TREE Fund Announces Partnership with MillionTreesNYC
New Green Jobs Initiative Will Train Students Over Five Years
(NEW YORK) – The Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund) and its sponsors Asplundh Tree Expert Co., Bartlett Tree Experts and STIHL Inc. today announced a new green jobs initiative, in partnership with MillionTreesNYC. MillionTreesNYC is one of Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC initiatives to establish a healthier, more sustainable New York City. Through MillionTreesNYC, the City of New York and its public, private, and non-profit partners will plant one million new trees throughout the city by 2017.
In a new annual 10-day programme for 40 MillionTreesNYC Training Programme participants entitled ‘A Career with a Million Trees,’ the TREE Fund and its partners will provide expert industry speakers to educate on a number of subjects such as:
- Tree ID and Species Selection
- Tree Inspection
- Tree Pruning and Removal
- Tree Climbing
- Tree Planting and Young Tree Care
- Nursery Stock Selection and Production
- Plant Health Care
- Proper Chain Saw Use and Maintenance
- Safe Use of a Chipper, Stump Grinder & Air Spade
- Careers in Arboriculture with Mini Career Fair
“Thanks to the generous support from the TREE Fund, Asplundh Tree Expert Co., Bartlett Tree Experts, and STIHL, Inc., New Yorkers will be equipped with the skills and tools they need to better care for our trees and plant life though the MillionTreesNYC Training Programme,” said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “We hope the seminars in arboriculture, pruning, tree identification, plant health and more will help create the next generation of tree and plant stewards.”
The MillionTreesNYC Training Programme, managed by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and New York Restoration Project, provides paid on-the-job forestry and horticulture training to unemployed young adults not enrolled in school or on a career path. Participants learn job skills through a training and certification programme at New York Botanical Garden. In conjunction with other educational partners, the programme prepares them for green jobs that involve tree planting, pruning and stewardship of urban ecosystems.
“By providing students with a solid foundation of expertise in a growing field, MillionTreesNYC will continue to be able to draw from a highly trained workforce,” said David McMaster, president of the TREE Fund and vice president of Bartlett Tree Experts. “We hope this initiative expands career interest in the green industry.”
At the programme’s completion, each student will gain skills and experience in key areas of the urban forestry industry. They will also meet and network with potential employers to discuss how they can go on to have a successful career in helping to plant and care for New York’s new million trees.
The TREE Fund and its partners will provide all the necessary tools and materials for this training, including personal protective equipment such as helmets, gloves, hearing and eye protection and a personal pruning saw to be issued to each student at the start for the programme.
“The green industry is devoted to training our next generations,” said Kristin Wild in Corporate Communications for Asplundh and a TREE Fund Trustee. “We’re excited that this partnership brings together leaders from several aspects of the arboriculture industry for the betterment of students.”
The programme will be conducted for five years and is at no cost to MillionTreesNYC.
About the TREE Fund
The TREE Fund’s mission is to identify and fund projects and programmes that advance knowledge in the field of arboriculture and urban forestry to benefit people, trees, and the environment.
The TREE Fund has supported research that has led to important developments in:
• Understanding air pollution reduction and carbon sequestration by trees
• Determining the costs and benefits of urban trees
• Improving conditions for tree growth in difficult sites
• Strategies to manage diseases and pests that affect urban trees
For more information, visit www.treefund.org.
About MillionTreesNYC
MillionTreesNYC, one of the 127 PlaNYC initiatives, is a citywide, public-private programme with an ambitious goal: to plant and care for one million new trees across the City's five boroughs over the next decade. By planting one million trees, New York City can increase its urban forest—our most valuable environmental asset made up of street trees, park trees, and trees on public, private and commercial land—by an astounding 20 percent, while achieving the many quality-of-life benefits that come with planting trees. For more information, please visit www.milliontreesnyc.org.
About Asplundh Tree Expert Co.
Since 1928 the Asplundh Tree Expert Co. has been dedicated to efficient, safe, and cost-effective vegetation management services for the electric utility industry. These services include scheduled and emergency tree pruning and removals, right-of-way clearing and maintenance with specialised equipment, and vegetation management with herbicides. A family-owned company, headquartered near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Asplundh has operations in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.asplundh.com or call 1-800-248-8733.About Bartlett Tree Experts
The F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company was founded in 1907 by Francis A. Bartlett and is the world’s leading scientific tree and shrub care company. The organisation’s current chairman, Robert A. Bartlett Jr., represents the third generation of Bartlett family management. Bartlett has nearly 100 local offices serving 27 U.S. states, Canada, Ireland and Great Britain. Services include pruning, integrated pest and disease management, soil analysis and management, cabling and bracing, tree lightning protection systems and tree/stump removal. Its corporate offices are located in Stamford, Connecticut. To find out more, visit the company’s web site at www.bartlett.com or call 1-877-BARTLETT (227-8538).
About STIHL Inc.
STIHL Inc. manufactures the world’s largest selling brand of chain saws and produces a full line of powerful, lightweight, and versatile handheld outdoor power equipment for homeowners and professional users. STIHL products are sold through servicing power equipment retailers from coast to coast— not mass merchants. STIHL products sold through U.S. STIHL dealers are for distribution in the United States only. For more information or for the name of the closest STIHL retailer, call toll free 1-800-GO STIHL (1-800-467-8445) or visit the STIHL Web site at www.stihlusa.com.
STIHL Inc. manufactures the world’s largest selling brand of chain saws and produces a full line of powerful, lightweight, and versatile handheld outdoor power equipment for homeowners and professional users. STIHL products are sold through servicing power equipment retailers from coast to coast— not mass merchants. STIHL products sold through U.S. STIHL dealers are for distribution in the United States only. For more information or for the name of the closest STIHL retailer, call toll free 1-800-GO STIHL (1-800-467-8445) or visit the STIHL Web site at www.stihlusa.com.
STIHL is also pleased to support the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), National FFA, Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), and the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD).
For more information, contact:
David McMaster
dmcmaster@bartlett.com