2024 Annual Conference and Tradeshow

2024 MW-ISA Annual Conference & Trade Show
Sheraton Westport Chalet - January 24-26, 2024

Wednesday, January 24

  • Location: Zermatt Room

    Registration for the Exam can be found at www.isa-arbor.org. Limited space available.

  • Location: Lugano Conference Room

  • Location: Versailles II

  • Location: Versailles II

    Title: Safety Differently

    Description: There is an old adage about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. It is time to look at Safety Differently! We will look at some of the key concepts around Safety: Resilience, capacity, context, and learning.

    Bio: Tim Walsh, VP of Health and Safety at The Davey Tree Expert Company, is a leader at the intersection of tree care and safety. Pursuing a doctorate in ergonomics, he holds a master's in ergonomics and degrees in Urban Forestry. With credentials like Certified Utility Safety Professional and ISA Certified Arborist, Tim has three decades of experience as a climbing arborist.

    Active in industry standards, Tim served on the 2022 ANSI Z133 revision and chairs committees within the Accredited Standards Committee Z133. He collaborates with the National Occupational Research Agenda Safety Workgroup, focusing on innovative research.

    As a past UAA President, Tim earned the Will Nutter Silver Shield Award in 2022 for his positive safety culture influence. Contributing to TCI Magazine, he's a respected leader shaping arboriculture's safety future.

  • Location: Versailles II

    Title: Three Arborists Walk into City Hall: What it’s Like Working for a Government and Why You Might Consider It.

    Description: Working for “the government” isn’t all bad and it is never boring, at least not from the arboricultural perspective. From Tree Boards and Mascots to Employee Benefits and Homeowners Associations, we’ll discuss the various pros and cons of Urban Forestry from the Municipal perspective.

    Bio: Lorri is the Community Operations Forester for the City of Lincoln, Nebraska. A true Daughter of the Midwest (and Upper South), Lorri grew up in Southern Indiana/ Louisville, KY, moved to St. Louis, MO in 1997, back to Kentucky in 2013, and then Nebraska in 2017. She worked in Big Box Retail, garden centers, private country clubs, as a professional volunteer, and self-employment before joining the ranks of the Municipal Government world, serving Lake Saint Louis, MO, Frankfort, KY and Lincoln, NE. Each experience has provided valuable life lessons (personal & professional) as well as, perspective both inside and outside the green industry. Lorri does believe in (and may have helped pioneer) the “road less travelled” career path, because anyone can do it the “traditional” way.

  • Location: Versailles I

  • Location: Versailles II

    Ttile: Holistic Tree Health, Part I – Anatomy and Physiology

    Description: The first part of holistic tree health will cover how to identify and interpret above- and below-ground symptoms of tree health. It will include how to interpret growth and color patterns in the canopy as a way to assess tree health and vigor. It will also include what fine root architecture looks like for different tree species, and how to identify when there’s a root rot problem.

    Bio: Stephanie Adams, Ph.D. and BCMA, is a tree pathologist and the Plant Health Care Leader at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. She has worked in the tree care industry for 23 years performing plant health care, tree care, plant disease research, and clinical plant diagnostics. She enjoys collaborating with professionals to solve real-world tree health problems and developing management plans that support the entire industry.

  • Location: Versailles I

  • Location: Matterhorn Room (located in the Hotel)

    Reception is sponsored by: Gamma Tree Experts

  • Location: Trainwreck Saloon

    Join your fellow MWISA attendees for a fun evening of music and drinks at the nearby Trainwreck Saloon. This is not a sponsored event.

Thursday, January 25

Concurrent sessions in the morning for Science & Management and Practical Breakouts. Full-day Utility Breakout.

  • Location: St. Moritz Room

    8:00 AM - Gabe Waterhouse, STL Tree Pros

    Title: A Perspective on Pruning Culture in Today’s Arboriculture Industry

    Description: Take a few steps back and analyze the comprehensive practice of pruning. This presentation will attempt to explore what components are required to produce the highest quality pruning results. It starts with ensuring the client is onboard, and the crew is capable. Finally, how can we maintain this high standard of quality year after year?

