Tree Trust	Chapter 8 - Be An Informed Consumer

When Your Trees Need Trimming When to Hire An Arborist Most people know they need an arborist when a tree falls apart in a storm or dies. Did you know that trees that get regular pruning are less likely to break apart in storms or die prematurely?   Your older tree needs a visit about once every five years to remove broken and dead branches.         An arborist should visit your young tree every 1-3 years to train it to have a single trunk with strong side branches.   Call your utility company. You need an arborist soon, especially if tree limbs are near or touching a high-voltage electric line.         You might need an arborist to thin out some of the branches of your middle age tree or to remove branches that get in the way of your driveway or your sidewalk.   You need an arborist soon. The arborist will help you decide whether it is safe to leave a storm damaged tree standing or if it should be cut down.

Arborists are the men and women who make a career of caring for trees. You hire a commercial arborist to work on trees or remove trees. You hire a consulting arborist when all you need is advice. Consulting arborists do not do the actual tree work. Photograph in the center of the right column is by Darrick Unger. All others are by Katie Himanga.

The evolution of plant health care parallels human health care: from curing problems to managing health. Some arborists are the general practitioners of plant management, others are specialists. Arborists who prune trees are specialists who play a key role, not only in maintaining tree health, but also in managing risk. They eliminate problem branches when trees are young so they don't become hazardous when they are older. The result is trees that are safer, longer lived and better able to stand up to storms than their neglected neighbors. If you like to take a holistic, proactive approach to caring for all plants in your landscape, investigate Plant Health Care (PHC) as an alternative to typical lawn service treatments and crisis tree care.

What Arborists Do Arborists do more than prune and remove trees. They fertilize trees and control pests, and they install cables, braces and lightening protection. Some offer Plant Health Care, a systematic method of caring for all plants in the landscape. Arborists regularly get training in tree care and job safety. Many are business owners. Some arborists specialize in tree pruning and removal. They might even specialize in certain types of tree work, such as climbing with a rope and saddle or working from a bucket on a truck. Rope and saddle climbers can work on trees in spaces that are inaccessible to trucks. Some companies only prune trees near electric lines. Some have the labor and equipment to do emergency storm damage cleanup, others do not. Arborists may provide pest control and tree fertilization services. These treatments are appropriate when there is a diagnosed problem and the benefits outweigh the cost--both the cost to you and the risk of harming the tree or nearby plants. Before you hire someone to spread or spray chemicals on or near your tree, be sure you understand what they are supposed to accomplish, why it needs to be done and how it will affect nearby plants. Arborists use cables and braces to reduce the chance that trees with weak structure will break apart during storms. When properly installed, cables and braces cause little injury to the tree. Before installing cables or braces in a tree, it needs to be inspected and pruned. Then the arborist installs cables high up in the tree--two thirds of the distance from the weak branch crotch to the ends of the branches. Braces are steel rods that provide ridged support for a weak crotch. They are used WITH cables, not as a substitute. Once installed, cables should be checked each year to be sure they are securely anchored, but not to loose or to tight. Cabled trees need maintenance pruning at least once every five years. Arborists use lightening rods to protect trees and people from lightening strikes. They also help protect the contents of nearby buildings. Large trees that stand alone are most vulnerable to lightening strikes. Large trees in parks, on golf courses, within ten feet of structures and those with great historic or economic value are good candidates for protection. As with cables and braces, lightening protection systems should be inspected each year. Plant Health Care (PHC) is a systematic method of caring for trees, shrubs and lawns. It includes preventative care, frequent monitoring, early detection of problems, and use of integrated treatments to provide longterm, stable solutions. It minimizes crises and reliance on chemical controls. Companies that offer the service of PHC make routine visits to monitor the health of plants. They correct little problems before they get to be big problems. In addition to caring for plants, they provide information, suggestions and advice. In addition to providing services to customers, arborists invest time in training and business management. It takes many hours of training and education each year to keep up with new arboricultural information. Some arborists learn by attending workshops, others read articles or watch tapes. Job safety training is routine for good arborists: working around power lines; equipment operation; and tree climbing techniques. All arborists invest time in business management. They care for equipment and keep customer records. Some operate large companies that employ dozens of workers.

