The Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund) was established by the International Society of Arboriculture and Tree Care Industry Association in 2002, to fund programs that support the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in arboriculture and urban forestry. The TREE Fund continued to adapt to the effects of the enduring pandemic in 2021. Highlights of the year 2021 include:
The virtual TREE Fund
The pandemic experience revealed that the TREE Fund staff works very well in a virtual environment, so to continue mitigating health risks and to dramatically reduce the indirect costs of grants and scholarships, the TREE Fund headquarters moved "to the cloud" in 2021. The main telephone number remains the same: 630-369-8300. There, you will find a menu of options for reaching individual staff members or leaving a message. The mailing address is now: TREE Fund 1755 Park Street, Suite 200, Naperville, IL 60563
Grants
The TREE Fund provided $609,146 in support of four new and 14 continuing grants and four new and four continuing scholarships during 2021.

The TREE Fund launched the new Tree and Soil Research Grant in 2021. The grant is made possible by a permanently restricted endowment fund supporting areas of research of interest to the landscape architecture community with special focus in the area of trees and the soils that support them.
Outcomes
During 2021, TREE Fund-supported research appeared in 11 peer-reviewed publications and was orally presented nine times. This brings the publication total for the past 18 years to 235. 
Publications
TREE Press, the TREE Fund’s newsletter, was published 12 times in 2021. The newsletter provides timely information, as well as regular features on volunteers, donors, webinars, the Tour des Trees, grants, and results from TREE Fund studies. 
Education
The TREE Fund’s free webinars, offering certified arborists CEUs, continued to grow in significance. In 2021, the TREE Fund offered eight webinars and they were enjoyed by 7,424 participants.
• "Growing Trees in Paved Sites," Alessio Fini, PhD, University of Milan
• "Digging into the Science of Tree Planting and Removing Packaging Materials," Richard Hauer, PhD, University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point; Andrew Koeser, PhD, University of Florida; and Jason Miesbauer, PhD, The Morton Arboretum
• "Long term effects of the electrical rights-of-way vegetation management on floral and faunal communities," Carolyn Mahan, PhD, Penn State Altoona
• "A Three Pronged Approach to understanding defensive mechanisms in Green Ash resistant to EAB," Jeanne Romero-Severson, PhD, University of Notre Dame
• "Why do some trees transplant better than others? A look at some new research on water uptake,"  Nina Bassuk, PhD, Cornell University
• "LiDAR based urban tree inventory permits a better evaluation of tree services: an example from Montréal Canada," Dan Kneeshaw, PhD, University of Quebec, Montreal
• "Planning for the Next Three Letter Urban Tree Canopy Changer: Lessons Learned with DED, EAB, ETC." Richard Hauer, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
• "Loading a Tie-in Point While Climbing," Brian Kane, PhD, University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Tour des Trees
The TREE Fund’s signature event, the Tour des Trees, rebounded from the pandemic-induced one-year hiatus with a beautiful ride through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Thirty-eight riders rode their bikes over 320 miles and traversed approximately 23,500 feet of climbing over five days, starting in Denver and circling around to Boulder, Estes Park, Fort Collins, and back to Boulder and Denver. An additional 34 virtual participants also joined in from their own homes, all helping to support the TREE Fund's mission.
Strategic Plan 2021-2024
Our analysis of how to sustain the TREE Fund into the future revealed that our greatest strengths are our dedicated staff, our reputation for applicable research, and our endowed grants. Our primary goal is to strengthen our capacity to cover the full cost of our programs, respond to the emerging economy, and build for a sustainable future. When the TREE Fund can cover its full costs and maintain a reserve for crises, it will be a healthy, resilient nonprofit business on which we can depend for decades to come. Over the coming years, the TREE Fund will build on the traditional generosity of the tree care industry by reaching out to donors who love trees but are not yet part of the TREE Fund family. 
In memoriam
Tragedy befell the TREE Fund in 2021 when Will Nutter, chair of the TREE Fund Board of Trustees, perished in a motorcycle accident. In memory of Will, his remarkable character, and his exceptional leadership, the Nutter family and Wright Service Corp. established at the TREE Fund the Will Nutter Memorial Scholarship Fund in support of education. 
TREE Fund After Hours
The virtual TREE Fund After Hours event was held during the ISA Conference in December. The event featured a panel of three researchers--Drs. Richard Hauer, Brian Kane, and Bryant Scharenbroch--who all have been awarded TREE Fund grants, discussing the impact of their research and the emerging challenges and opportunities facing the arboriculture industry.
Guidestar
For the third consecutive year, the TREE Fund reached GuideStar's highest level of achievement for nonprofit transparency--the platinum award. GuideStar is the world's largest and most authoritative source of information on nonprofit organizations. Major donors tend to look to GuideStar as the “seal of approval” before making donations.
Major Gifts
$50,000 and above
The Davey Tree Expert Company

$25,000 to $49,999
ACRT Inc.
Asplundh Tree Expert, LLC
Bartlett Tree Experts
Corteva
FirstEnergy
Hyland R. Johns
International Society of Arboriculture
Wright Service Corp.

