Every year, the Barlett Tree Experts present the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) awards. These awards are the highest honors in the industry for a Certified Arborist Professional.
Ben was given this award due to his involvement in leading the Wisconsin Arborist Apprenticeship Program. This program is acknowledged because it is the United States’ first apprenticeship program for arboriculture. The focus of the program is to turn new employees into skilled arboricultural workers.
Ben and the three other awardees worked with the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) and the US Department of Labor to get the arborist apprenticeship program approved and adopted nationally. This designation allows arboriculture to compete with other skilled labor industries by offering prospective employees a structured education and clear career pathway.
Not only did Ben assist with the integration of the Wisconsin Arborist Apprenticeship Program, but he also continues to serve on the Wisconsin Apprenticeship Advisory Committee and continues to perform outreach in the area. While being an active member of this committee, he is also actively modifying and improving the program with the goal to make it more accessible to companies around Wisconsin and the nation.
The ISA awards are given to individuals who make an impact in specific areas of arboriculture. These specific areas are safety, education, equipment tool design/and or use, efficiency/production, sustainability, quality of workmanship, and public or industry awareness.
The descriptions of these areas are:
- Safety – Equipment, processes, and training that improve safety are extremely important to our profession.
- Education – Educational products or services that are provided directly to practitioners and contribute significantly to at least one other of these items.
- Equipment tool design/and or use – The design or use of any new tool or a piece of equipment should be directly related to practical arboriculture, and not simply something that is borrowed from another industry unless its application or use is extremely innovative.
- Efficiency/production – Equipment, tools, and processes that enable work to be done more efficiently and productively often result in improved safety as well as an improved financial reward for the profession.
- Sustainability – In today’s environmental age, we need to think about innovations that improve the sustainability and environmental friendliness of our profession.
- Quality of workmanship – Things that allow us to perform our work at a higher standard must always be welcomed and encouraged.
- Public or industry awareness – Tools, equipment, education, and processes that enable the public and or the green industry to have a greater awareness or understanding of practical arboriculture.
As a company that values its employee’s education and the success of their commitment towards the arboricultural community, we are proud to showcase Ben as an influential member. We hope you know the value we place on education and the continued education of our Arborists. Contact us, or our individual arborists, for services on your property.