    Bio: Gabe Waterhouse received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri in forestry. Upon graduation he worked as a botanist throughout the Ozark's for 2 years before he got his start as an arborist. He founded St. Louis Tree Pros in 2015 and has been pruning trees for over 10 years.
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    9:15 AM - Break with Exhibitors (Versailles II)
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    9:45 AM - Tim Walsh, The Davey Tree Expert Company

    Title: Trees on Wire/Trees Under Tension

    Description: One of the greatest risks that arborists can face is dealing with the hazards associated with trees that have fallen on wires. We will discuss this hazard, and some of the science-based mitigation techniques, training, best practices, and new concepts.

    Bio: Tim Walsh, VP of Health and Safety at The Davey Tree Expert Company, is a leader at the intersection of tree care and safety. Pursuing a doctorate in ergonomics, he holds a master's in ergonomics and degrees in Urban Forestry. With credentials like Certified Utility Safety Professional and ISA Certified Arborist, Tim has three decades of experience as a climbing arborist.

    Active in industry standards, Tim served on the 2022 ANSI Z133 revision and chairs committees within the Accredited Standards Committee Z133. He collaborates with the National Occupational Research Agenda Safety Workgroup, focusing on innovative research.

    As a past UAA President, Tim earned the Will Nutter Silver Shield Award in 2022 for his positive safety culture influence. Contributing to TCI Magazine, he's a respected leader shaping arboriculture's safety future.

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    11:00 AM - Jason Cutler, Arbor Cutler & Jacob Perkins, New Heights Tree Care

    Title: Rigging Here & There

    Description: Whether you're new to the tree industry or a seasoned pro, you'll find yourself in situations where tree parts need to be rigged out during a job. This session is targeted at anyone from the brand new groundie to the large company owner. What tools and equipment do you have available to you? What skills do you and your personnel have to perform rigging operations? What are the obstacles on the jobsite? What is the access like? We'll look at these questions and talk about scenarios. Discussion is encouraged.

    Bio: Jacob Perkins is the owner of New Heights Tree Care near Branson, MO. He's been in the tree industry for 13 years, has been an ISA Certified Arborist for 9 years, worked 6 years with All About Trees in Springfield, MO and spent 3 years as a contract climber. Jacob has been competing in Tree Climbing Competitions since 2014. He was the 2019 Tennessee TCC Champion, 2020 Natural State TCC Champion, and was 2nd place at Midwest ISA TCC in both 2022 & 2023. He has participated and volunteered at many other ISA and non-sanctioned Tree Climbing competitions - most recently he placed 3rd in the Masters at Treeapalooza in Florida.

    Jason Cutler developed a love for trees at an early age. As a freshman in high school, he was invited to be a part of a Forestry Career Development Event team through FFA, and has been pursuing his love of trees ever since. He spent nine years as a high school agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, teaching over a thousand students various agriculture topics. Jason has been actively involved in helping many students and teachers learn the basics of forestry. The 2011 Joplin Tornado and subsequent recovery efforts led him to a local community forestry group, and a Certified Arborist prep course. Jason has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 2012, TRAQ qualified since 2019, is a 2022 ASCA Consulting Academy graduate, and a BCMA since 2022. He left the classroom in 2019 to pursue an opportunity of working with some awesome arborists at All About Trees in Springfield, Missouri. Jason was the Plant Health Care manager, as well as a member of various-sized tree crews. He has competed or judged multiple tree climbing competitions since 2019. As a teacher of a Certified Arborist prep course, he helped arborists prepare for the ISA Certified Arborist exam. He has presented on various arboricultural topics, most recently in Albuquerque at the 2023 ISA International Conference. In 2022, Jason started Arbor Cutler LLC, a consulting and tree care company.

  • Location: Alpine I/II

    8:00 AM - Phil Pierce, Consulting Arborist (Retired)

    Title: Unit Cost: History and Current Calculations

    Description: This session will dive into the history of the ten plant appraisal guides with an emphasis on unit cost. It will look at wholesale versus retail pricing, how to identify the largest commonly available nursery-grown tree, how to establish unit cost for the MWISA region, and determine where added (planting) costs are used.

