal part of their work, except when those duties are considered to be essential.  While the shutdown goes on, Kevin is simply not allowed to participate in our meeting.

This is a sad and regrettable state of affairs.  Fortunately, CTPA is a part of a large and strong network of caring professionals.  Melissa LeVangie of Shelter Tree, who is well-known to many CTPA members, has agreed to step in to help Kevin and the Association out.  Melissa’s talk will be on “Climbing Gear Inspections: Beyond the Basics”.  The presentation will include a good review of the ANSI Z-133 on equipment inspections, and then will take the discussion beyond the standard, talking about the sorts of failures that can occur from excessive wear and tear, what are the things one needs to be looking for with specific pieces of equipment and how tree workers should work together as a team, so that there is group confidence in the equipment and the project.

Melissa’s CTPA presentation will be based on a presentation she gave this past week at the Massachusetts Tree Wardens Association meeting.  CTPA is very grateful to Melissa for stepping up.  It is no small thing to be willing to give a talk to such as large group on very short notice.  The Association also takes this as an example of the quality of people who are a part of arboriculture and tree care.

CTPA will work to ensure that there will be no ceu’s lost.  In fact, there may be credits gained, as Melissa’s talk was previously approved for CTSP credits.

One Week to Go to CTPA’s 97th Annual Meeting

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This time next week, the center of tree care will be in Plantsville, as CTPA hosts its 2019 Annual Meeting next Thursday, January 17th, at the Aqua Turf.  Always a great event, CTPA’s meeting this year will hold special significance, as we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Connecticut’s Arborist Law.  Farsighted legislators, with the prodding of good citizens including the owners of several nurseries and tree businesses at the time, along with the support of the scientists at the CT Agricultural Experiment Station, passed the nation’s first professional arborist licensing law.  That was the beginning of many great accomplishments in tree care – a tradition that CTPA seeks to continue on into a new century for the state’s licensed arborists.

The Annual Meeting itself will be excellent, with great speakers, an excellent trade show and, perhaps most important, the opportunity to catch up with 700 or 800 of the people most committed to trees and tree care in the region.

Attendees are cautioned that the agenda may need to be changed as our keynote speaker, Dr. Kevin Smith, is a Forest Service employee and so his availability for the day of our meeting will be dependent on events in Washington DC.  But, if we have to make a last minute adjustment, the organization has a solid back-up plan.  Our commitment is, as always, to make this the best meeting that we possibly can.

Preregistration closes today, January 10th – so if you would like to preregister, please do so on-line.

And, as an added inducement, all attendees will be given a special memento in recognition of the 100th Anniversary of the Arborist Law.

To learn more about the meeting details, please see the Attendee Flyer.

We look forward to seeing you next week!

 

Contact CTPA

P.O. Box 1946 60 Church Street,(Rte 68), Suite 3A Wallingford , CT 06492
Phone: 203-484-2512 | Email: info@ctpa.org

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