tci magazine 3.09 Frontv2.qxp

68 Pages·2009·11.78 MB·English

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Outlook
Tree Care Industry
Publisher
Cynthia Mills, CAE, CMC
Strength in Picking
Editor
Mark Garvin
Managing Editor
Great Partners…
Don Staruk
Technical Editor
Peter Gerstenberger
Art Director
Richard May
A
s TCIAmembers gathered together to learn with and from each other at February’s Winter
Advertising Sales
Management Conference, a theme in conversations began to appear. People were really think-
Sachin Mohan
ing about how they could seek out strong partners to weather the business issues of today. [phone]
Some were talking about making better connections with businesses at home that could refer new cus-
Classified Advertising
tomers. Some were partnering on government contracts. Some were partnering with each other. Some Suzanne Blanchette
were exploring and creating new ways to structure doing business. [phone]
In many ways, it mirrors what TCIAdoes in picking great partners to bring you even better services.
TCIAhas long been a strong partner with ISA. In the past, we have created joint projects. Now, we bro- Accounting/Editorial/Sales Offices
ker our relationships. We have a terrific relationship with the ISAchapters throughout the nation who help 136 Harvey Road - Suite 101
Londonderry, NH 03053-7439
us deliver access to everything from EHAPto CTSPto advertising to having a presence with our mem-
Phone: [phone]
bers at their shows. ISAand TCIAare members of, and work together on, the Sustainable Urban Forests Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Coalition, the Sustainable Sites Initiative, and the CTLAGuide Council. We have a brochure through the
www.treecareindustry.org
Better Business Bureau that promotes best practices in the business of arboriculture and the care of trees.
Circulation
We have an MOU (memorandum of understanding) that provides advertising and exhibit-space
TCI, PO Box 15907
exchanges and complimentary attendance at each others’meetings. Jim Skiera, ISAexecutive director, North Hollywood, CA91615-5907
and I speak regularly to talk about industry issues and to keep the channels of communication open. Fax: [phone]
TCIAalso partners with PLANETon a Legislative Conference, and a decade ago we sub-contracted
Tree Care Industry Association
government affairs work with ANLAuntil we had our own system up and running. These are just three
Officers & Directors
examples of picking the right partners for the right work and getting a more powerful result.
Terrill Collier, Chair
The reason that I share this is because it’s a proven method of getting the job done, many times more Collier Arbor Care
cost effectively, and with more achieved in the end, because you’ve done it together. It requires clear Clackamas, Oregon
delineation of expectations up front, constant and open communication, and the establishment of trust Randy J. Owen, Vice Chair
Owen Tree Service, Inc.
in your partners. As with any relationship, it has to be nurtured and cared for, with issues negotiated
Attica, Michigan
through as soon as they develop.
Scott Jamieson, Senior Director
In the end, it makes the result you were seeking stronger, distributes the burdens that come with run- The F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company
Stamford, Connecticut
ning any business, and enhances the possibilities by having more perspectives in the mix of
Tony Gann
problem-solving. It does require “playing well with others;” a willingness to be part of the answer and
Altec Industries, Inc.
not all of it; a foundation in believing the good intentions of all partners; a willingness to share the glory Saint Joseph, Missouri
of achievement together; and ultimately, a desire to put, in our case, the members first; in your case, the Erich Schneider
clients first. Schneider Tree Care
Taylors, South Carolina
So as we navigate through some challenging territory, take some time to think about how you can fur-
Benjamin G. Tresselt, III
ther maximize your existing partnerships and whether there are some other partnerships in your
Arborist Enterprises, Inc.
communities you might consider building. There may be more clients to be identified, more business to Lancaster, Pennsylvania
be had, and a more effective and efficient way to do so that simply had not entered your thinking before. Will Maley
Talk to some of your colleagues as well and see what they are building in their backyards, because there Cedarlawn Tree Service, Inc.
Ashland, Massachusetts
are conversations going on right now.
Steve Sylvester
There is strength in picking great partners.
S&S Tree & Horticultural Specialists, Inc.
South St. Paul, Minnesota
Cynthia Mills, CAE, CMC
Kevin Caldwell, CTSP
Publisher Caldwell Tree Care
Roswell, Georgia
TCI's mission is to engage and enlighten readers with the latest industry news and information on regulations, standards, prac-
Jack Guffey
tices, safety, innovations, products and equipment. We strive to serve as the definitive resource for commercial, residential,
Carolina Tree Care, Inc.
municipal and utility arborists, as well as for others involved in the care and maintenance of trees. The official publication of the
Concord, North Carolina
non-profit Tree Care Industry Association, we vow to sustain the same uncompromising standards of excellence as our members
in the field, who adhere to the highest professional practices worldwide.
2 TREE CAREINDUSTRY – MARCH 2009
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The Official Publication of the Tree Care Industry Association
Tree Care Industry Volume XX Number 3
MARCH
Features
8 Chipper Accidents Are More Common Than Reported
By John Ball, CTSP, and Donald F. Blair
24 Don’t Let Chain Saw Complacency Set In
By Don Dale
32 Why Do I Need to Understand Alternative
Dispute Resolution?
By Judson R. Scott and Susan L. Macey Chipper accidents
48 Choosing a Log and Debris Loader
8
By Rick Howland
56 TCIA Accreditation
Davey Tree Experts becomes the largest TCIA-accredited company.
Departments
2 Outlook
By Cynthia Mills
There is strength in picking great partners.
