NEW YORK, April 22, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- In neighborhoods across the nation, the spring season is blooming just in time for National Arbor Day, an observance of tree planting and tree care recognized each year on the last Friday in April.
Celebrate Arbor Day this April 25 by planting a tree, and rely on a certified arborist for its care and protection to carry it through a healthy lifetime. With assistance from a certified professional, our leafy friends will continue to thrive in our yards, parks and forests.
The National Arborist Association, now the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), is a member of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and an ANSI-accredited standards developer that actively participates in the development of performance standards for the professional arborist. TCIA manages the ANSI-accredited committee that develops and maintains American National Standards for Tree Care Operations. There are currently three American National Standards (A300 - Parts 1, 2 and 3) that provide for such tree care maintenance issues as pruning, utility line clearance, fertilization practices, and procedures to protect and treat trees from pests and diseases. Tree care companies who abide by these standards are following nationally accepted industry practices for tree care maintenance operations.
TCIA also manages the ANSI-accredited committee that maintains the American National Standard for safe work practices of tree care professionals. The standard, ANSI Z133.1 Pruning, Trimming, Repairing, Maintaining and Removing Trees, and Cutting Brush-Safety Requirements, describes operational guidelines that will provide for the safest possible work environment and stresses that all tree care professionals must be familiar with the defined safety procedures.
Another ANSI member, the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), is dedicated to fostering a greater appreciation for trees and to promoting the research, technology and practice of professional arboriculture. ISA-certified arborists agree in writing to follow the ANSI A300 standards. This certification program ensures the skills and qualifications of an arborist in twelve domains, including such areas as nutrition, fertilization, installation, safety/climbing, pruning, soil/water relations, preservation, and cabling/bracing.
The National Arbor Day Foundation recommends many ways to commemorate Arbor Day, including paper-recycling drives, dedication of a forest or tree, and tree plantings. The organization also encourages neighborhood organizations to get their members to adopt and care for trees around their homes.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations, the ANSI Federation represents the diverse interests of more than 120,000 entities and 3.2 million professionals worldwide.