Rule of Thumb: If you need a ladder or you need a chainsaw, you need an arborist. Choose a hand pruner or a pole pruner with a side-cutting blade.

American National Standards Institute 25 West 43rd Street New York, NY 10036 www.ansi.org National Arborists Association 3 Perimeter Rd., Unit 1 Manchester, NH 03103 www.natlarb.com

Standard in the Industry In the field of arboriculture, as in other professions, there are industry standards or standards of practice. Anyone who writes tree maintenance specifications should be familiar with and adopt these standards. Tree pruning and fertilization standards are contained in a document called Standard Practices for Trees, Shrubs and Other Woody Plant Maintenance, ANSI A300. It is available from the American National Standards Institute or from the National Arborist Association (NAA). ANSI A300 defines general categories, or types, of pruning. When you hire a tree service company, you can specify which type of pruning fits your budget and your needs. In addition to the type of pruning, you must specify the minimum and maximum size branches to remove. The pruning types are: ° Hazard Reduction Pruning--arborist removes branches that are at risk of breaking apart. ° Crown Cleaning--arborist removes branches that dead, dying, diseased, crowded or weak. ° Crown Thinning--arborist removes selective branches to increase light and air through the crown. ° Crown Raising--arborist removes lower branches to provide clearance for buildings, vehicles or pedestrians. ° Vista Pruning--arborist removes selected branches to provide a view. ° Crown Reduction--arborist removes branches or parts of branches to reduce the size of a tree. ° Crown Restoration--arborist tries to improve the structure of a tree that re-sprouted after storm damage or topping. It requires several prunings over a number of years. ° Special Pruning--espalier and pollarding require special techniques. ° Utility Pruning--arborists with special safety training remove branches that interfere with utility lines. ° Young Tree Pruning--the standard advises pruning to train a single leader (trunk) and to develop good branch structure. The International Society of Arboriculture developed a booklet called Tree Pruning Guidelines to compliment ANSI A300. The guidelines are a working tool to help arborists meet the standards in ANSI A300. The standards tell what to do, while the guidelines explain how to do it. For people who don't work with trees every day, the guidelines are easier to understand. The NAA developed Tree Care Standards of Practice to assist people who write specifications for other types of tree care. You can purchase these Standards from NAA: ° Lightning Protection ° Hydraulic Sprayer Calibration. Standards represent a consensus on tree care practices in the industry. They are not law unless they are incorporated into a local tree ordinance. They are useful for writing specifications, as a training tool, in litigation and in developing tree ordinances. Perhaps their most important function is as a means of communication between client and arborist on what work is to be accomplished during a tree care operation.

Read Between The Lines Read between the lines of an advertisement to get clues about the company it promotes. Licensed? By whom? The State of Minnesota does not license arborists, but your city might. Bonded? Not likely! Arborists only get a bond when they have a contract with a client who requires one. Insured? Maybe. Ask to see a certificate of liability insurance. Call the insurance company to verify that the policy is current. The word topping gives you a clue about the kind of work you can expect. Call a different company. Modern arborists don't top trees. Your tree probably doesn't need to be sprayed. If it does, keep in mind that only arborists who are Certified Pesticide Applicators can apply pesticides on your tree. Ask to see a current State of Minnesota certification card. Free estimates are common, but don't settle for just one. Get a second opinion, even if you have to pay for it. Check the phone number in the classified section of the phone book. Reputable businesses are listed there. Years of experience make you feel good about an arborist, but it doesn't guarantee quality work. Ask for references and talk with former clients. The ISA Certified Arborist symbol is your best clue that a company uses the best, most modern methods of tree care. Ask to see an identification card or verify by contacting the International Society of Arboriculture.

