CTPA Updates - CTPA (Connecticut Tree Protective Association)

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.

Annual Meeting Attendee Registration – Walk In Only

January 15, 2016 by

The on-line attendee registration for the Annual Meeting is closed. If you would like

to attend, please walk-in the morning of the event. There are plenty of seats available.

CTPA Marketing Campaign will Educate the Public on the Value of Hiring a Licensed Arborist

January 13, 2016 by

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.

The Arbor Day Committee Is Looking for Volunteers

December 29, 2015 by

ArborDay2015Katelyn Are you looking to volunteer some time? The Arbor Day Committee is looking for volunteers who would like to get involved. If you are interested please contact Cathy in the office at (203)484-2512 or email at cathy@ctpa.org for more details.

Annual Meeting Attendee Registration is Now Available

December 8, 2015 by

2014 Award of Merit Recipient Bud Neal

The Registration for the Annual Meeting, Thursday, January 21, 2016 is now available. Please register on-line or by mail. We look forward to seeing you there!

Arboriculture Registration Now Open

December 3, 2015 by

Registration for the Spring 2016 Session of Arboriculture 101 is now open. This series of classes will begin with the first class on Wednesday, January 6. 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 Arboriculture 101 Flyer and the Arboriculture 101 web page.

If anyone would like further information, they should contact the CTPA office by email or at 203-484-2512.

Exhibitors Registration for the 94th Annual Meeting, Thursday, January 21, 2016

December 2, 2015 by

Dr. Andrreadis speaking at the Annual Meeting.

Dr. Ted Andreadis of the CT Agricultural Experiment Station giving an update at the Annual Meeting.

Registration for Exhibitors for the Annual Meeting taking place on January 21, 2016 is now available.

This year we are offering two size booths. 8’x10′ for $325.00 and 8’x8′ for $275.00. Please download and refer to the exhibitor flyer for details.

Annual Meeting Exhibitor Flyer

CTPA Arborist Scholarship

October 20, 2015 by

CTPA is seeking applicants for the 2016 Arborist Scholarship. This $2,000 scholarship is being offered to undergraduate students who are residents of Connecticut studying urban forestry or arboriculture. Students do not need to be attending college in Connecticut.

The Association plans to offer two scholarships this year. Full details regarding the scholarship, including how to apply, are listed on the CTPA website. The due date for applications is November 28th. The names of the 2016 award winners will be announced at the 2016 Annual Meeting.

This is the 16th year in which CTPA has offered this scholarship, with 25 scholarships awarded since 2001.

If anyone has any questions, please contact the CTPA office (203-484-2512 or cathy@ctpa.org). Ken Bullard is the current Scholarship Chair.

2006 CTPA Arborist Scholarship Winners Ryan Roberts and Daniel Watkins, being announced by then-Scholarship Chair Don Parrott.

Arboriculture and Communication: Working Together to Get the Work Done

September 17, 2015 by

PLEASE NOTE – ALL THREE ANSI COMMUNICATION WORKSHOPS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED. WE REGRET ANY INCONVENIENCE THIS MAY CAUSE.

CTPA Announces a series of workshops designed to help those who care for trees better understand communication and to communicate better with clients, crews and others involved in tree care. This is a 3 part series, open to arborists, tree wardens and tree workers of all sorts. Sessions will be held at the CT Agricultural Experiment Station’s Jones Auditorium in New Haven, with each session running from 9 am to 12 noon.

The Three Sessions are as follows:

Session 1 – October 8^th: Using the ANSI Standards. (Session Cancelled) This session, to be lead by Dane Buell, Vice President of Tree Care Services for Brickman /ValleyCrest and Chair of the ASC A300 Committee, will cover what the ANSI standards are all about and how they can be used for, among other things, developing high quality job specifications.

Session 2 – November 19^th: Documentation in Arboriculture. This session will be lead by Mary Ryan, lawyer and CT Licensed Arborist, and by Ken Almstead, CEO of Almstead Tree Care. In this session, issues relating to documentation will be discussed, include record-keeping such as required by CT DEEP.

Session 3 – December 3^rd: Communicating with Clients / Communicating with Crews. Michael Schoeni, District Manager with SavATree, will lead this session, on communication in the field, with clients and with crews. A second speaker will be added shortly.

The registration fee for individual sessions is $45 for members and $55 for non-members. Members who wish to register for all 3 sessions will receive a special of price of $100 for all 3 sessions. Non-members who wish to take advantage of this price may join CTPA.

Complete program and downloadable registration form.

CTPA Looking for New Board Members

September 15, 2015 by

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 13^th. 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.