Establishing A Local Arborists’ Association

Benefits of a Local Association

Although most members of CTAA are also members of ISA and/or NAA, we believe arborists can further benefit from a local association for several reasons, particularly in large regions or states such as Texas. In such regions, the area covered by individual ISA chapters is so large that attending chapter meetings is difficult. The diversity in tree species, and therefore the types of problems arborists encounter are also greater in a larger area. Austin itself is located at the precise point of convergence of three different ecotones. Our association offers local arborists a chance to meet regularly to share knowledge and discuss problems pertinent to this extremely diverse area. This has resulted in more of us working together more frequently, as we have become aware of the specialities that individual members perform.

Each month we hold a general membership meeting. The typical agenda includes a talk on a safety issue, introduction of a new or seasonally appropriate product, discussion on the development of any upcoming CTAA projects, and current reports on other activities, civil or governmental, that affect trees or arborists.

The highlight of these monthly meetings is our guest speaker. We are fortunate to have a large pool of people from whom we may request speakers. Previous speakers have included supervisors from city arborist and urban forestry departments, experts from universities such as Texas A&M, as well as from the private sector, and from within our own ranks, from generous members willing to share their knowledge. They have spoken to us on a variety of subjects from the oak wilt disease that forged our association to entomology, pathology, soil amending and local soil surveys.

In addition to the general meetings, we publish a monthly newsletter which keeps members up to date on meetings, conferences and workshops, as well as news about local arborists, conservation issues, and other topics related to trees.

Purposes of the Association

The founders of CTAA believed that the purposes of the association should extend beyond the education of arborists, however. Article Two of the association’s constitution has remained basically the same since its creation:

• To promote and improve the practice of professional arboriculture.

• To promote public education and stimulate greater public interest in the planting and preservation of the urban forest.

• To initiate and support pertinent scientific investigation and to publish results of such research.

• To recommend a Code of Ethics for those engaged in the profession.

• To sponsor meetings devoted to the exchange and presentation of information of interest and value to professional arborists and others interested in trees.

Towards this end, CTAA participates in several local plant and home oriented shows each year by providing free literature and advice to homeowners and other tree keepers on such topics as currently accepted arboricultural practices, how to choose a professional arborist, what tree species do best in our area, etc.

We believe that one of the most important things we can teach the general public is what is considered by most current standards the proper and most beneficial method of pruning trees. Towards this end we have held pruning demonstrations on several occasions, including previous Arbor Day events, which drew encouraging numbers of interested onlookers. These demonstrations were held on city property and sanctioned by the city’s Urban Forestry department. In this way we hope to help the public recognize educated, conscientious professionals.

Creating a Constitution

Essential to the success of most organizations is the establishment of a set of guidelines which helps the group to maintain a focused direction. A set of by-laws is required by the IRS for those seeking non-profit status. CTAA sought and received this status because the founders believed that it would entice more tax deductible donations from corporations. Those interested in applying for non-profit status need federal form number 1024 and an abundance of patience.

The CTAA constitution outlines the association’s purposes, its membership requirements, and its governmental body. The by-laws detail the election and duties of officers, payment of dues, dispersion of assets in the event of dissolution, and use of the association’s name and logo.

One condition of our non-profit status is that anyone is allowed to become a member. We have developed a set of pruning standards (based on NAA standards) which we ask members to abide by, but it is not a condition of membership.

Our governmental body consists of a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and editor. They are assisted by the immediate past president and a representative to the Austin Area Garden Council, which is a coalition of plant oriented groups of which CTAA is a member. Elections are held annually.

Two key points to our by-laws concern the use of the association’s name and the dispersion of assets. Non-profit status requires an organization to state how assets will be dispersed upon dissolution. Section Five of our by-laws call for any remaining assets to be donated to the city’s parks department “for the express purpose of planting trees.”

Section Six of our by-laws states that no member may “use the logo or name in any form of advertising, selling or representation” that does not pertain directly to the function or activities of CTAA. Although most members of organizations such as this would like potential customers to know of their membership, the founders of CTAA are concerned that some may join for the sole reason of using their membership to imply qualifications they do not have. These concerns are validated by the fact that there are a few people in Austin who falsely claim membership in ISA. Others advertise licenses or claim certification even though there is no governmental or ISA licensing or certification programs in Texas. For these reasons we have chosen to deny members this privilege until we establish some type of certification program, should we decide to do so.