$10,000 to $24,999
Altec/Styslinger Foundation, Inc.
Arborjet
Bandit Industries, Inc.
Canadian TREE Fund
Green Manufacturing, Inc.
ISA Rocky Mountain Chapter
John B. Ward & Co.
Lewis Tree Service
Mid-Atlantic Chapter ISA
PECO
Randolph Dickson Hoover

$5,000 to $9,999
CN Utility Consulting, Inc.
Connie Bradley
Florida Chapter ISA
Ford Motor Company
Illinois Arborist Association, Inc.
Indiana Arborist Association
ISA Southern Chapter
Jacques H. Brunswick
Jerry M. and Marilyn A. Morey
KASK America, Inc.
Ken Smith Workshop
Matt Asplundh
Michael R. and Karen Root Grimm
Ohio Chapter ISA
PacifiCorp
Patrick M. and Tracy Covey
Randall Harwood Miller
SavATree
Stacy Hughes and Tracy Tylkowski
Steven David Geist
Tree Care Industry Association, Inc.
Urban Forest Nursery, Inc.
Vegetation Management Department of Xcel Energy
Vermeer Corporation
West Coast Arborists
Wisconsin Arborist Association

$2,500 to $4,999
Douglas Alan Anderson
Iowa Arborist Association
Jack Guffey
Jarraff Industries, LLC
Jeffrey L. and Christine A. Baker
Michael Sepe
New York State Arborists, ISA Chapter, Inc.
Norathco Foundation
Nyemaster Goode
Pacific Northwest ISA
Pamela K. Hendricksen
Rachel Barker
Sam E. and Lisa K. Van Maanen
Scott D. and Amy E. Packard
Sky Properties LLC
Stanley Tree Service
Stuart M. Crow
Texas Chapter ISA
Tripp Wyckoff
Western Chapter ISA

$1,000 to $2,499
Alabama Urban Forestry Association
Amy S. Greene
Arthur W. Batson, Jr.
Barnes Tree Service, Inc.
BNY Mellon Trust of Delaware
Bruce and Sally Rogers
Bruce Berard
Craig B. Shumaker
Dan Toelle
David Gorden
David Patrick Franklin
Don Lockwood
Edward P. Milhous and
Roberta S. Ainsley
Eric Lohmeier
$1,000 to $2,499 continued
Facebook Payments Inc.
Hallie Dozier, Ph.D.
Heather Leff
ISA Michigan
Jeffrey L. and Therese L. Edgar
Jeffrey S. Wilson
Jim & Colleen Skiera
John McCabe, III
Josh Beaver
Kenneth A. Ottman
Kevin Brewer
Kevin Gregory Jones
Korey Lofy
Kristin Schumacher & Gerald R. Wild
Lueders Environmental, Inc.
Mark Poliak
Marya M. Ryan
Michael C. Connick
National Philanthropic Trust
Paul F. and Kristin Fletcher, Jr.
Penn-Del Chapter of ISA
Randy J. and Brenda K. Owen
Roberta Ann Levine
Shirley D. Geist
Shirli Anne Flack
Susan M. and James A. Gaulke
Synergistic Arboriculture, LLC
Tech Tree Experts
The Mulch Center
The Philip and Lynn Straus Foundation, Inc.
Todd Alan Reese
Tree Tech Inc.
V&E Appellate Practice Group
Wade & Julie Myers
Will Nutter
William and Randa Veach

$500 to $999
Allan J. and Joyce C. West
Alyssa Prazeau
Andrei and Alyson Murphy
Anne Gwathmey
Barbara Y. and Michael S. Lupfer
Brent Bolzenius
Brian Barnard
Daniel A. Herms
Daniel Lippi
David B. Temple
David J. Scharfenberger
Deborah L. and Brian Edward Bishop
Dennis McGlade
Derrick J. and Susan P. Wells
Jack P. Blackwell, Jr.
James Martin and Ann Ellen Barborinas
Jen Grimes
Jennifer E. Arkett
Jonathan Lupton
Kathryn Otlowski
Kevin Carr
Laura Barnard
Laurie A. and Robert Skul
Linda J Goldsworthy
Lisa A. Hanussak
Lisa Livingood
Mark A. and Kim M. Crane
Mark E. and Julie Shipp
Massachusetts Tree Wardens and Foresters Association
Matthew Wishart
Michael Alan and Amy M. Neal
Mountaingate Capital
Nancy Andrews Leonard and
David E. Leonard
Nancy Gibson
Ned A. Tisserat and Jan E. Leach
Northeastern Arborist Supply
Paul K. Payne
Paul Sellers
Peter David Smith
Ramin Shamshiri
Rebecca Pohlad
Regna Jones
Robert J. Heath and Elizabeth Leigh Buchanan, Ph.D.
Rocklin K. Russell
San Antonio Arborist Association
Sarah Rickenbacker
Scott Oster
Tim Kuhn
Wendy Fortune
William F. and Linda C. Roemer
William Tobias and Anne P. Sherrill
Grants Awarded
Hyland R. Johns Grant $24,967
Richard J. Hauer, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
“Tree Health Implications of Long-term Strategies to Treat Emerald Ash Borer: Longterm Effects on Tree Injections and Tree Tissue”