® Links for More Information: ° Prune Trees

Certification Program International Society of Arboriculture P.O. Box 3129 Champaign, IL 61826 (217) 355-9411 Find a Certified Arborist on the World Wide Web by looking at the ISA home page at: www.isa-arbor.com ® The National Arborist Association 3 Perimeter Rd., Unit 1 Manchester, NH 03103 (800) 733-2622 www.natlarb.com

How to Choose an Arborist Anybody can call themselves an arborist and go into the business of taking care of trees. When your tree needs work, you want to find a competent arborist. Beware of opportunistic chainsaw owners who go into the tree-trimming business the day after a storm hits town. They are usually easy to spot. They may knock on doors to sell their services. They are not listed in the classified section of the phone book. Their truck does not have the name of a tree-service company painted on the side of it. They may use scare tactics or offer bargains. If they drop a tree on your house, they might leave you with a mess. Good, professional arborists rarely go door to door looking for work. They get much of their work from referrals. They are listed in the phone book. You recognize their names because you see their trucks and their crews working around town. Their services cost more because their crews are trained and insured. They are less likely to drop a tree on your house and if they do, they will pay to repair the damage. The number of years an arborist is in business is not directly related to his or her competence. Some arborists have decades of experience but never learn modern tree care methods. Would you pay a surgeon to operate on you using a 30-year-old method that was outdated, maybe even dangerous? Ask an experienced tree trimmer to give you the locations of some trees he or she pruned on boulevards, in parks or in other public areas. Go look at the them. Ask for references and talk to former clients. Tree care is a long term investment. Make an informed decision. The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) maintains a voluntary Arborist Certification Program. To become an ISA Certified Arborist, an individual with at least three years of tree care experience must pass an examination. To stay certified, the arborist completes 30 hours of continuing education every three years. If an individual is an ISA Certified Arborist, it is a good indication that he or she is knowledgeable about tree care, but it is not a guarantee of quality work. You know that a Certified Arborist has experience and stays informed about the most up-to-date advances in tree care. You do not know if the arborist is licensed to practice in your city (check at city hall) or is properly insured. Certification began in 1993 in Minnesota and earlier in some states. Most Certified Arborists are in the business of trimming trees. Others, including community foresters, give tree-care advice. Certified Arborists may display a special logo in their advertising. Ask the arborist you plan to hire if he or she is "ISA Certified." Certified Arborists are happy to tell you so. They carry an ISA Certification Identification Card. Businesses that employ a Certified Arborist can use the logo in their advertising. Ask if the Certified Arborist is on the crew that will work on your tree. To get a referral to a local Certified Arborist or to verify an individual's certification, contact the ISA Certification Program. The National Arborists Association (NAA) is a well respected association of tree-care companies. The focus is on business management and training. NAA developed Tree Care Standards of Practice that are the model for the tree care industry. They offer training programs that include safety, electrical hazards, Plant Health Care and arboriculture.