    Bio: Phil has been a Consulting Arborist since 2000 performing tree problem diagnosis, plant health care, and tree appraisals. He was the City Forester for Omaha NE from 1971 through 2000. He is the President and Co-founder of ArborSystems Inc., which develops and manufactures specialty tree injection products. He has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 1990, is a Past-President of the Midwestern Chapter, serving in 2002, and has been a member since 1971. Phil was a team Member on the Golf Coast Tree Assessment Project, sponsored by the ISA and US Forest Service, which took place in January 2006 after Hurricane Katrina where he surveyed trees in Biloxi and Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He currently serves as MWISA’s RPAC Committee Chairperson; Charter member, Past-President, Director, and Adviser of the Nebraska Arborists Association; co-founded and taught many classes at the NAA School between 1982 and 2019; developed the NAA Certification Program in 1989; and hosted Dr. Alex Shigo’s seminar “A New Tree Biology” in 1990.

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    9:15 AM - Break with Exhibitors (Versailles II)

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    9:45 AM - Dr. Sharon Jean-Philippe, University of Tennessee

    Title: Planting Students in Projects to Promote Urban Forestry Through Community Partnerships

    Description: Urban land is on the global increase. Vegetation dispersed throughout urban landscapes is used for architectural, aesthetic, recreational, wildlife, climatological, and engineering purposes. Specifically, trees in urban environments are planted to enhance and beautify cities but are challenged to 1) adapt to poor soils that have often been polluted, 2) compete with grass for nutrients and water, 3) develop roots under impervious surfaces, 4) resist disease and insect pressures and 5) endure abuse from automobiles, lawnmowers, pests, and people. This presentation will highlight planting students in research and outreach efforts to promote the care and management of woody and associated vegetation within urban and community forestry.

    Bio: Dr. Sharon Jean-Philippe is Professor of Urban Forestry and the Urban Forestry State Extension Specialist at the University of Tennessee. She is the faculty advisor for all urban forestry students and is the primary director of several summer internship opportunities for students across multiple disciplines. Dr. Jean-Philippe co-instructs courses in forestry that address vegetation establishment, management, and removal across an urban - rural gradient, legal issues, utility vegetation management, and the effects of societal influences on green infrastructure. Dr. Jean-Philippe currently serves the Division of Student Success in the leadership role as the Faculty Director of Undergraduate Research and Fellowship. She provides leadership on best practices in undergraduate research to faculty, is the advocate, and liaises with academic and administrative units on undergraduate research. She currently holds appointments with the Tennessee Forestry Commission as the Representative of the Public-at-Large and USDA Forestry Research and Advisory Council and is the faculty director for Tennessee Champion Tree Program, Community Riparian Restoration Program and National Champion Tree Program. Lastly, she is a member of Society of American Foresters, a member of International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) where she is on the Board of Directors for ISA and serves as Board Treasurer, Board of Trustees member for the TREE Fund and President Elect for the Gamma Beta Phi Society. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Tennessee State University, master’s degree in Botany, and Ph.D. in Natural Resources from University of Tennessee.

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    11:00 AM - Dr. Stephanie Adams, The Morton Arboretum

    Title: Holistic Tree Health, Part II – Disease and Management

    Description: The second part of holistic tree health will build upon anatomy and physiology material covered in Part I, while introducing how environmental variables affect how host trees and disease-causing organisms (pathogens) interact. These dynamics will be explained by summarizing a three-year survey of declining and dying white, red, and bur oak trees across rural and urban areas in Illinois.

    Bio: Stephanie Adams, Ph.D. and BCMA, is a tree pathologist and the Plant Health Care Leader at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. She has worked in the tree care industry for 23 years performing plant health care, tree care, plant disease research, and clinical plant diagnostics. She enjoys collaborating with professionals to solve real-world tree health problems and developing management plans that support the entire industry.

  • Location: Bern Room

    8:00 AM - Randy Miller, CNUC

    Title: Why Vegetation Management IS Urban Forestry

    Bio: Randall H. Miller serves as Director of Research and Development at CNUC. He is responsible for conducting utility vegetation management research (UVM), providing subject matter expertise to utility vegetation management programs across North America, benchmarking UVM programs against CNUC industry surveys, and serving as an expert witness in vegetation management litigation.

