The second public review for the ANSI Z133-2017 Proposed Revisions is now open and will close on 18 March 2024.
Access to the second draft and instructions to provide comments are included in the link below.
Please remember your voice matters! Every comment submitted is reviewed by the ANSI committee and responded to.
DEEP is pleased to announce Urban Forest Equity Grant Program with support from the US Forest Service through the Inflation Reduction Act. This historic funding allocation is available to state and local government entities, federally recognized tribes, and non-profit organizations to support urban forestry projects that will increase equitable access to trees and the benefits they provide in disadvantaged communities throughout Connecticut. Awards are available for up to $200,000 and there is no match requirement. Potential projects include but are not limited to:
You can find more information on this opportunity including the Request for Proposals and Application here. Proposals are due April 17, 2024, potential applicants are strongly encouraged to attend an informational and grant writing guidance session on February 1, 2024 from 4:30-5:30PM. Contact DEEP.UCF.Grants@ct.gov for registration. Potential applicants may also want to attend the Urban and Community Forestry Program’s bi-weekly virtual office hours for ongoing guidance and project development support.
The Connecticut Arborist Newsletter is here!
https://ctpa.org/wp-content/uploads/TCA-Winter-2023-24-Smallest-File-Size.pdf
We look forward to the New Year and the Annual Meeting on January 18, 2024.
Click here to register: https://ctpa.org/annual-meeting-registration/
(CEU’s Available 2, 3D – 4.50 ceu’s, ISA Certifications 3.75 ceu’s, Forest Practitioners 1.5 ceu’s, and Advanced Certified Tree Wardens 4.25 ceu’s. )
8:00 Registration and Coffee
8:20 President’s Welcome -Michael Almstead
8:30 Business Session Election of Officers Treasurer’s Report Discussion of Issues
8:45 Brian Fain, Ferguson & McQuire Insurance- Competing with Non-Compliant Operators.
9:00 Restoring Pitch Pine in Connecticut. Mr. Gluck will talk about Pitch Pine that was once a common tree in much of Connecticut and now, one of Connecticut’s thirteen imperiled ecosystems with an estimated loss of over 95% of its area. Trees are being lost at an alarming rate and they are not adequately sustaining new generations under current natural conditions especially with the expansion of the Southern Pine Beetle range into Connecticut. Reviving a viable population will take an active hand. by Emery Gluck, Retired CT State Forester, DEEP
10:00 Meet the Exhibitors
10:15 Southern Pine Beetle Management for Urban Landscapes. Southern pine beetle (SPB) is killing hard pine species, especially pitch pine. This talk will give an overview of SPB’s natural history, identification and impact; the signs and symptoms of infestation and the recommended best management practices for urban and forested landscapes will help arborists, foresters, and land mangers alike advance early detection of, and rapid response to SPB, which is key to suppressing this little, but mighty insects’ costly impact while ensuring public safety. by Polly L. Weigand Science and Stewardship Program Manager, Westhampton, NY
11:30 Awards Presentation
11:45 Lunch
1:45 Updates Diane Jorsey, DEEP Pesticides Lindsay Triplett, CAES
2:15 Hope for Connecticut’s Ash Trees. Dr. Rutledge will discuss the history of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Connecticut, and the current outlook for the ash trees in the state. The talk will focus on the ongoing biological control program for EAB and strategies for helping ash trees rebound. by Claire Rutledge, Ph.D. CT Agricultural Experiment Station
3:45 Adjourn – CEU’s Available 2, 3D – 4.50 ceu’s, ISA Certifications 3.75 ceu’s, Forest Practitioners 1.5 ceu’s, and Advanced Certified Tree Wardens 4.25 ceu’s.
The CTPA is pleased to announce the 102nd Annual Meeting will be taking place at the AquaTurf Club on Thursday, January 18, 2024.
There is a fantastic lineup of topics and speakers: Emery Gluck, DEEP Retired State Forester, will talk about Pitch Pine. The second talk is by Polly Weigand, Science and Stewardship Program Manager in Westhampton, NY and she will be talking about Southern Pine Beetle Management for Urban Landscapes. And Dr. Clarie Rutledge is the keynote speaker and she will round out the day talking about Emerald Ash Borers and hope for the ash trees.