14 Safety Forum
By Danny Raines
Designating your safety leaders.
18 Cutting Edge
Honing chain saw safety
New products and services, and news in the tree care industry.
22 Industry Almanac 24
Important regional and national meetings and activities.
(Continued on page 6)
Copyright 2009 by the Tree Care Industry Association. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. The Tree Care Industry Association is
dedicated to the advancement of commercial tree care businesses. Reference to commercial products or brand names in editorial does not constitute an endorsement by Tree Care Industry magazine or the Tree Care Industry Association. Tree
Care Industry (ISSN 1059-0528) is published monthly by the Tree Care Industry Association, 136 Harvey Road-Suite 101, Londonderry, NH 03053-7439. Subscriptions $40 per year $4.00 per single copy. (Canadian/International orders $60 per
year, U.S. funds; $6.00 per single copy). Periodicals postage paid at Londonderry, N.H., and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Tree Care Industry, PO Box 15907, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5907.
4 TREE CAREINDUSTRY – MARCH 2009
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The Official Publication of the Tree Care Industry Association
Tree Care Industry Volume XX Number 3
MARCH
Departments
28 Washington in Review
Understanding Department of Transportation (DOT) audits.
29 Letters & E-mails
HHHaaavvveee yyyooouuu cccooommmpppllleeettteeeddd
TTTCCCIIIAAA’’’sss 222000000888 AAAcccccciiidddeeennnttt
30 Accident Briefs
SSSuuurrrvvveeeyyy yyyeeettt???
Log and debris loaders
SSSeeeeee pppaaagggeee 222888...
38 Tree News Digest
48
40 Business of Tree Care
By William J. Lynott
Protecting your most valuable assets by hanging on to
every customer you have.
42 Classified Advertising
54 Green News & Ideas
60 TCIA Reporter
Safety and training products, news, commentary and
benefits of membership with the TCIA.
63 Advertiser Listing
ONTHECOVER:Zack Hancuff of Total Tree Care, Inc. in
Providence, Utah, works on one of seven large, black willows
64 From the Field
being removed for North Logan City, Utah, November 20,
By Bill Long 2008. “The job was a bit more challenging because they
Pruning the Survivor Tree in Oklahoma City. were next to a busy road and they grew over both lanes,”
says Total Tree owner Mark Malmstrom. “For each crane pick,
We closed off both lanes to make sure that there would not
be problems with anything that fell loose, and to protect the
climber who set the straps as he descended onto the road.
Fortunately nothing came loose and all of the picks went
smoothly.” Photo by Travis Robson.
6 TREE CAREINDUSTRY – MARCH 2009
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When used as the manufacturer intends and our
standards require, chippers are safe. However,
each year tree workers die because someone
ignored or failed to enforce, safe work practices.
By John Ball, CTSP, and Donald F. Blair in the late 1940s-early 1950s. Originally pers, the most common hazards were get-
considered expensive when compared to ting slapped with long, whippy limbs,
E
very time someone has the misfor- dump fees for brush; most early chippers breathing dust from something like
tune to be killed in an accident were purchased by line clearance firms, sycamore, and kickbacks.
involving a wood chipper, the municipalities and larger residential/com- With all of this in mind, one of the great
reporting newspaper will often include the mercial tree services. By the mid-1980s, selling points of the disc chipper design
following citation: “A total of 31 people with a steady supply of used chippers mak- when it was first introduced in 1980 was
died in chipper accidents between 1992 ing their way to the market while dump the fact that the hydraulic in-feed rollers
and 2002 according to an article published fees doubled and quadrupled, brush chip- took all of the skill out of chipping brush.
in a 2005 Journal of the American Medical pers became as commonplace on the job as Instead of being skilled in operating a drum
Association.” Ironically, one newspaper a chain saw. chipper safely and efficiently: with a disc
used this phrasing twice in an eight-month Drum chippers are manually fed by care- chipper all you have to do is stick the limb
period. If there have only been 31 fatal fully aiming the butt of a limb at the throat between those hydraulic rollers and the
accidents in an 11 year period, it does seem of the spinning drum. When all goes well, machine will do the rest. That seems sim-
odd that a single community would experi- the blades snatch the limb, hurling chips ple enough, doesn’t it?
ence two within a year. out the discharge chute. If the aim is off, At the same time, the manufacturer
Once and for all, we want to set the the blades are dull or the branch is too assured us that this type of machine, with
record straight about the realities of fatal large, too dead or any combination of the its automatic in-feed rollers, was so much
and nonfatal chipper accidents in profes- above, the chipper will either fail to feed, safer than drum chippers that accidents
sional tree care. Before we go into detail or will kick back what it won’t take. would be virtually eliminated. Looking at
regarding the oft-quoted citation, a brief Feeding a drum chipper is an art. Knowing the hydraulic in-feed rollers only a foot or
review of the history and classification of what size of what species of tree a given so off the ground and less than a foot from
brush and wood chippers is in order. machine can digest; stacking the brush for the lip of the feed table, we were openly
There are two main classifications of the “easy’ feeding and cutting off side limbs skeptical then and only more so now. Any
mobile brush and wood chippers common- that could prevent the brush from going piece of machinery with moving parts, lots
ly used in tree care maintenance: drum and through, takes time and practice to achieve of horsepower and sharp blades is no safer
disc. Drum chippers were first introduced proficiency. In the heyday of drum chip- than the operator. In turn, the operator is no
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