The Minnesota Society of Arboriculture (MSA) and its parent organization, the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), are scientific and educational organizations devoted to proper tree care. Regular members are professionals and lay individuals who actively work in arboriculture, forestry or other fields relating to the care and preservation of trees. To verify that an individual is a member of MSA or ISA, contact each organization. Licensed · Bonded · Insured Minnesota does not have statewide licensing for arborists like they do for plumbers or contractors. Many individual cities license arborists. Some cities license arborists who work on public trees (including boulevard trees). Others license all arborists, even for work in private yards. Call your city hall to see if arborists are licensed in your city. Ask what the requirements for licensing are. Does having a license mean that the arborist completes annual training? Does it mean that he or she carries insurance? An arborist who is licensed in a neighboring community may not be licensed in your city. Arborists who apply pesticides for their clients, even common ones like Roundup herbicide or malathion insecticide, must have a Pesticide Applicator's license from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. You can ask an arborist to provide you with his or her license number or show you a copy of his or her license identification card. You can verify that an individual is certified by contacting the Department of Agriculture. City workers who apply pesticides as part of their jobs may not need a Pesticide Applicators License. If they apply restricted-use pesticides, they must have a current license. Reputable arborists carry general liability and workers' compensation insurance. For some projects, arborists post a bond. General liability insurance is insurance that covers a business owner's liability for bodily injury suffered by persons other than employees, and for property damage. Minnesota does not require that arborists carry general liability insurance. Since this insurance typically costs more than $1500 per year, some arborists do not have it. If an uninsured arborist causes damage to property while working on your tree, you could be held liable. The only way to know that an arborist is insured is to ask for a certificate of insurance (cities commonly do this) and check with the arborist's insurance company to be sure that the policy is current. Workers' compensation insurance provides payment of wages, medical expenses and rehabilitation costs to employees who have a job-related injury or disease. Workers' compensation insurance typically does not insure the owners of a business. It protects the employees. Workers' compensation insurance for arborists currently costs 40 percent of payroll. In other words, for every $5 that a company pays an employee, it pays an additional $2 for workers' compensation insurance. Minnesota law requires that business owners protect their employees with workers' compensation insurance. As with liability insurance, you can request a certificate of insurance and contact the insurance company to be sure that the policy is current. Bond is an insurance contract in which an agency guarantees payment to someone in the event that the company he or she hires fails to complete a contract. Arborists may be required to provide bond for some projects.

International Society of Arboriculture P.O. Box 3129 Champaign, IL 61826 (217) 355-9411 www.isa-arbor.com Minnesota Society of Arboriculture 2350 Wycliff Street, Suite 200 St. Paul, MN 55114 www.isa-msa.org Pesticide Applicator Licensing Minnesota Department of Agriculture 90 West Plato Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55107 (651) 296-8312

What I like best about my job is being able to work outside and to have a way of expressing my creativity and artistic skills. Even the removal of a tree requires art. My job stimulates me mentally and physically. I get paid to go to the “gym”! Tom Dunlap Canopy Tree Care

Checklist for Hiring an Arborist Ask your friends and neighbors who they recommend. Who tops trees in your community? Hire someone different.     When you shop for an arborist ask:   What services do you provide? Do you provide free written estimates? Where are the locations of trees you worked on recently? Are you an ISA Certified Arborist? Are you licensed in my city? Do you have liability insurance? Do you have workers' compensation insurance on your employees? What professional organizations are you a member of?     Before you hire an arborist:   Be sure you understand what the arborist plans to do and why Be sure the arborist understands what you want done and why Get a written estimate and know the total price including sales tax Know when the work will start and when it will be completed Know who is responsible for cleanup Find out what it will cost (an hourly rate for example) if you want to have additional work done Go look at trees the arborist pruned recently Ask around - Does this arborist have a good reputation? Call city hall to see if the arborist is licensed Ask to see the identification card of an ISA Certified Arborist.     It is a good idea to:   Ask for proof of insurance. You can call the arborist's insurance company to be sure that the policies are current Check qualifications Get estimates from more than one company Have a contract with the arborist.