CEUs are available for the following: CT Licensed Arborists 2, 3D/4.50 CEU’s, and Forest Practitioner – 1.5 CEU”s , ISA Arborist Certification-Pending, TCIA CTSP – Pending and Advanced Certified Tree Warden – 4.25 CEU’s. (As we receive the CEU’s we will update the post.)
The day will begin at 8:00 am and end at 3:45 pm. Come spend the day!
All payments are non-refundable.
If you prefer to register by mail and pay by check, please download the AM Attendee Flyer 2024
If you prefer to register by mail and pay by check, please download the AM Exhibitor Flyer 2024
The CTPA is holding one more workshop for 2023 on Beech Leaf Disease in hopes of getting the word out to as many people as possible before winter sets in. This workshop can help those arborists and people in the green industry who have clients with beech leaf disease and would like to not immediately take the tree down. We encourage all to listen to the science and latest findings.
Please click here to register: https://ctpa.org/beech-leaf-disease-workshop/
Jones Auditorium
CT Agricultural Experiment Station
New Haven, CT
November 27, 2023
8am – 2pm
AGENDA
8:00 – 8:30 – Check in, Light continental breakfast.
8:30 – 8:45 – Welcome and Housekeeping
8:45 – 10:00 – Dr. Richard Cowles – Overview of Beech Leaf Disease Biology
Dr. Marra will discuss the spread of beech leaf disease in North America and in Connecticut, and current research areas in studying this new pest.
10:00-10:20 – Break
10:20 – 11:20 – Dr. Richard Cowles – Biology and Management of Beach Leaf Disease. Dr. Cowles will discuss products available for managing BLD, including their modes of action, risk of environmental harm, and strategies to avoid nematicide resistance. He will also discuss bleeding canker and the relationship of its treatment with BLD.
11:20 -12:00 Lunch (A boxed lunch is included)
12:00 -2:00 – Dr. Ricard Cowles – The extraction of Nematodes from buds, exploring the nematode with microscope.
Dr. Cowles will lead the group in how to extract nematodes from beech buds, so that arborists can learn how to track progress of their treatment efforts.
2:00 – CEU’s and Adjourn
Dr. Rich Cowles is an entomologist and has worked at the Valley Laboratory of the CAES for 29 years. His experience in managing tree pests with systemics provided the impetus for him to collaborate with others to try to find effective treatments for this new pest.
SALT (Smaller American Lawns Today) Conference
Connecticut College
Saturday, November 4, 2023
10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
For those wanting to make positive environmental change, join us at the SALT Conference to learn about planting native trees to make our landscape more biodiverse and ecologically resilient while supporting social and environmental justice. In person presentations and lunch included.
Connecticut College
Blaustein Humanities Center
270 Mohegan Ave.
New London, CT 06320
Co-Sponsored by Wild Ones Mountain Laurel Chapter
Registration required (Register by Tuesday, October 31):
$56 / $40 Members (Arboretum and Wild Ones)
Limited seating available, register early!
The Connecticut Tree Protective Association regularly honors individuals who have made significant contributions to arboriculture and to the care and protection of Connecticut’s trees. These awards are given annually and presented at the Annual Meeting. The CTPA Board of Directors is requesting nominees for awards for the upcoming Annual Meeting join January 18, 2024 and encourages you to nominate someone whom you feel deserves special recognition.
If you know of someone that is deserving of either of these awards, please print out the nomination form and email to cathy@ctpa.org.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, December 1, 2023.
Sunday, October 8, 2023
The Connecticut Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is celebrating the 40th anniversary of TACF this fall. An event will be organized in Lockwood on 10/8 at 1 PM – 3 PM where you can see the movie “Clear Day Thunder” focusing on the work coordinated by TACF to restore American chestnut into the woodlands of North America. Please see the flyer below for details. The event is open for everyone who is interested in chestnuts!
The Connecticut Tree Protective Association presents an Electrical Hazards Awareness Program Workshop
Thursday, November 2, 2023
7:30am – 4pm
at the Eversource – Berlin Campus
107 Selden Street, Berlin, CT
Cost – CTPA Membership $85.00, Non-Members $100.00. Price includes lunch.
CEU’s will be available for State of CT 3D (Arborist License)/5.75 CEU’s, 6 (Rights-of-Way)/ 5.75 CEU’s, ISA/5.75 CEU’s, TCIA CTSP/ 5.75 CEU’s and Forest Practitioner / 2.0 CEU’s.
