Tree Line USA is a program sponsored by the

Arbor Day Foundation The Arbor Day Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Arbor Day Foundation has more than one million members and has planted more than 350 million trees in neighborhoods, communities ...

in cooperation with the

National Association of State Foresters The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) is a non-profit organization that represents the directors of the 50 state forestry agencies, eight United States territories, and the District of Columbia. State foresters manage and protect state ...

which recognizes public and private

utilities A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...

across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

that demonstrate best practices that protect and enhance America's

urban forest An urban forest is a forest, or a collection of trees, that grow within a city, town or a suburb. In a wider sense, it may include any kind of woody plant vegetation growing in and around human settlements. As opposed to a forest park, whose eco ...

Goal

The goal is to promote the dual goals of dependable utility service and abundant, healthy trees in America's communities. Certain criteria have been developed for the public and utility workers that highlight key practices that need to be followed. Utilities that meet the requirements of this program are publicly recognized for their contribution to better community

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s. This recognition serves not only as an award to the employees, but also makes a statement about cooperation, goodwill and the need for continuous tree care.

Requirements

Quality tree care

A utility must have practices in place for tree pruning similar to methods prescribed by Dr. Alex L. Shigo and keeping in compliance with

ANSI A300 ANSI A300 is the tree care industry standard of care in the USA. It was developed by Tree Care Industry Association and maintained by consensus of various industry stakeholders through periodically reviewing and updating the guidelines. The stand ...

that include avoiding

tree topping Tree topping is the practice of removing whole tops of trees or large branches and/or trunks from the tops of trees, leaving stubs or lateral branches that are too small to assume the role of a terminal leader. Other common names for the practice i ...

, tree tipping, removing

branch collar A branch collar is the "shoulder" between the branch and trunk of woody plants; the inflammation formed at the base of the branch is caused by annually overlapping trunk tissue. The shape of the branch collar is due to two separate growth patter ...

s and leaving long stubs. Workers who perform line clearance, including contractor workers, must read and understand Dr. Shigo's field guide (or an equivalent one approved by the State Forester and the Foundation), follows its recommendations, and has a copy at every work site for quick reference. For

trench A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit). In geology, trenches result from eros ...

ing and tunneling near trees, it is recommended workers follow methods in Dr. James R. Fazio's field guide to reduce the destruction of roots and injury to trees. The utility must provide educational information to its underground workers on proper trenching and tunneling.

Annual worker training

Annual documented training on following the work practices is carried out for all employees, contractor workers and supervisors who do

pruning Pruning is a horticultural, arboricultural, and silvicultural practice involving the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. The practice entails the ''targeted'' removal of diseased, damaged, dead, ...

work for the utility. An

arborist An arborist, tree surgeon, or (less commonly) arboriculturist, is a professional in the practice of arboriculture, which is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants in dendrolo ...

forester A forester is a person who practises forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including ecological restoration and management of protected areas. Foresters manage forests to ...

or other trained utility employee is designated by the utility to ensure that the training takes place and that the work practices are followed.

Tree planting and care

The city must have an ongoing community tree-planting program which is sponsored by the utility. Utility employees may plant the trees, or the utility may fund tree planting by municipalities, volunteer groups or homeowners. It is suggested the utility work toward an annual expenditure of at least 10 cents per customer.

Energy conservation program

Also, educational information about trees (one or more mailings) are made annually to all homeowner customers and include appropriate tree species for planting near utility lines. How to create energy-efficient

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

s to reduce cooling and heating loads and tips on how to prune trees safely.

Arbor Day celebration

The municipality must have annual Arbor Day events which are sponsored by, or participated in, by the utility.

Award

Utilities which apply and are certified as a Tree Line USA will receive a plaque, a Tree Line USA flag and, the distinctive Tree Line USA prism for display.

References

* "Pruning Trees Near Electric Utility Lines: A Field Pocket Guide For Qualified Line-Clearance Tree Workers" by

Alex Shigo Alex L. Shigo (May 8, 1930 – October 6, 2006) was a biologist, plant pathologist with the United States Forest Service whose studies of tree decay resulted in many improvements to standard arboricultural practices. He travelled and lect ...

(1990) * "Trenching and Tunneling Near Trees: A Field Pocket Guide for Qualified Workers" by Dr. James R. Fazio.

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.arborday.org/programs/treelineusa/ Environment of the United States