Utility Arborist Research Fund Grant $50,000
John Goodfellow and John Ball, PhD
"Characterizing the Risk of Electrical Contact to Arborists"

Ohio Chapter ISA Education Grant $5,000
Akron Parks Collaborative “Youth Corps to turn vacant lots into urban forests”

John Z. Duling Grant $25,000
Jose Delpiano, PhD, University of the Andes
"Computer Vision for Hazard Tree Identification and Assessment"

Jack Kimmel International Grant $10,000
Justin Morgenroth, PhD, The University of Canterbury
"Optimizing tree responses to root pruning in mature trees"

State Game Lands $148,328
Carolyn G. Mahan, PhD, Pennsylvania State University
"Long term effects of electrical right-of-way vegetation management on floral and faunal communities"

Tree and Soil Research Fund $9,652
Rebecca Brianne Abney, PhD, University of Georgia (UGA) Research Foundation, Inc.
"Utilizing biochar to improve community tree vault soils and tree health and to reduce watershed contamination"

Bob Skiera Memorial Fund Building Bridges Initiative $29,236
Lindsay Darling, The Morton Arboretum
"Identifying social barriers to equitable tree planting and quantifying potential benefits to overcoming them"
Scholarships awarded
Robert Felix Memorial Scholarship $5,000
Alexander Martin, University of British Columbia

John Wright Memorial Scholarship $5,000
Matthew Le, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Bonnie Appleton Memorial Scholarship $5,000
Ignacio Moreno, Cal Poly Pomona

Fran Ward Women in Arboriculture Scholarship $5,000
Joanne Kim, Pennsylvania State University
Statement of Financial Position
Statement of Financials
ASSETS
Cash and equivalents
Pledges receivable, net
Investments
Beneficial interest in investments held at CCT
Prepaid expenses
Property and equipment, net
Total Assets
LIABILITIES
Accounts payable
Accrued expenses
Grants payable
Total Liabilities
NET ASSETS
Without donor restrictions
With donor restrictions
Total Net Assets
Total Liabilities & Net Assets

Statement of activities
REVENUE
Contributions
Special Events
In-Kind
Grant Management Fees
Merchandise Sales
Increase in interest value, net
Investment return, net
PPP Loan Forgiveness
Total Revenue
FUNCTIONAL EXPENSES
Program Services
Administration/General
Fundraising
Total Functional Expenses
Change in Net Assets

FY2021

$725,679
$194,066
$30,849

$5,329,520
$2,675
--
$6,282,789

$10,655
$16,116
$333,864
$360,635

(110,081)
$6,032,235
$5,922,154
$6,282,789


FY2021

$512,562
$259,071
$49,864
$6,263
$578
$603,090
 ($686)
$53,750
$1,519,670
$418,927
$108,147
$307,333
$834,407
$685,263

FY2020

$416,077
$257,976
--
  
$4,903,422
$3,874
$734
$5,582,083

$6,987
$14,590
$323,615
$436,640

 ($163,215)
$5,400,106
$5,236,891
$5,582,083


FY2020

$456,763
$151,775
$17,244
$12,382
$115
$591,527
--
$74,523
$1,304,329
$536,696
$189,219
$91,215
$816,130
$488,199

2021 Board of Trustees
Chair
Will Nutter
Chair Elect
Sharon Jean-Philippe, PhD
Vice Chair
Brett Heinrich
Treasurer
Ray Henning
Trustees
Rachel Barker
Arnold "Beau" Brodbeck, PhD
Jacques Brunswick
Jeff Edgar
Patrick Franklin
Steven Geist, BCMA, RCA
Dan Herms, PhD
George Hudler, PhD
Randall Miller, BCMA
Jim Urban, FASLA
Trustees Emeritus
John Lloyd
James Zwack
Chair Emeritus
Allan J. West
President and CEO
Russell K. King

Board Committee Chairs
Audit and Finance Committee: Ray Henning
Communications Committee: Jeff Edgar
Development Committee: Jim Urban, FASLA
Executive and Governance Committee: Will Nutter
Research and Education Committee: George Hudler, PhD
ISA Council of Representatives: Arnold “Beau” Brodbeck, PhD
THANK YOU
TREE Fund Crown Partners! 
TREE Fund
1755 Park St. Suite #200, Naperville, IL 60563
(630) 369-8300
treefund@treefund.org
www.treefund.org
TREE Fund is a 501(C)3 nonprofit with a mission to explore and share the science of trees contributing to the lives of people, communities, economies, and the environment, and of the planning, planting, and sustainability of urban and community trees.