(Please note: This workshop is no longer associated with the TCIA EHAP course. If you need to be certified by TCIA, please take their course online at the TCIA website.)
This workshop will focus on the hazards all tree care workers face when they work around energized electrical conductors. This awareness is an essential part of basic tree care safety. It is recommended that all people who work in tree care take an EHAP course. This one-day workshop will be led by Emmett Shutts, Cheshire, CT. Emmett is a licensed CT arborist and Supervisor of Arborist Skills Trainer with The Davey Tree Expert Company. A tabletop live wire demonstration will be given by Doug Pistawka with Eversource.
During the seminar Doug and Emmett will share information about the electrical distribution system and the hazards associated with working near electrical conductors. Safety standards and best
practices for working near electrical conductors will be discussed.
Line Clearance Qualification for employees can only be certified by the employer however this educational seminar can be part of the training. Mr. Shutts will discuss how employers can implement this training and document certification. CTPA will not be providing this additional training or testing.
CTPA encourages all companies engaged in tree care to have an EHAP program in place for all of their employees.
Cost for this workshop is $85 members and $100 non-members. This price includes lunch, and full day of instruction. Ensure your reservation by Oct. 30th.
If you are requiring certification from TCIA, you will need to take the EHAP course online. This course put on by CTPA, is designed to give education on Electrical Hazards but is not associated with the TCIA certification process.
Please go to the CTPA website – www.ctpa.org to register for the workshop.
Checks are accepted and can be mailed to: CTPA, PO Box 1946, Wallingford, CT 06492
If you have questions, please call Cathy at 203 484-2512
The CTPA would like to thank Eversource for the generous use of their facility and for their support of this program.
The Membership Book for 2023 is complete and available here: Membership Book – CTPA (Connecticut Tree Protective Association) . The 2023 membership book is lovingly dedicated to Chris Donnelly who has spent countless hours working on this book over the years. We are forever grateful and thankful for all Chris has done for the association. Thank you, Chris, from the bottom of our hearts. The following write up was written by his wife Rita, who also gave many years to the association. Thank you Rita!
Chris Donnelly, Chris is a Bridgeport man, born and raised. It was Catholic schools for him K to 12, same as his 9 brothers and sisters. College was close by in New Haven at Yale where his part time job was scooping ice cream. A variety of jobs followed graduation; as with many of his peers. Notably, he did a stint with UI, first reading meters, then at the power plant (ask him about the intake screens and where his car was in a movie) and later in the engineering office. Another thing about the UI, there was a running team in an industrial league in Shelton with the ITT team. So that is how Chris and Rita met. Running was a big thing and Chris did his first marathon (Ocean State 1982) which led to both of us running the New York, Washington, DC, and Bermuda marathons. Chris also qualified for and ran the Boston marathon which I could never qualify for!
We moved to New Haven and one day when changing the oil on his car with newspapers to catch the overflow, Chris saw an ad by Oscar Stone for an Arboriculture class in New Haven. That was the start of his career in trees.
After a graduate degree from the Yale School of Forestry Chris did some work in Kentucky for the Feds (ask him about Fort Knox). He got a full-time job with Western Wood Products and learned the lumber part of trees. We couldn’t go anywhere now without his identifying all the trees and any lumber grade stamps visible. It was a traveling time for both of us. Chris was on the road to cover the Northeast and I was traveling to Brussels regularly for work. Sometimes we got to accompany each other on road trips in the US and Europe.
When Chris started with the DEP (now DEEP) he was the go-to guy for urban trees, Urban Forestry Council, Tree Wardens, Tree Protection Examining Board and of course for CTPA. Not to mention all the town selectmen or mayors or public works people calling about America The Beautiful grants, general tree questions, or licensing requirements.
Chris is still very involved with the CTPA as a past President, writer of many newsletters, organizer of many summer and winter meetings and organizer and participant in many workshops. He and Bruce Pauley got Arboriculture 101 started (Chris still runs it twice a year and it is always full!). he and Doug Pistawka got EHAP, Electrical Hazard Awareness Program up and running every fall for years.
In retirement from the DEEP Chris is still very busy with Arbor 101 and other CTPA work with the Board and Cathy (Executive Secretary). He is always on zooms for public comments on pending or proposed legislation. Or zooms for urban forest council. So, he is at home but always on his computer! A happy retirement with a new house in Durham and lots of gardens to install. We have done some traveling and are planning lots more!
-Rita Smith