    Randall has a broad arboricultural and urban forestry background having previously served as Club Arborist at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, Wasatch Front Community Forester for Utah State Lands and Forestry, and as an Area Forester and System Forester/ Director of Vegetation Management for PacifiCorp, an electric utility serving parts of California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. He holds a BS degree in Horticulture from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and an MS in Urban Forestry from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. He has been an ISA member since 1987 and has been an ISA Certified Arborist® since 1990. He is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist® and an ISA Certified Utility Specialist™ .

    Randall has been Chair of the TREE Fund Board of Trustees, President of the Utility Arborist Association (UAA), Chair of the Edison Electric Institute Vegetation Management Task Force, and President of the Oregon Community Forest Council. He has served on the ISA Certification Test Committee, the ISA Editorial Board and the ISA Appeal's Committee.

    He is the ISA 2005 R.W. Harris Authors Citation award recipient, in addition to the 2001 UAA Utility

    Arborist Award, 2007 UAA President's Award, 2007 Pacific Northwest Chapter ISA President's Award, 2008 Utah Chapter ISA Distinguished Service Award, 2011 UAA Education Award and 2017 Utah Chapter ISA Lifetime Achievement Award.

    He has more than 75 published writing credits, including the ISA Integrated Vegetation Management

    Best Management Practices and, as coauthor with Geoff Kempter, Utility Arboriculture: The Utility

    Specialist Certification Study Guide. Randy is an accomplished speaker and has delivered hundreds of presentations on arboricultural topics over three decades. Randy is also an eight-time Tour des Trees rider and has raised over $60,000 for TREE Fund.

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    9:15 AM - Break with Exhibitors (Versailles II)

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    9:45 AM - Phil Swart, Growth Solutions / Rainbow Companies

    Title: Biogenic Public Utilities

    Description: Trees have been a material resource for millennia. Wood supplied by trees were some of the first modes of energy production. This brief overview examines why urban and utility foresters should be valued for their unique utility contributions, and proposes a paradigm shift in how urban forestry and utility vegetation management relate to one another.

    Bio: Phil Swart is an ISA Certified Arborist, Utility Specialist, and Oak Wilt Qualified Arborist. He attended the University of Oklahoma, where he graduated with a B.A. in Environmental Rhetoric. He is the Director of Business Development for Growth Solutions, a Tree Growth Regulator (TGR) application company. As a TGR expert, Phil is an advocate for viewing utility-pruned trees as a contiguous forest which is an asset to electric utilities and the communities they serve. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Midwestern ISA and is the Chair for the Utility Arborist Association’s Professional Development Committee. He received the Utility Arborist Association’s 2023 Rising Star award. Phil is in the final stages of completing the UAA’s Certified Utility Vegetation Management Professional Program, providing him with a unique insight into the challenges UVM managers face.

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    10:15 AM - Jesse Martin, Oklahoma Gas & Electric
    Breakout Session Sponsored by: Corteva Agriscience

    Title: Lessons from Municipal Urban Forestry/Vegetation Management

    Description: Explore the potential for dynamic synergy between urban forestry and vegetation management programs. Delve into successful collaborative strategies that address the impact and sustainability of our urban forests, with practical insights and real-world examples. From coordinated planning and data sharing to community outreach and resource optimization, discover how the integration of these programs enhances biodiversity, increases program collaboration, and creates positive community engagement. This session offers valuable lessons and innovative approaches for building resilient and sustainable urban environments. Join us to unlock the potential of unified efforts between urban forestry and vegetation management programs.

    Bio: Jesse Martin is a highly committed professional in forestry, equipped with a degree in Natural Resource, Ecology, and Management from Oklahoma State University. Infused with a love for the outdoors, Jesse embarked on his career at Davey Resource Group, where he played a pivotal role in two significant projects during his two-year tenure. Following this, he dedicated 11 years of his expertise to the City of Edmond, showcasing exceptional skills as the Project Management Forester. In this capacity, Jesse effectively oversaw urban forestry initiatives and spearheaded the vegetation management program for Edmond Electric.

