Happy Thanksgiving from the IAA.

I have so much to be thankful about this year.  I wanted to send a note just saying how thankful I am to be an arborist in Iowa and to our amazing Iowa Arborists Association members. Here is a quick recap of our fall and what is to come this winter.

We had a ground operation workshop with good attendance in early September that focused on OSHA and ANSI Z133.1 guidelines for ground workers. Thank you Guy for all your work on this workshop.

We had a record attendance at Saluting Branches September 22 and the Iowa Veterans Cemetery near Adel. Attendees helped with removal and pruning needs post derecho, young tree pruning, mulching and a tree inventory. Thank you to all those that volunteered time and equipment.  A special thanks to Wright for sponsoring and for being the site lead.  We hope to expand to an additional location next year. Please let us know if you have a good location or can act as a site lead.

Thank you to the organizers, judges, timers, cooks, check-in and merch administrators, silent auction providers, and great climbers that participated in the September Iowa Tree Climbers Competition in Davenport. This day has a lot of behind-the-scenes work to make the day a success. A special thanks to Advantage Tree Service for the pruning and site preparation for the event and the City of Davenport for hosting. Congratulations to this year’s winner Tom Schumacher. For more great photos of all the climbers follow us on Facebook.

I would like to share with you Todd Reese was named this year’s ISA True Professional.  This will be officially awarded at the December ISA International Conference held virtual. The ISA True Professionals program recognizes arborists in any stage of their careers who show a high aptitude in any specialized area that fosters professionalism in arboriculture. Those who receive this recognition will encompass an outstanding achievement or collection of achievements that can be modeled by other arborists and certified professionals. Congratulations Todd!

We have so much to look forward to this winter as well. Elections are upcoming. Voting will be via an electronic ballot and will open on January 14th and close February 14th with results announced at the annual meeting. This winter we will have our annual meeting, Shade Tree Short Course, and a winter ID class. This spring we will have TRAQ and TRAQ renewal.  Save the date for late this summer as Tour de Trees will be coming to Iowa, Saturday, Aug 27 to Saturday, Sept 3.

Here are some ways to get involved:

• Tour de Trees: We need 4 volunteers for the local Tour de Trees Committee. This group will be a resource when it comes to planning, communication, and logistics for the Tree Fund. You don’t need to be a rider to be committee members, just people that would be knowledgeable of local resources and contacts. Email your interest.
• Elections: We have the following positions opening up this coming year- President Elect, NW Representative, SE Representative, one At Large Representative, and the ISA Liaison. Email by January 3rd if you would like to run.
• Committee Chairs still vacant: Fund Raising and Membership. Email your interest.
• Become an exam proctor- we need one additional proctor https://www.isa-arbor.com/Credentials/Certification-Facilitators/Certification-Proctors
• Follow us on facebook and/or send along upcoming opportunities or good news stories to share on social media.

I am thankful for the education, outreach and networking support of the Iowa Arborist Association as we foster an appreciation for the Iowa tree community, increase interest in planting and caring for shade and ornamental trees, promote the science and practice of professional arboriculture, and encourage public education. Thank you so much to our leadership, our sponsors and all of our members for your involvement.  We look forward to all this winter season will have to offer.

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Emma Hanigan