January 17, 2022
MAA Members,

I hope that everyone enjoyed the holiday season, and are staying safe as winter weather comes our way. The Association entered the new year in full swing as we prepare for our 41st Annual Safety and Pesticide Recertification Seminar, to be held March 22-23, 2022 at the Turf Valley Resort and Conference Center. The board is excited to be offering a wide range of informative topics for this educational event. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic as we get closer to the date to provide the safest event possible for our attendees. Keep an eye out for more details on this and other events coming soon!

We are also continuing to prepare for an upcoming election for our Board of Directors this Spring, and looking for new individuals who are interested in becoming more involved with MAA. Check out the information under "Industry News" if this is something you'd like to learn more about.


Stay Safe and Healthy!

Danielle Bauer Farace
Executive Director
Being a Maryland Arborist Association Member provides a number of benefits to you and your business.
Benefits include discounted event registration, educational resources, and up-to-date news and information.
THANK YOU TO OUR WHITE OAK SPONSORS:
Egg Mass on Tree Trunks
The following was included in the December 2, 2021 University of Maryland Extension TPM/IPM Weekly Report, author Stanton Gill:
A member of the chestnut society, when examining hybrid chestnuts as part of their selection program for disease resistance, found this egg mass on the trunk of one of the trees. It is the egg mass of an assassin bug, in the family the Reduviidae. When the weather became cold in November, female assassin bugs laid their egg masses on trunks of smooth barked trees. This insect is extremely beneficial. If you see similar egg masses, leave them in place so they can hatch in the spring of 2022.

Photo: David Gill
Winter is Tree Pruning Season
The leaves have all been raked up, it’s cold outside, and maybe there’s a layer of snow on the ground. While it seems like your work maintaining your trees is done as winter sets in, it is an ideal time to prune many of the trees in our landscapes. With the leaves off the trees, it becomes easy to view the interior of the tree canopy and its branching structure, allowing you to see where to prune and how much to prune. The cold temperatures also mean less concern about pest and disease issues associated with pruning cuts (e.g. oak wilt), as pests and disease are often in a dormant state through the winter.
Going Electric
The following was included in the December 13, 2021 University of Maryland Extension TPM/IPM Weekly Report, author Stanton Gill:
Three years ago, I made the decision to move toward quieter, efficient electric equipment. While speaking at the Maryland arborist meeting, a salesperson convinced me to try out a Stihl electric chainsaw. I have two gas powered Stihl chainsaws (26” bar and 36”bar), but over the last three years, I find myself using the electric chainsaw more and more. It is much quieter, does not emit fumes, and does not need to have a gas/oil mix poured into it regularly. No doubt, the gas-powered ones are more powerful, but the electric can take on fairly large diameter trees and holds up well, performing well year after year. The two batteries I purchased 3 years ago are still holding a charge well enough to not need to replace them yet. It was pointed out to me that there is a YouTube evaluation of the many electric chainsaws that have moved into the marketplace.

You can check this out at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WDaTwEwhTk. The only hold back is that with the backlog with shipping, I am finding most of the professional grade electric chainsaws are 4 – 6 months on back order.
SAF College Guide
Do you know someone interested in a career in forestry? Check out the latest edition of the SAF College Guide! This year, the SAF College Guide gets "Down to the Core" of exploring career paths in the forestry and natural resources profession with a welcome message from SAF leadership, feature articles focused on student and early-career professional career experiences, and an updated directory of all SAF accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Plus, explore the featured degree programs from Canada and the US that share why their programs unique!
Are You Interested in Becoming More Involved with the MAA?
The Maryland Arborist Association is looking for volunteers to serve on our Board of Directors ahead of our upcoming election in 2022. Serving on the Board of Directors is an exciting opportunity to network with other tree care experts across the field, plan educational events, and help to make key decisions to guide the future of the organization. The Board represents the members’ interest in the organization and holds ownership of the organization on behalf of the members.