Good Arborists Don't Top Trees "It doesn't look too good now, but you wait, next year it will fill out and look better than ever." For decades, tree trimmers told customers that tree topping was stimulating and healthy for their trees. Modern arborists know that some of the old practices harmed trees. The tree trimmers of old didn't mean to do harm, they just didn't know enough about how trees grow and how they decay. Modern arborists know that topping leads to decay and creates hazardous trees. The result of topping is heavy sprouting on rotting branches. If a tree lives long enough, all of the wood that was there at the time it was topped will rot away. The branches and trunk that remain will be held up by a ring of healthy wood around a rotting or hollow center. Carpenter ants love topped trees. Pigeons and bats do, too. Does topping stimulate trees? You bet it does! A topped tree is left without leaves (or buds full of leaves) to produce food and without its natural defense system. It puts everything it has into staying alive. Branches sprout profusely from dormant buds. These sprouts race against time. Each branch must put on enough leaves to make food for itself and to contribute to the tree system as a whole, or it dies. Some tree species can successfully beat the clock. Usually elm, cottonwood and silver maple trees can put on enough leaves to stay alive. Unfortunately, by the time that the tree looks decent again, decay is active in the ends of topped branches. The decay continues down the branch and into the trunk for the rest of the life of the tree. As the sprouts get bigger and bigger, the branches they are attached to get weaker. As a result, the sprouts commonly break out during wind and ice storms. These trees will decay as a result of topping. Katie Himanga

Topping is cutting off branches to stubs. It may go by another name in your community. Be cautious when you hear these words: ° Tipping °Round over ° Heading ° Shaping ° Capping ° Pollarding. Link for More Information: ° Prune Trees

Retail nurseries must be certified by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Landscapers who install trees and shrubs are also licensed by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) and the University of Minnesota developed the Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional program. It is a voluntary program that promotes excellence in nursery production and nursery and landscape sales and service. Legitimate nurseries do not drive around neighborhoods selling trees off the back of trucks. Unfortunately, each year many Minnesota residents fall victim to opportunistic tree-peddlers typically selling huge trees at low prices. Instead of buying a tree from a tree-peddler, notify law enforcement officials-- the practice is illegal.

When You Want to Buy Trees What Nurseries Do The generic term "nursery" refers to any one of a variety of businesses that involve the production, sale and planting of trees and other plants. The more you understand nursery businesses, the better your ability to get the quality plant materials, services and advice you need to implement a successful project. Nurseries range from smal l neighborhood garden centers to giant wholesale production nurseries. Some nursery owners and employees have a great deal of expertise in plants, soils, fertilizers, pests, diseases, plant storage and handling and landscape principles. Others do not. A retail nursery is a company in the business of selling trees, shrubs and other plants to consumers. Typically, a retail nursery buys plant material from a grower/wholesaler and resells it. A garden center is a retail nursery that sells products related to gardening and home landscape. Retail nurseries often guarantee that trees and shrubs will survive for 1 to 2 years after purchase. A grower or wholesale nursery grows trees, shrubs and other plants for sale to retail nurseries and landscape contractors. Some sell directly to cities and organizations, but many do not. Generally, wholesale nurseries guarantee that stock is alive and healthy at the time of sale, but do not guarantee survival. A landscape contractor, often called a "landscaper" for short, is a company in the business of installing landscaping including plant materials and retaining walls. Some nurseries offer landscaping services and some landscapers operate retail nurseries. Nursery professionals know that continuing education and training are essential. The Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) and the University of Minnesota regularly offer courses around the state. Checklist for Choosing a Nursery Nursery is certified a grower or dealer by the MN Dept. of Agriculture Nursery provides a copy of the Certificate of Inspection for plant material Is someone on the staff a Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional? Is someone on staff a member of the MN Nursery and Landscape Association, the American Nursery & Landscape Association or other professional organization? Plants in storage or on display at the nursery are healthy, well cared for and meet the specifications of ANSI Z60.1 Nursery provides a written guarantee that plants will survive 1-2 years Have written price estimates from at least two nurseries.