    Currently, Jesse serves as the North District Forester for Oklahoma Gas and Electric, where he continues to leave a lasting impact on the field of forestry. With certifications as both a certified arborist and TRAQ arborist, Jesse brings a wealth of knowledge and proficiency to his role, ensuring the highest standards in tree care and management.

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    11:00 AM - Chris Martin, Oklahoma Gas & Electric

    Title: Right Tree, Right Place

    Description: IVM professionals consistently face challenges on minimizing the impacts of trees around infrastructure. It is also a challenge to communicate our management objectives to the public. This presentation will focus on the role that IVM professionals have when it comes to Urban Forest Sustainability and promoting “right tree, right place.” What opportunities and solutions do you think will help increase the public’s understanding of our role?

    Bio: Chris’ role as Supervisor of Vegetation Management is focused on community outreach and education. He has been an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist since 2015 and a board member of the Oklahoma Community Forestry Council for the past 8 years. He graduated with a B.S. in Horticulture and a Masters of Plant Protection and Pest Management (MPPPM) from the University of Georgia.

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    1:30 PM - Cory Meyer, City of Kirkwood, Missouri

    Title: Comprehensive Utility and Municipal Vegetation Management – Kirkwood, MO

    Description: Kirkwood is a unique municipality where they manage the distribution of electric and water through City owned utility departments. This unique setup has allowed the City’s Forestry Division to take the lead in the development and management of the utility easements as part of the management of the complete urban forest. Through utilizing the tools of both Utility vegetation Management and Municipal Forestry Management, Kirkwood has developed a unique program that aids the advancement of both department goals and the preservation of assets.

    Bio: Cory has been working in the Urban Forestry for over 13 years and is currently the Urban Forester for Kirkwood, Missouri. Graduating from the University of Missouri – Columbia in 2010 he had worked for the Davey Resource Group as well as maintaining a small consulting company. As a Certified Arborist and Municipal Specialist Cory has aided the City of Kirkwood and their Electric Department to develop sustainable forestry practices to maintain the aging urban forest in his area.

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    2:30 PM - Amy Werner & Josh Mohan, Ameren Electric

    Title: Working with Community Stakeholders

    Description: This presentation delves into the critical yet often overlooked relationship between utility companies and city foresters. It initially highlights the existing reputation of utilities, specifically Ameren, and communication gaps with the public and municipalities. We will showcase what Ameren is actively doing to enhance community well-being through our urban forester initiatives such as distribution's tree growth regulator pilot and zoo browse project along with transmission's pollinator and urban farming programs. The focus will then shift to a path forward, emphasizing the need for more open communication and active collaboration with municipalities to maximize mutual benefits aimed for more effective urban forestry practices and a heightened sense of community engagement.

    Bio: Manager Vegetation Management: Josh Mahon. As Manager of Vegetation Management for Transmission, Josh leads a team of professional direct reports to maintain, monitor, develop and evaluate appropriate vegetation management strategies that directly impact the safe and reliable operation of the Ameren electric transmission system. Josh joined Ameren in 2010 in the vegetation space and quickly promoted to vegetation supervisor in 2012. Josh spent 7 years as vegetation supervisor supporting distribution line clearance projects, as well as managing the states substation bare ground program. In addition, he also managed an internal vegetation team with a multitude of responsibilities supporting 300+ Ameren owned sites as well as the corporate headquarters. Prior to assuming his current role in April, 2022, Josh pursued an internal development opportunity, March of 2019, and assumed the role of supervisor, contractor services, where he managed the heavy underground rebuild program, as well as a multitude of heavy underground cable and conduit projects supporting the underground revitalization of the greater downtown St. Louis area. Josh is a graduate of Missouri State University with a bachelor's degree in Agronomy and has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 2012.

    Bio: Amy Werner currently serves as the Manager of Vegetation Management at Ameren Missouri. Amy oversees the maintenance and strategic direction of the vegetation program, working closely with her exceptional team of certified Foresters. Together, they maintain approximately 21,000 distribution miles, ensuring safe and reliable energy distribution across the region.