The Board of Directors meets on average three times per year at various locations around the state. If you are interested in attending a board meeting to learn more, contact Executive Director Danielle Farace at 410-928-4888 or office@mdarborist.com.
Member Resources:
The Maryland Arborist Association would like to remind members of resources shared in recent editions of our Shady Notes e-newsletter:
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Risk factors for working in cold weather include:
                               A: Dressing improperly
                               B: Wet clothing/skin
                               C: Exhaustion
                               D: All of the above
see below for answer
Protecting Workers from Cold Stress
Cold temperatures and increased wind speed (wind chill) cause heat to leave the body more quickly, putting workers at risk of cold stress. Anyone working in the cold may be at risk, e.g., workers in freezers, outdoor agriculture and construction.

How to Protect Yourself and Others:
  • Know the symptoms; monitor yourself and co-workers.
  • Drink warm, sweetened fluids (no alcohol).
  • Dress properly:
  • Layers of loose-fitting, insulating clothes
  • Insulated jacket, gloves, and a hat (waterproof, if necessary)
  • Insulated and waterproof boots
Join the The Frederick Area Landscape Contractors and Nurserymen's Association (FALCAN) for their 2022 Pest Management on January 21 . This virtual event will offer MD LTE, ISA, and other recertification credits. Pre-registration is required.
The Virtual Green Industry Professional Seminar will be held on January 28, 2022. This educational event for the landscape, turf, and tree industries will provide recertification credits for pesticides, fertilizer, and arborist CEU’s. Certification will cover Maryland, Virginia, and DC.
Join MAC-ISA on February 2, 2022 for this one-hour presentation via Zoom! More and more cities and utilities are implementing innovative residential tree programs to increase tree cover in low canopy areas, to replace lost trees, to reduce energy usage and to mitigate the heat island effect. Successful strategies, lessons learned, steps for implementing a private property tree distribution in communities will be discussed. Participants will also get a preview of the Arbor Day Foundation’s Community Canopy platform, a tool which enables a more automated, data-driven residential tree distribution, surrounded by interactive homeowner education.
This conference is for Commercial Pesticide Applicators, Landscape Contractors, Arborists, and Professional Fertilizer Applicators to get education credits for renewing their license. The virtual event will be held February 7, 2022. As soon as you have paid eventbrite, an email will share a zoom link.
This conference, being held on February 7, 2022 at the Allegany County Fairgrounds, Cumberland, MD, is for Professionals in the Turf, Nursery, and Landscape Industries. This event will offer MD LTE, ISA, and other recertification credits.
Upcoming exam dates have been posted online. The next exam is tentatively scheduled for February 9, 2022. Those interested in taking the exam need to submit their exam application paperwork so they can be contacted with up-to-date exam information.
The MNGLA Chesapeake Green Horticulture Symposium will be held February 17-18, 2022 at the Maritime Institute, Linthicum Heights, MD. Information will be posted to the event web page when available.
The Pesticide & Fertilizer Recertification will return in 2022 with great speakers and new topics. Register by February 25, 2022, course expires March 4, 2022. This virtual event will offer MD LTE, ISA, and other recertification credits.
MAC-ISA is pleased to offer our MAC-ISA Arborist Certification Course in a NEW extended online format. Led by our top-notch instructors, Dr. Eric Wiseman and Dr. Gregory Dahle, this interactive online prep course will help prepare you to become an ISA Certified Arborist. We designed this course to fit into your busy schedule! Class will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday over two consecutive weeks: March 8th- 9th, 8am-3pm via Zoom & March 15th-16th, 8am-3pm via Zoom. After following the ISA exam application and approval process, candidates have the option to take the computer-based ISA Certified Arborist exam at a Pearson Vue testing facility.
41st Annual Safety and Pesticide Recertification Seminar
Mark your calendar for the Maryland Arborist Association's 41st Annual Safety and Pesticide Recertification Seminar, happening on March 22-23, 2022 at the Turf Valley Resort and Conference Center in Ellicott City, MD. Registration will be open soon!
IPM Scouts’ Session
University of Maryland Extension will hold IPM Scouts Session April 5-8, 2022. Details are forthcoming.
43rd Arborist Day Project
Keep an eye out for details regarding the Maryland Arborist Association's 43rd Arborist Day Project at the Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture and Farm Park, which has been postponed to April 23, 2022.