CTPA Updates - CTPA (Connecticut Tree Protective Association)

Interesting web site for CTPA members

April 24, 2016 by

Dr. Chris Luley, author of “Wood Decay Fungi Common to Urban Living Trees in the Northeast and Central United States“, has announced a new web site that may be of interest to CTPA members. The address for the web site is www.TreeRot.com.

The web site can be a very helpful tool to field arborists and others who wish to o identify a specific fungus based on its conk and also wish to gain some guidance as to the potential severity of the fungus in how it effects the structure and health of the tree. The website, which Dr. Luley is developing along with others, is still in the process of construction. However, it is already a very interesting place to visit for anyone with an interest in fungi, wood decay and trees.

Dr. Luley is looking for feedback and contributions to the site.

Request for Help in Finding Treated American Elms

March 16, 2016 by

Dr. Bob Marra, Research Plant Pathologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, has asked CTPA to post the following. He is asking arborists to help him locate American elms, to help him with a study on Dutch elm disease. Here is Bob’s request:

“My colleague at UMass, Dr. Nicholas Brazee, and I have initiated a project to study American elms that have been receiving regular injections to control Dutch elm disease (DED). Our goal is to nondestructively assess these trees for evidence of internal decay and xylem dysfunction, using sonic and electrical resistance tomography. We are both skilled in the use of this equipment, having used it for a separate study quantifying internal decay in northern hardwoods.

We are looking for American elms in southern New England (CT, MA, RI) that have been receiving trunk injections for control of DED, and for which records of injection history are available. We will also need approval by the trees’ owners. We would be happy to contact owners for approval or to leave that up to you. We’d also be happy to involve you and your colleagues in the process. We would make the data, which are generated in real-time, available to you and to the trees’ owners.

Additionally, for baseline data, we would like to tomograph some American elms that are both free of DED and which have not undergone trunk injections.

You need not contact me if you have already contacted Nick Brazee in response to a similar request he sent out recently.

The best way to respond to this request is to email me at Robert.Marra@ct.gov.”

To learn more about Bob’s research, visit his webpage on the CT Agricultural Experiment Station website. On that page, he has posted some images from both sonic and electrical impedance tomography that illustrate how these techniques can be used to assess internal decay in trees.

Arborist and the Law Workshop is Full

March 10, 2016 by

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

March 5, 2016 by

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

March 1, 2016 by

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

February 25, 2016 by

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

February 20, 2016 by

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.

Arborist and the Law Workshop – March 15, 2016

February 20, 2016 by

The CTPA is holding a full day workshop at Session Woods in Burlington, CT on March 15, 2016.

The workshop is Arborist and the Law and will give information on Documentation for CT Arborists,

Neighbor Laws and Tree Risk Assessment. Please register on-line or by mail. Seating is limited.

Announcing – Updated Disease Management Guide for CT Arborists

February 10, 2016 by

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

January 23, 2016 by

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.