Standard in the Industry There are federal and state regulations that affect the nursery industry. Nurseries also follow voluntary industry standards. Some regulations and standards foster fair business practices that protect the industry. Others are to protect the public. Nursery and landscape professionals developed the American Standard for Nursery Stock, ANSI Z60.1 to define standards for sizing and describing plants. The trees and shrubs you purchase should conform to the standards. The example below shows the size requirements for most shade trees. More important are requirements for the size of the rootball of various trees and shrubs. If its your job to write specifications for nursery stock or to inspect shipments that arrive, you need a copy of the standard for reference. It is available from the American National Standards Institute or the American Nursery & Landscape Association. The Minnesota Plant Pest Act exists to prevent the introduction of new pests into the state, to prevent the spread of plant pests within the state, and to provide for suppression and control of plant pests within the state. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) enforces the act. MDA inspects all nursery plants during the twelve months prior to sale to determine that they are apparently free from pests. The law applies to all hardy trees and shrubs whether grown in the wild or cultivated. Get a Certificate of Inspection by the state agriculture department where your purchase was grown. MDA certifies businesses that grow, resell or plant trees, shrubs and perennial plants. A grower is a person who operates a nursery that grows more than half of the nursery stock offered for sale. A dealer is a person who obtains nursery stock for the purpose of sale or planting. If a person purchases more than half of the nursery stock offered for sale at that sales location, he or she is considered a dealer rather than a grower. Anyone who plants trees or shrubs for hire must have a current dealer/landscaper license. The Federal Trade Commission "Guides for the Nursery Industry" are designed to foster and promote the maintenance of fair competitive conditions in the interest of protecting the industry trade and the public. They prohibit practices that tend to deceive purchasers about plants in any way: quantity, size, grade, kind, species, age, maturity, condition, vigor, hardiness, number of times transplanted, growth ability, growth characteristics, price, and origin or place where grown. Despite standards and regulations, there is plenty of bad plant material in the market and much of it ends up planted. Be cautious when you shop and learn to recognize quality. Legitimate nurseries are willing to show you certificates and answer your questions--they depend on your business.

An educated nursery consumer is the environment's best customer. American National Standards Institute 25 West 43rd Street New York, NY 10036 www.ansi.org American Nursery & Landscape Association 1250 I Street NW Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 789-2900 www.anla.org Connect to good information about trees through this web site: www.treelink.org

The cultivation of trees is the cultivation of the good, the beautiful and the ennobling in man. J. Sterling Morton Reject deciduous bare root trees and shrubs with leaves on them. Reject evergreens with limp shoots. Reject "fresh-potted" trees and shrubs. Accept container grown plants that grew for a year or more in the pot. Links for More Information: ° Select Quality Plants ° The New Way to Plant Trees

Quality Nursery Stock Good quality nursery stock, like a welldesigned planting plan and thorough site preparation is an important ingredient in the success of your planting project. Don't overlook nursery stock inspection. As plants arrive, you decide what to accept and what to reject. Every project coordinator we know has a story to tell that goes something like this: The nursery brought the trees over two hours before volunteers were set to begin planting. Most looked good, but the oak trees were much bigger than we ordered. We accepted them, hoping we got a good deal. By the end of the summer we had egg on our face. The nursery agreed to replace the dead trees, but our volunteers had to replant them. We wish we had rejected the oversize trees. Approach nursery stock as you would produce in the grocery store. Don't buy anything that is defective or not what you want. Don't take substitutions unless you know exactly what you are getting and that it will work for you. Oversize stock is not a good deal if the plants suffer severe shock and die. Checklist for Accepting Nursery Stock Each plant or bundle has an identifying tag Each is the species, cultivar, size and quantity that you ordered Each plant meets the size and quality specifications of ANSI Z60.1 Trees have a straight trunk with no wounds except for superficial scrapes, and no discolored or sunken areas or holes Trunk is in the center of the root ball Tree branches are well spaced along the trunk and well attached, branches are flexible, with healthy, living buds and few (if any) broken branches Leaves are normal size and color with no spots, blights, distortion or wilting Roots are firm, moist and white inside, not dry, black, crushed, torn or mushy The root balls of container grown plants slide from the container without falling apart, but are not pot-bound (pot-bound plants have roots circling around in the pot or growing out of the holes in the bottom of the pot) Root collar and first main roots are at or near the surface of the soil Trunk of balled and burlapped trees does not move independent of the ball Nursery provides a copy of the Certificate of Inspection for plants You have a written guarantee that plants will survive for a certain length of time or you understand that there is no guarantee of plant survival.

