CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Aug. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- At the 85th International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Conference & Trade Show held in Providence, Rhode Island, ISA President Lauren Lanphear introduced Sandy Clark (Mount Prospect, Illinois), Gerard Fournier (Didsbury, Alberta, Canada), Edward Hopkins (Rochester, New Hampshire), Dave Leonard (Lexington, Kentucky), Harold Spiegel (Dallas, Texas), Dennis Swartzell (Las Vegas, Nevada) and Philip van Wassanear (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) as the selected arborists for ISA's 2009 True Professionals of Arboriculture recognition program.

ISA launched True Professionals of Arboriculture to help increase public understanding of arboriculture and the professional skills of today's arborists. Profiles and case studies of the arborists will be featured on the ISA website (www.isa-arbor.org) and highlighted in future ISA publications. Sharing their achievements and tactics with ISA's membership and certified professionals allows practicing arborists to model their successes and better interact with their own clients, employees and community.

ISA President Lauren Lanphear says, "These seven individuals are wonderful examples of those who do an outstanding job at interacting with their employees, colleagues, clients and communities, and exemplify professionalism in arboriculture. I believe many arborists can and will learn from their success."

In April of 2009, ISA began accepting nominations for the True Professionals program. More than 50 nominations were collected from the industry's leading arborists and subsequently reviewed by the judging committee. The panel reviewed the entries and selected seven arborists representing various attributes of professionalism including a dedication to the profession, commitment to community outreach and education, innovation in client communication techniques and unique achievements linking arboriculture with the general public.

Some examples of the arborists' achievements include:

• nationally recognized beautification of a Midwestern town through proactive planning and project implementation through municipal forestry
• public outreach through innovative advertising concepts, website communications, mass distributed newsletters, creative YouTube videos, and informational seminars
• community activism through extended volunteer service with arboricultural-related activities, events and organizations
• conceptualization of a popular tourist attraction combining artistry and arboriculture
• transforming a desert college campus into a thriving arboretum
• maintaining a strong educational network amongst industry colleagues and associates
  

ABOUT ISA

The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), headquartered in Champaign, Ill., is a nonprofit organization supporting tree care research and education around the world. For more information on ISA and Certified Arborists, visit www.isa-arbor.org.

SOURCE International Society of Arboriculture

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.isa-arbor.com