Acquiring Members

The most difficult challenge for CTAA has been acquiring and sustaining memberships. The initial mailing list for meeting notices was derived by the founders primarily from the Yellow Pages. They supplemented names found there with names of businesses advertising in the local papers, on nursery memo boards, and even on telephone poles. Agencies such as the city of Austin’s urban forestry office, the local Texas Forest Service office, and several agricultural extension service offices were made aware of our existence and invited to attend our meetings and acquaint other interested persons with us. Five employees of these agencies are currently members.

Another way in which we solicit memberships is by word-of-mouth. Austin is a city of about 500,000 people, and it is quite common to come across other arborists working around the city. In this way we have contacted potential members who operate as independent arborists but who rarely advertise, and hence could not be approached otherwise.

It is difficult to ascertain exactly what percentage of arborists in this area our membership represents. To start with, there is no way of knowing exactly how many exist. Whether or not to consider as arborists those who claim to offer tree care in addition to a multitude of other services is another problem.

There is also the problem of how to discern what percentage of any given company is comprised of arborists, (versus secretaries, salesman, etc.). Table 1 shows our annual membership tallies compared against the number of companies listed in the Yellow Pages from twenty cities and towns in a nine county area. Only businesses that represented themselves as primarily offering tree care were counted.

Fund Raising

The second most difficult challenge presented in maintaining an arborists association is raising funds. Although we are nonprofit, no organization can expect to accomplish its goals without capital. In the first year or so of CTAA’s existence, the sole source of our assets was membership dues. The founders began CTAA with membership dues of $10 per year, a sum chosen to exclude no potential member on the basis of expense. However, we found that especially with as limited a membership as we had then, the amount generated couldn’t even cover our newsletter expenses. We were fortunate to have two members who believed in our cause enough to sponsor the newsletter the first two years. It was then agreed that the annual dues would be raised to $25 per year. We also agreed to make all dues due on the first of the year, which spared us the confusion caused by our previous system in which members renewed their memberships exactly a year from whenever they joined.

The first fundraising technique employed by CTAA, besides collecting dues, was the sale of buttons, keychains, and similar trinkets at the shows and festivals at which we had booths. We simply displayed the items (such as “Think Trees” bumperstickers and acorn keychains carved from oak), and explained that the proceeds allowed us to continue supplying information to the public. This method continues to prove itself worthwhile.

Between an increase in dues and the sale of the above items, CTAA was easily able to meet its only expenses, the monthly newsletter and the informational flyers we distributed whenever we were before the public. Considering the future of the organization however, the officers for 1989 felt that in order to increase public awareness of our association it would be necessary to generate larger amounts of funds. To accomplish this, in July of that year, CTAA sponsored its first “General Tree Care Workshop”.

We aimed the workshop at grounds maintenance personnel. We planned a day-long workshop in which several of our members would present forty minute programs covering various aspects of tree care, with an emphasis on proper pruning. We then designed a brochure, had it printed, and mailed it to a list of approximately 1 50 grounds maintenance and landscape companies, city, state and corporate grounds maintenance departments. We held the workshop at our meeting place and the surrounding grounds, by permission of the Austin Area Garden Council.

The workshop went smoothly, and over ninety per cent of the forty participants mailed in the anonymous evaluation forms we gave them. There comments were all positive, and most requested to be informed of future workshops. Since the workshop was quite successful in both educating those unfamiliar with tree care and in raising funds for CTAA, we intend to continue offering them.

Use of Funds

Finally, since we are non-profit, the funds raised must be used as CTAA claimed they would be. Most of our receipts still go towards the newsletter and flyers mentioned previously. One way we intend to use our increased amount of funds is by creating a library for the membership. We purchased the first two books immediately after the workshop. The books will be kept at our meeting place, and will be available to members during the hours the center is open.

Towards public education, we are currently designing a brochure that will replace all the individual flyers we print. These will be given free to the public, and possibly dispersed in a mass mailing. As we increase our working capital in the future, there is the possibility that it will be used to increase the number of pruning demonstrations we perform.

Summary

Everyone benefits from the existence of a local arborists association. Certainly the members do, by way of education and public recognition. The public benefits as they are made knowledgeable about what a qualified arborist is and what proper tree care is. National associations such as ISA benefit when local associations encourage their members to join, as we certainly do. But the ultimate beneficiaries are the urban forest and individual trees that will have their health and environment improved as concern for them increases amongst the general public, and as those who work on trees become better educated about proper care.