    Before her tenure at Ameren, Amy was part of the team at Xcel Energy in the meter department. There, she played a pivotal role in transitioning to an automated meter infrastructure. Prior to joining Xcel, Amy advanced through several roles at Environmental Consultants, ultimately attaining the position of District Supervisor.

    Amy graduated with honors from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, with a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and has been ISA certified since 2013. She resides in St. Louis with her husband and two incredible daughters, loves to read, and watch The Office.

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    3:30 PM - Break with Exhibitors (Versailles II)

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    4:00 PM - Panel: Randy Miller, Chris Martin, Cory Meyer, and Jesse Martin

    Title: Utility Vegetation Management and Urban Forestry

    Description: The panel will discuss a variety of topics and leave time for Q&A from attendees.

  • Location: Versailles II

    A full meal will be served as you network with attendees and attend the MW-ISA Business Meeting. Voting and awards will take place at the luncheon.

    ISA Executive Director, Caitlyn Pollihan will give an update from the ISA office.

  • Location: Versailles II

    Title: Brand New Invasive Pests in, or, on the Doorstep of the Midwest

    Description: The increase in global trade has also led to the spread of non-native species across the globe. In the United States, there have been several introduced insects and diseases that have, and continue, to cause harm to our urban ecosystem. During this discussion we will cover several recent damaging invasive pests, the damage they cause, and practical ways to manage them.

    Bio: Patrick is the Director of Research & Arborologists for Rainbow Ecoscience where he provides direction for Rainbow’s Regional Technical Arboricultural/Horticultural Advisors and Research Scientists. He has years of practical tree care experience, and conducts field research trials throughout the U.S. Patrick has a B.S. in Forest Science from Penn State University, is an ISA Board-Certified Master Arborist and Municipal Specialist, ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified, an ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist, a North Carolina Licensed Landscape Contractor. In addition, he served as the associate voting member of the ASC A300 Committee and is Immediate Past President of the American Society of Consulting Arborists.

  • Location: Versailles II

    Title: Data-Driven Decision-Making with Smart Tree Inventories

    Description: Make the Right Decision, at the Right Time, on the Right Tree. Tree inventories have evolved from the early days of pen & paper and are now in the world of artificial intelligence (AI) & machine learning (ML). By combining AI & ML, we can transition our tree inventories from a snapshot-in-time updated once a decade to a 3D digital twin updated biennially. The climate is changing faster than our trees can keep up with. It is imperative that our methodologies for assessing and monitoring our public trees keep pace. This presentation will introduce the idea of smart tree inventories, provide an update on current AI technologies in the urban forest environment, demonstrate the current methods, outcomes, and the future of smart tree inventories, and demonstrate how smart tree inventories provide practitioners the ability to better manage their urban forest for tree equity, risk management, and urban heat island.

    Bio: Hi my name is Josh Behounek and my technical title is Business Development Manager for the Davey Resource Group’s Environmental Consulting division, although sometimes I prefer Theoretical Arborist. I’ve worked for Davey for over 20 years and currently focus on providing innovative and technical solutions for communities, nonprofits, commercial clients, and state agencies throughout the US & Internationally to proactively and sustainably manage their trees and other natural resources. I’ve worked as a traveling inventory arborist, climbing arborist, Adjunct Professor, and have held numerous volunteer positions in local, regional, state and national non-profit organizations.

    I graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale with a Bachelor’s in Forestry Resource Management am a Certified Arborist Municipal Specialist with the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification, a graduate of the Society of Municipal Arborist’s Municipal Forester Institute, and have hugged dozens of national champion trees.

  • Location: Versailles I

  • Location: Versailles II

    Title: Challenges and Opportunities in Arboriculture

    Description: Most of us that practice arboriculture have a pretty good grasp of what arborists do and who we are. But some of us struggle with that concept, just like most of the public. In short, we’re suffering from an identity crisis! Who are and why are we here? How do we explain our profession to others that are unfamiliar with what we do? And how do we better understand our role as arborists and relate to all of the other arborists out there? Skip will answer none of these questions but will give you plenty to chew on so that you figure it out yourself!

