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Fall is nearly here and it won't be long now until we enjoy the changing fall foliage around us. We were delighted to see many of you at our two Evening Plant Diagnostic Clinics, held with University of Maryland Extension, earlier this summer. We thank Brookside Gardens and Woodmont Country Club for graciously hosting these events, and our many volunteers who made them a success.
We are now preparing for our fall and winter events, including our 7th Annual Day of Safety & Health, held in partnership with Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH), coming up on September 28 at the Howard County Fairgrounds; 43rd Annual Arborist Day of Service project coming up on November 5 at Tudor Hall; and our 42nd Annual Safety & Pesticide Recertification Seminar returning to it's January timeframe on January 17-18 at the Turf Valley Resort & Conference Center. We continually encourage our members to provide feedback in help planning for these events. If there are topics that you are interest in learning about, or you would like to become involved in the planning process, contact us at office@mdaborist.com.
Stay Safe and Healthy!
Danielle Bauer Farace
Executive Director
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Being a Maryland Arborist Association Member provides a number of benefits to you and your business.
Benefits include discounted event registration, educational resources, and up-to-date news and information.
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THANK YOU TO OUR WHITE OAK SPONSORS: | |
Top 10 Worker's Comp Money-Saving Tips for Your Business | |
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Here are 10 tips to help reduce workers’ compensation costs for your business:
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Create a workplace safety culture - It starts with a commitment to safety from senior management. This is the first and most important step you can take to reduce accidents and lower your workers’ comp insurance premiums.
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Implement a safety program - Your safety program should be comprehensive, involving risk assessment surveys, hazard analysis for your type of organization, loss reviews and, most importantly, ongoing safety training sessions for all employees.
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Employ good hiring practices - Attracting qualified employees is important for any business. A well-managed recruitment and hiring process will ensure a better fit for you and your employees, and it will take you one step closer to your goal of hiring an all-star employee.
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Establish a drug-free workplace - Adopt a written substance abuse policy and have it reviewed by your human resources and legal counsel. Make job offers contingent on passing a pre-employment drug test and arrange for random drug testing of all employees and post-accident drug testing after an injury.
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Offer supervisor training and ensure accountability for safety - Supervisors should be accountable for safe work behavior on the job and ensure employees adhere to all company safety rules and regulations. Supervisors can also ensure that regular safety training is provided so employees have the equipment and knowledge to perform their jobs safely.
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Schedule ongoing safety trainings - Ongoing safety training is an important step to preventing work-related injuries. When properly trained, employees will know how to prevent accidents by following proper workplace safety procedures. Remember to document all safety training sessions.
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Create an effective safety committee - Include representatives from the major operations areas of your organization. Your safety committee should meet regularly to evaluate safety conditions and recommend changes that address the potential causes of workplace injuries.
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Reinforce a prompt injury reporting policy and procedures - Prompt injury reporting can help control the cost and duration of your workers’ comp injury claim. The sooner we know about the injury, the faster we can review the claim for compensability determination and provide benefits to the injured worker.
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Designate someone to coordinate all work comp claims reported - Establishing a central contact person(s) for all work comp claims gives you greater oversight on the claim. It could be someone in HR or finance. The claim coordinator is then the primary communications contact with us on the status of the claim.
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Establish a return-to-work program - An effective return-to-work program minimizes lost time injury duration and helps to lower medical and indemnity costs, which can help with savings on your workers’ comp insurance costs.
Coverage for Maryland’s businesses and their employees’ safety will always be our top priorities. Connect with your local agent for a coverage quote today. Chesapeake Employers helps you protect your employees and your bottom line. We are declaring
another $15 million corporate dividend in 2023 for qualifying policyholders and are reducing rates again in 2022 by 8%. Maryland organizations of all sizes can benefit from the services of a workers’ comp specialist, for less.
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Daikon Radish and Soil Improvement | |
By: Stanton Gill, Extension Specialist in IPM and Entomology, University of Maryland Extension Central Maryland Research and Education Center, and Professor - Landscape Technology Program, Montgomery College | |
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Part of an IPM approach involves improving soil so trees and shrubs grow better. Adding organic material to soil has plenty of research to back up the benefit of adding it to the soil. It improves soil structure and increases microorganism activity among other benefits.
Sixteen years ago, working with Ray Weil, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland, we looked at ways to improve soils in working nurseries. One of the methods that Ray suggested was using daikon radish, Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, planted in the late summer. We did this at two central Maryland nurseries. It is a type of green manure that improves soil structure. Ray Weil had been working with Groff Company in PA.
While we working on these nurseries projects, I asked Ray if anyone had tried seedling daikon radish around blueberry plants in late August. He said, no, not that he knew and he gave me 5 lbs of daikon radish seeds to try out in the orchard. Blueberries benefit from large quantities of organic material applied each year. We seed in late August and when the rains came the seed germinated quickly, less than 5 days, and we had a wonderful rosette of daikon green foliage growing up around the blueberry plants that were turning bright red with fall color. It was actually rather attractive. Daikon radish is allelopathic and suppresses fall weed germination, which
adds to the benefit. With the first heavy frost of early November, the daikon radish foliage died down. Around Thanksgiving, when it finally got really cold, the decomposing tap roots did smell like left over sauerkraut. We got past the smelly part in about 2 -3 weeks and now have great organic columns of soil in the root zone of the blueberry plants.
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Spotted Lanternfly Update | By: Paula Shrewsbury, Extension Specialist, University of Maryland (featured in the September 16 IPM Report) | |
In Hagerstown where spotted lanternfly (SLF) populations are quite high, we continue to see adult male and female SLF flying around buildings and settling on tree trunks by the hundreds. They are actively feeding and producing lots of honeydew (messy!). The honeydew is definitely an attractive food resource for many sugar-loving insects such as yellow jackets, bald faced hornets, European hornets, honey bees, ants and more. Last week when I was working on the SLF research plots where we have SLF adults in cages on the trunks of tree-of-heaven, a yellow jacket stung my ear – ouch! I guess she thought I was going after her food. This week, there were a few European hornets and bald-faced hornets flying around the cages. I was extra careful to give them space.
