Association Updates
Dear MAA Members,
After a wet spring, we are glad to see our members getting back out in the field and completing tree work! Here at MAA, we have been hard at work preparing for upcoming events, including the MAA/MOSH Safety and Health Day, our 2019 Winter Seminar, and our 2019 Maryland Arborist Day.
Earlier last month, members of the MAA Arborist Day Committee met for an introductory meeting at Adkins Arboretum on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the site of our 2019 Arborist Day project. Upon the first walk through, the committee found much work to be completed to improve safety at the Arboretum. They are very much looking forward to working on the Eastern Shore for the first time, and encourage all MAA members located on the Shore to participate! You may contact the MAA staff if you are interested in assisting with planning of this event.
The MAA and MOSH are excited to be focusing more on Health and Safety for tree care professionals at this year’s fall event, on September 26 at the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship. The agenda is almost completed and registration will be open early next month. We have already confirmed speakers to cover topics such as a DOT inspection and tick hazards and prevention. Keep an eye out for more details. Registration will not be available at the door this year, so be sure to register early. This event is a great opportunity to earn any CEUs you may need before the year ends!
Finally, we would like to remind you that our 2018 Election of Officers and Directors is still underway. If you have not done so already, you can still vote until next Friday, July 27 by clicking
here
. Paper ballots are available from the MAA office by request.
Stay Safe!
Lindsay Thompson
MAA Executive Director
(443) 262-8491
|
|
Thank You to our White Oak Sponsors
|
|
Giant Hogweed Plants Detected in Virginia
|
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has confirmed the presence of Giant hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum, in Clarke County. The Giant hogweed was planted at the site by a previous homeowner for ornamental purposes. VDACS employees are working with the homeowner in an effort to eradicate the weed from the Clarke County site.
When exposed to skin, the sap from a Giant hogweed plant can cause severe skin and eye irritation, painful blistering and permanent scarring. The plant is easily confused with other look alike plants such as elderberry and cow parsnip. People who think they have found Giant hogweed should take a digital photo of the leaf, stem and flower and report it to the local Extension office.
|
|
U.S. Cities Lose Tree Cover Just When They Need It Most
|
Scientific evidence that trees and green spaces are crucial to the well-being of people in urban areas has multiplied in recent decades. Conveniently, these findings have emerged just as Americans, already among the most urbanized people in the world, are increasingly choosing to live in cities. The problem—partly as a result of that choice—is that urban tree cover is now steadily declining across the U.S.
A
study
in the May issue of
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
reports metropolitan areas are experiencing a net loss of about 36 million trees nationwide every year. That amounts to about 175,000 acres of tree cover, most of it in central city and suburban areas but also on the exurban fringes. This reduction, says lead author David Nowak of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), translates into an annual loss of about $96 million in benefits—based, he says, on “only a few of the benefits that we know about.” The economic calculation involves several such benefits that are relatively easy to express in dollar terms—the capacity of trees to remove air pollution, sequester carbon, conserve energy by shading buildings and reduce power plant emissions.
|
|
The University of Maryland Extension office has published the weekly IPM Report - and was distributed on July 13, 2018. Take a look at the bulletin for timely information. If you would like to be added to the distribution list, contact
Suzanne Klick
.
|
|
New LTE's - Congratulations!
|
|
Congratulations to the following individuals who passed the May and June exams:
|
|
Tyler Cloetingh
Michael Jensen
Connor Kaufmann
Daniel Love
James Mansfield
|
|
Nathan Swope
Wesley Valcarcel
Jeremy Casey
Claudia Mejia
|
|
|
According to the newest ANSI Z-133-2017:
A minimum of two wheel chocks shall be set before using an aerial device unless the device has no wheels on the ground or is designed for use without chocks (Sect 5.2.4)
|
|
OSHA Proposes Rule to Ensure Crane Operators Are Qualified To Safely Operate Equipment
|
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced a proposed rule to increase the safety of America’s construction sites. In addition to providing long-term clarity regarding crane operator certification requirements, the proposal reinstates the employer duty to ensure that a crane operator is qualified to safely operate equipment.
Under the proposed rule, a change to the categories of certifications for crane operators would ensure more operators are able to meet the requirement. The proposal discontinues a 2010 requirement, which never went into effect, that crane operator certification must include the crane lifting capacity for which the operator is certified. The proposal would expand the type of certification programs for crane operators.
OSHA recently published a
final rule
extending the operator certification compliance date until November 10, 2018, in order to provide the agency with additional time to complete this rulemaking to address stakeholder concerns related to the Cranes and Derricks in Construction standard.
|
|
MAA/MOSH Health and Safety Day – September 26, 2018 –
West Friendship, MD
|
|
Join the Maryland Arborist Association and Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) for an interactive day covering safety and health topics for tree care professionals. Registration will be open in early August. Keep an eye out for more details!
|
|
TCIA Crew Leader Training – July 25, 2018
–
Annapolis Junction, MD
|
|
Aspiring, new and veteran crew leaders – develop and grow your leadership, communication and personnel management skills, and learn how to apply them to strengthen your team. Participants will take an exam to earn TCIA’s new Crew Leader Qualification. Prerequisite: Completion of Tree Care Academy Crew Leader manual. Includes lunch. Registration starts at 7:30 am.
TCIA is offering their membership pricing to all MAA members for this event, a total saving of $149 for MAA members and MD LTE’s who are not TCIA members. There have been 6.5
ISA CEUs and 6.5 CTSP CEUs have been approved for this event. MD LTE credits are pending. Call 800-733-2622 to register for the TCIA member rate.
|
|
MAC-ISA Annual Meeting
- October 8-9, 2018
-
Frederick, MD
|
Celebrating their 40th Anniversary: Internationally renowned speakers, Field Day at Hood College, trade show both days, lots of networking opportunities. ISA, SAF, MD LTE, and CTSP’s CEUs will be available at this event.
|
|
38th Annual Safety and Pesticide Recertification Seminar - January 22 & 23, 2019 - Ellicott City, MD
|
|
Mark your calendar for our annual Recertification Seminar, held at Turf Valley Resort and Conference Center. Multiple credits will be offered for MD LTE, MAC-ISA, TCIA, SAF, and Pesticide Applicators. More details coming soon!
|
|
Maryland Licensed Tree Expert exams are administered on the second Wednesday of each month at the Department of Natural Resources Headquarters in Annapolis. Upcoming exam dates are September 12 and October 10, 2018. To register, please contact Ms. Romcesa Estep, 410-260-8531.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