When All You Need is Advice Ask a Tree Expert A forester is an individual who practices forest management. Most foresters have a bachelor's degree from a forestry college, but some do not. They often specialize in an area such as private forest management, silviculture (growing trees), timber harvesting, or urban and community forestry. A Certified Forester is recognized for proficiency in forestry by the Society of American Foresters. A Certified Forester has at least a bachelor's degree in forestry, plus five years of professional experience. To remain certified, he/she completes 20 hours of continuing forestry education each year. A community or urban forester specializes in urban and community forest/tree management, OR it is a city employee or contractor responsible for the care of trees in a city. This individual may have no training or may be trained in forestry, landscape maintenance or some other field. Most city foresters participate in continuing education classes. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture provides training for individuals who inspect shade trees for disease. To be a Certified Tree Inspector, an individual must pass an examination and attend an annual training session. Broadly defined, a consultant is anyone who gives professional advice. In community forestry, a consultant is typically a professional forester who provides forestry services to individuals, businesses or government agencies. He or she is self-employed or works for a private company. A consultant offers advice, but not actual tree-care services. The Minnesota Extension Service has extension agents working at the University of Minnesota and in counties across the state. Each Extension Agent has a broad area of specialization such as agriculture, horticulture, forestry or human ecology. Within each broad area are more specific specializations. Most county extension agents do not have special expertise in horticulture or other subjects related to trees.

University of Minnesota experts give accurate, informed advice about virtually any plant or insect problem through the Yard & Garden Line. Call the clinic year round at (612) 624-4771 (in the metro calling area) or (888) 624-4771 (in greater Minnesota). There is a fee of $5.00 to speak with campus staff or to submit a sample to the clinic. The Yard & Garden Line is a program of the University of Minnesota Extension Service. Listen to taped messages with answers to tree and other consumer questions by calling INFO-U at (800) 525-8636 or (612) 624- 2200 (in the metro calling area). INFO-U is a free service of the University of Minnesota Extension Service and is available 24 hours a day from any touchtone phone.

One summer I had a young man working with me as a technician. We stopped to look at a tree in an elderly person’s yard and got into a long conversation with its owner. As we walked back to our truck the young man said to me “Boy, you have to know a lot more about people than you do about trees to be a good forester.” His simple but eloquent observation has never left me, and it has been reinforced time and time again. Tom Schuster Forester City of New Hope

A Master Gardener is a volunteer who receives training from the Minnesota Extension Service in exchange for a commitment to volunteer service to his or her community. Master gardeners help answer gardening questions and conduct gardening workshops. Each Master Gardener has an area of specialization such as vegetable gardening, perennial gardens or home landscaping. A Tree Care Advisor is a volunteer Master Gardener who has additional training from the Minnesota Extension Service in tree care and community forestry. Tree Care Advisors volunteer to conduct tree-care workshops and answer tree-related questions. They help community groups to develop tree planting plans and implement projects. A retail nursery is a company in the business of selling trees, shrubs and other plants to consumers. Typically, a retail nursery buys plant material from a grower/wholesaler and resells it. Retail nurseries must be certified by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The level of knowledge or training that nursery employees have about trees ranges from none to extensive. A garden center is a retail nursery that sells products related to gardening and home landscape. As with retail nursery workers, garden center employees have tree knowledge and experience that ranges from none to extensive. Often called a "landscaper" for short, this is a company in the business of installing landscaping such as plants and retaining walls. Training ranges from on-the-job to college degrees. Landscapers who install plants are licensed by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture certifies businesses that grow, resell or plant trees, shrubs and perennial plants. An arborist is an individual in the business of tree care. Arborists have varying levels of skill. Training ranges from on-the-job (most common) to college degrees. Ask an arborist if he or she takes continuing education classes each year. The good ones do.