    Bio: Skip Kincaid is approaching his 40th year in arboriculture. Not quite fully seasoned yet, he is still grappling with holding down three half-time jobs. Do the math. He is currently the Director of Urban Forestry at Hansens Tree Service where he works hard to stay out of the way so the real professionals can handle a wide range of tree care services and production of mulch, compost, and blended soils. He also handles many of the consulting assignments that arrive at Hansens call center. Skip also serves as the Executive Director of the ISA Southern Chapter providing services to over 1,600 members and 2,600 credential holders. The Southern Chapter is the third largest chapter in the ISA system and covers 7 states, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Skip also provides over 30 training courses each year including tree risk assessment, trees and the law, responsible pesticide use, and a wide range of other arboriculture topics.

  • Location: Versailles I

Friday, January 26

  • Location: Lugano Conference Room

  • Location: Versailles II

    Title: Trees of the Future

    Description: With a warming climate, the threat of invasive species and an ever-expanding list of insect and disease issues, what trees should we be thinking about for future planting? This session will highlight some proven winners, some that need a closer look and some that are problematic and no longer recommended.

    Bio: Justin Evertson has worked for the Nebraska Forest Service (NFS) and Nebraska Statewide Arboretum (NSA) since 1990, serving as the Green Infrastructure Coordinator since 2010. He oversees programs that provide funding, technical assistance and educational outreach for community forestry and public landscaping efforts across the state. His areas of expertise are in trees, arboriculture, and sustainable landscaping. Justin has authored several publications with an emphasis on woody plant selection. He earned degrees in architecture and community and regional planning from UNL (1988/92). Justin grew up on a farm in western Kimball County where he learned an appreciation for shortgrass prairie and Nebraska’s wide-open spaces. He’s passionate about trees, the native landscape, biodiversity, and sustainability. Justin lives in Waverly where he serves as a volunteer community forester planting trees across the community and working to make the community more biodiverse and sustainable.

  • Location: Versailles II

    Title: Why Managing Tree Risk Matters

    Description: Skip’s presentation will enlighten those from many disciplines about the importance of being aware of tree risk and the potential liability of not paying attention. Accurate and reasonable tree risk assessment and tree risk management has an impact on commercial arborists, engineers, architects, site developers, municipal arborists, public works officials, elected officials, consultants, and the general public. No one wants to deal with injury or property damage from tree failure, but no one wants to live in a community without healthy trees. Where is the line?

    Bio: Skip Kincaid is approaching his 40th year in arboriculture. Not quite fully seasoned yet, he is still grappling with holding down three half-time jobs. Do the math. He is currently the Director of Urban Forestry at Hansens Tree Service where he works hard to stay out of the way so the real professionals can handle a wide range of tree care services and production of mulch, compost, and blended soils. He also handles many of the consulting assignments that arrive at Hansens call center. Skip also serves as the Executive Director of the ISA Southern Chapter providing services to over 1,600 members and 2,600 credential holders. The Southern Chapter is the third largest chapter in the ISA system and covers 7 states, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Skip also provides over 30 training courses each year including tree risk assessment, trees and the law, responsible pesticide use, and a wide range of other arboriculture topics.

  • Location: Versailles I

  • Location: Versailles II

    Title: ANSI A300 Consolidation: Ten into One

    Description: Wouldn’t it be great if the ten parts of the ANSI A300 tree care standards were in one convenient document? Well, the wait is almost over. The ANSI A300 standards are being revised and consolidated for ease of use. The new document will include each standard, explanatory annexes, and a comprehensive glossary, and it will be revised on a proposed five-year cycle. In this presentation, you will learn about important changes to the standards that tree care and green industry professionals have relied on for over two decades, and how these changes will benefit all practitioners.

    Bio: Sam Hill is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist and owner of Sam Hill Tree Care in Dallas, TX. He holds an MS from Texas Tech University and an MS in Executive Leadership from the University of San Diego. Sam currently serves as Chair of the ANSI Accredited Standards Committee A300. In this role, he facilitates activities of industry stakeholders and subject matter experts in the development and revision of industry standards.

  • Thank you for attending the 2024 MWISA Annual Conference and Tradeshow. Safe Travels Home!