ISA Names Eight Arborists 2016 True Professionals of Arboriculture™

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The Ritterbusch Group

Aug 15, 2016, 09:00 ET


Champaign, Illinois (PRWEB) August 15, 2016 -- Eight arborists who have influenced the arboriculture industry through innovative community projects, consumer education, and professional development have been selected as the 2016 True Professionals of Arboriculture™ by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).

The following “True Professionals” were celebrated during the opening general session of the ISA 92nd Annual International Conference on Monday, August 15 in Fort Worth, Texas, US.

• Carlos Roberto Anaya — (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
• Mark Duntemann — (South Royalton, Vermont, United States)
• Kevin Eckert — (Kailua, Hawaii, United States)
• Paul Johnson – (Austin, Texas, United States)
• Robert Reid – (Monterey, California, United States)
• Dave Scharfenberger – (Merton, Wisconsin, United States)
• Gregg Staniforth – (Penticton, British Columbia, Canada)
• Dave Story – (Northbrook, Illinois, United States)

“A True Professional of Arboriculture is someone who is passionate about the industry and their communities, and has high expectations for themselves as well as those around them,” said de Gourét Litchfield, ISA board president. “This year’s recipients have increased visibility for professional arboriculture while promoting the importance of the urban forest. Each of them typifies the enthusiasm, professionalism and love for trees that is one of the uniting factors of ISA members around the world.”

Examples of achievements from this year’s winners include:

  • Recognized as first ISA Certified Arborist® in Argentina and co-founder of the Argentina Association of Trees (Anaya)
  • Raised awareness of effort to protect trans-generational trees, which residents of a local community have come to revere over generations (Duntemann)
  • Implemented a professional training program at Hawaiian Electric Company to emphasize industry standards and certification to improve arborist performance (Eckert)
  • Created the “Trees are Key” podcast for the Texas Forest Service focusing on tree species of the week and tree-related events (Johnson)
  • Hired as the first urban forester for the City of Monterey, California. Implemented a routine tree maintenance program and other projects, which earned Monterey the Best Urban Forestry Program in California (Reid)
  • Provided company-focused tree education for employees and customers; fostered an early interest in trees among young people through school-based Arbor Day programs (Scharfenberger)
  • Mentored students and early career arborists including hosting an annual student day field trip with a City of Montreal urban forestry specialist (Staniforth)
  • Advanced arboriculture by building relationships with other green industry professionals such as landscape contractors (Story)

ISA launched the “True Professionals of Arboriculture” recognition program in 2009 to increase public understanding of arboriculture and the professional skills of today’s arborists. Since that time, hundreds of nominations have been collected worldwide from the industry’s leading arborists and tree care professionals testifying to their positive impact in and around their communities.

Recipients are selected by the ISA Awards Committee, a diverse group of experts in arboriculture including university professors, commercial and utility arborists, company owners, and trainers. After selection, award recipients are approved by ISA’s Board of Directors.

Profiles and case studies of the “True Professionals” will be featured on the ISA website at http://www.isa-arbor.com and highlighted in future ISA publications such as Arborist News.

ABOUT ISA
The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), headquartered in Champaign, Ill., U.S., is a nonprofit organization of more than 30,000 members and credential holders worldwide, supporting tree care research and education. To promote the importance of arboriculture, ISA manages the consumer education web site, http://www.treesaregood.org, which fulfills the association’s mission to help educate the public about the importance and value of proper tree care. Also, as part of ISA’s dedication to the care and preservation of shade and ornamental trees, it offers the only internationally-recognized certification program in the industry. For more information on ISA and Certified Arborists, visit http://www.isa-arbor.com.

Julie Gaier, The Ritterbusch Group, +1 (262) 786-5970, [email protected]