The next adult phase, mid-phase characterized by mating and a major flight event, should start at any time. Following that phase is the late-phase which is indicated by egg laying (oviposition) and reported to start in early October. If you are in areas with high numbers of SLF, be sure to apply controls to knock back the populations soon BEFORE egg laying occurs.
To learn more about SLF, and in particularly about management options, Penn State Extension has put out a helpful online guide, Spotted Lanternfly Management Guide. Be sure to review the section on Management for adult SLF.
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MAA members are reminded that the Maryland Department of Agriculture expanded it's Spotted Lanternfly quarantine earlier this year to include the following counties: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery and Washington, as well as Baltimore City. This quarantine restricts the movement of regulated articles that might contain the spotted lanternfly in any of its life stages, including egg masses, nymphs, and adults.
You can report sightings through MDA’s online survey. Other informational materials are available on the program’s website.
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Are You Interested in Becoming More Involved with the MAA? | |
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The Maryland Arborist Association welcomes participation from our membership at our Board of Directors meetings, planning for upcoming events, and more. Working with the MAA Board of Directors is an exciting opportunity to network with other tree care experts across the field and help to make key decisions to guide the future of the organization. The Board represents the members’ interest in the organization and holds ownership of the organization on behalf of the members.
The Board of Directors meets on average three times per year at various locations around the state. The next Board of Directors meeting will be held on October 25, 2022. If you are interested in attending a board meeting, contact Executive Director Danielle Farace at 410-928-4888 or office@mdarborist.com.
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The Maryland Arborist Association would like to remind members of resources shared in recent editions of our Shady Notes e-newsletter:
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TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
According to the newest ANSI Z-133-2017 equipment shall not be operated within how many feet of areas where refueling has recently taken place?
A: 3 ft
B: 5 ft
C: 10 ft
D: 25 ft
E: none of the above
(Clue – See ANSI Z-133-2017 Sect – 3.6)
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Fire safety becomes everyone's job at a worksite. Employers should train workers about fire hazards in the workplace and about what to do in a fire emergency. The following are reminders from Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH)'s Tree Care and Removal Regulations for fire prevention:
- An employer shall assure that the following fire prevention measures are followed:
- Provide and maintain portable fire extinguishers on each vehicle in accordance with 29 CFR §1910.157;
- Store, handle, and dispense flammable liquids from approved containers;
- Prohibit smoking when handling or working in close proximity to flammable liquids;
- Change clothing contaminated by flammable liquids as soon as possible; and
- Avoid open flame and other sources of ignition.
- An employer shall have the following procedures in place during fueling operations:
- Equipment may not be operated within 10 feet of fueling operations or areas where refueling has recently taken place;
- Equipment shall be refueled only after the engine has stopped; and
- Spilled fuel shall be removed from equipment before restarting an engine.
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Registration for the 2022 SAF National Convention is now open! Join the Society of American Foresters in Baltimore (yes, in person!) for this year’s SAF National Convention on September 20-24. This year's Convention will highlight the power of collaboration and will explore the wide range of work done to manage forests and other natural resources in urban, suburban, and rural communities with a focus on innovation and cross-disciplinary engagement. | | |
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The Maryland Arborist Association in partnership with the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) - Division of Labor and Industry will hold their Annual Day of Safety and Health at the Howard County Fairgrounds on September 28, 2022. This event will offer MD LTE, CTSP, ISA, SAF, and Maryland Pesticide credits. | | |
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The 8th Annual Saluting Branches Day of Service will be held on September 28, 2022. Locations in Maryland include Baltimore National Cemetery and Rose Hill Cemetery. | | |
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MAC-ISA will hold their Annual Meeting October 2-4, being held at Virginia Crossings Hotel an d Conference Center in Richmond, VA. | | |
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Join the Frederick Area Landscape Contractors and Nurserymen's Association (FALCAN) for their Annual Truck & Trailer Safety Seminar on October 19 at the Urbana Volunteer Fire Hall. This interactive event will provide instruction from the Maryland State Police on how to comply with new paperwork and other requirements. Landscapers, contractors, drivers, and anyone else who uses light trucks and trailers are invited to attend. All attendees will receive a certificate of completion. MD LTE and ISA credits pending. | | |
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43rd Maryland Arborist Day | The MAA has rescheduled their 43rd Annual Arborist Day project to November 5, 2022 (rain date November 12) at Tudor Hall in Leonardtown, MD. More details for this event will be coming to your inbox soon! | | |
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Save the date for MAC-ISA's Day of Arboriculture being held on November 12 at the National Arboretum in Washington, DC. Details are forthcoming. | | |
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Did you miss the ISA 2022 Annual International Conference in Malmö? Don’t worry, there’s still a chance to earn CEUs, network, and learn from industry leaders.
Join ISA and arboricultural professionals from around the world at the ISA 2022 Virtual Conference 13-14 December. The ISA Virtual Conference provides a lineup of on-demand sessions attendees can view at their convenience from the comfort of their home.
Registration for the 2022 Virtual Conference opens 3 October. Be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks about sessions, guest speakers, and networking opportunities.
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42nd Annual Safety & Pesticide Recertification Seminar | MAA is excited to share that it's Annual Safety & Pesticide Recertification Seminar will be returning to January in 2023! Mark your calendar for January 17-18 at the Turf Valley Resort and Conference Center. More detials coming soon! | | | | | |