An I.S.A. Certified Arborist is an individual with at least three years of tree-care experience who passed an examination testing his or her knowledge of arboriculture. Certified Arborists complete at least 10 hours of continuing education each year. The program is voluntary. It is administered by the International Society of Arboriculture. A tree service is a company in the business of taking care of trees. Services range from tree pruning and removal, to total tree care. The quality of services offered varies from company to company, and even from crew to crew within a company. If a company claims to be licensed, check with city hall. If the company claims to be insured, ask its insurance company if its policy is currently in force. Do not hire a tree service that tops trees (no pruning is better than bad pruning). A landscape designer is an individual in the business of designing landscape plantings. When associated with a nursery that installs and sells landscape plants, the landscape designer's job is to sell them. Landscape designers have varying levels of skill. Training ranges from on-the-job to college degrees. A landscape architect is an individual who develops plans and designs for use of land including site plans, planting plans and park designs. Landscape Architects may do city planning and regional design. Landscape architects have a degree in landscape architecture from an accredited college. A Registered Landscape Architect is a landscape architect who has passed a national exam and is licensed to practice in Minnesota. A Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional is an individual who successfully passes a written and oral examination of his or her nursery and landscape knowledge. He or she has either two years of formal education or 2000 hours of professional experience. The professional certification program is voluntary and is administered by the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association.

Professionals take pride in their work. They want the products and services they provide to showcase their efforts and talents. Your active input and direction helps insure that the product or service you receive meets your needs.

Although they cannot recommend particular consultants, the Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry can provide you with a list of consultants who work in your area. Be sure that the consultants you work with are specialists in community forestry. Information for this section is from Guidelines for Working with Consultants on Urban Forestry Grant Projects, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Links for More Information: ° Who is Responsible for Trees

How To Hire a Consultant Community forest management projects that include management plans, tree inventories, or staff training require a certain degree of technical proficiency and a considerable time investment. If you plan to undertake such a project, but lack the necessary time or expertise, consider hiring a community forestry consultant for all or part of the project. The first step in the process of hiring a consultant is to design the project. Once you know what you want done, it's time to contact consultants. Some communities use a Request for Proposal (RFP) to elicit bids or proposals from consultants for specific projects. Even if you take a more informal approach, the process of planning an RFP gives you an idea of what you need to discuss with a prospective consultant. The RFP should be brief, but must describe the project in sufficient detail that bidders have a good understanding of the project. The RFP should include: Description of the project including purpose, listing of the components of the project and time frame Description of the services you want the consultant to do, what tasks you will perform, and whether meetings or presentations are required Request for qualifications including consultant's education, experience, certifications and professional memberships relevant to the project Request for references and a sample of recent, similar work Deadline and procedure for submitting proposals and awarding contracts including what criteria will be used to evaluate bidders Name and telephone number of contact person in your community who will answer the consultant's questions. Allow three to four weeks for bidders to respond. If the project is contingent on grant funding, say so in the RFP. Evaluate proposals and select a consultant based on criteria such as: proposal quality, consultant experience, and recommendations of previous clients. Avoid selecting a consultant solely on the basis of cost. Most consultants will meet initially with a prospective client free of charge. Once you select a consultant, formalize the arrangement with an agreement. Many consultants provide a standard agreement for their services. Include the following elements whether you accept the consultant's agreement or negotiate one specific to your project: Scope of services including description of work and who does what, products, deadlines, penalties, meetings and presentations and project evaluation Compensation including method of payment and contingencies & Client ownership of data and products (Specify that you own copyright to written products and all project data.) General terms and conditions including proof of insurance, liability disclaimer, agreement modification, termination, dispute settlement, record keeping and other terms that your attorney recommends. Successful projects depend on effective communications between you and the consultant. Designate a single project manager with whom the consultant will communicate. Provide frequent input and active direction to the project. Hold project meetings when necessary. Be direct about any concerns.