January 2026

Research Review: Ten Years of Safe Arborist Techniques Fund Grant Program

2026 is the 10th anniversary of the Safe Arborist Techniques Fund Grant Program (SATF). Established in 2015 as a joint program between TREE Fund and International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), the purpose of the grant program is to support research and development into the techniques and equipment that arborists use in climbing, rigging, and working on trees, and the means of identifying potential hazards, to provide a safer working environment.

In those ten years, the grant program has granted out over $80,000 towards arborist safety research.

The following is a list of completed research that has been funded by SATF.

Arboricultural Safety Around the World - Dr. Brian Kane

Optimized techniques for arboreal activities - Alexander Laver

Evaluation of load distribution in removal operations: a comparison of techniques and equipment - Matt Follett

Evaluation of Efficiencies Along Climbing Systems and Rope Diameters - Dr. John Ball

Lead Donors

We are deeply grateful to the following people and organizations whose accumulated contributions to TREE Fund in 2025 recently surpassed $2,500:

Lucas Tree Experts

Valley Ford Trucks

We'd like to thank all of our individual and corporate donors that have made a gift this year. Your donations are vital to our work in identifying and funding programs that support the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in arboriculture and urban forestry.

Thank you to Lori, Dan, and De'Etra

Three of our TREE Fund Trustees are rolling off their positions at the end of this year. We'd like to thank Lori Brockelbank, Dan Herms, and De'Etra Young for all their leadership and guidance over the last few years.

Lori served as the Chair of the Liaison Committee for the past four years and will also be stepping down as the Liaison of the New York State Arborists.

Dan served as the Chair of the Research Committee for the past four years.

De'Etra was a member of the Development Committee.

Thank you all for your years of guidance and wisdom!

Record Numbers for the TREE Fund Webinar Series

We set a record in 2025 for the number of attendees to our TREE Fund Webinar Series. Over the course of six webinars in 2025, we saw 7,273 attendees join in and learn about the various research results funded by TREE Fund's grant programs.

We were also able to submit 6,432 credits for free CEUs to ISA for certified arborists and an additional 151 attendance credits for other organizations. Thanks to International Society of Arboriculture for partnering with us to make these CEUs available.

TREE Fund's 2026 Free Webinar Series

Save the dates for our 2026 TREE Fund Webinar series. Free webinars available to the public based on research funded by TREE Fund grants. Thanks to the Alabama Cooperative Extension System for helping us again with these videos.

Stay tuned for these 2026 webinars.

Final dates and registration links coming soon!

February 10, 2026. 7:00pm CST.

Light-side of the termites: Distance effect of termite nests on tree growth and pathogen resilience of tree species in Taman Botani at UMT.

Presenter: Dr. Petr Hedenec

Registration link coming soon

March 3, 2026. Noon CST.

Increasing biological control of soft-scale insects by excluding ants from trees

Presenter: Caleb Wilson

Registration link coming soon

April 21, 2026. Noon CST.

Tree Health Implications of Long-term Strategies to Treat Emerald Ash Borer: Long-term Effects on Tree Injections and Tree Tissue

Presenter: Dr. Richard Hauer, Dr. Andrew Koeser, and Dr. Jake Miesbauer

Registration link coming soon

See our Webinar page for more information. https://treefund.org/webinars

TREE Fund’s 1-hour webinars are free and offer 1.0 CEU credit for live broadcasts from the International Society of Arboriculture and the Society of American Foresters. Registration and information will become available on our website approximately two weeks before each webinar date.

Missed a webinar? Watch it anytime on our website. You can also subscribe to our YouTube page.

New TREE Fund Trustees for 2026

Please join us in welcoming four new Trustees to the TREE Fund Board. These new Trustees start in 2026 and bring our total number of trustees to 15.

Carol Donnelly

Bartlett Tree Experts, New York, NY

(also stepping into the role of Board Treasurer)

Kristina Bezanson

U.Mass - Amherst, West Hatfield, MA

Ben Rickenbacker

City and County of Denver, CO, Littleton, CO

(elected as new Chair of the Liaison Committee, by the committee, and that position is granted a seat as a Trustee)

Vivek Shandas

Portland State University, Portland, OR

TREE Fund Executive Board 2026

As we roll into the new year, our TREE Fund Executive Board also rolls into their new leadership positions. We thank these individuals for stepping up into their new roles and look forward to working with them in 2026.

Board Chair: David Gorden, FASLA

Board Chair Elect: Sam VanMaanen

Board Vice Chair: Jon Hicks

Treasurer: Carol Donnelly

Past Chair: Rachel Barker

Save the Dates: Tour des Trees 2026

Join TREE Fund next September as we enjoy the sights of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North and South Carolina for the 2026 Tour des Trees.

Save the dates! September 12-18.

The Tour des Trees is a multi-day bike ride that not only raises funds for TREE Fund but also hosts multiple outreach events throughout the week, getting people together to learn more about the importance of tree research, proper tree care, and why our industry is so vital to maintaining our urban forests.

The Tour des Trees also features some of the best and most welcoming riders you'll meet and lifelong connections and friendships are made on two tires.

More details coming soon and registration will open in mid-January.

Spring 2026 Grant and Scholarship Application Cycle Opens on January 15

Put January 15, 2026 into your calendar if you plan on applying for a TREE Fund research grant, education grant, or student scholarship this spring. Our Spring Grant and Scholarship application cycle will begin on that date and run until March 15.

For research grants, Letters of Intent must be submitted first and must be received by March 1, 2026.

The following grants and scholarships are available for application this cycle.

Research Grants:

Barborinas Family Fund Grant Program (focus on process of nursery industry)

Up to $10,000

Grant Info

Utility Arborist Research Fund Grant Program

Up to $50,000

Grant Info

Education Grants:

Ohio Chapter ISA Education Grant Program (focus on education programs)

Award amount: $5,000

Grant Info

The Davey Tree Expert Company Community Arboricultural Education Grant Program (focus on education and training)

Award amount: Two $5,000 grants

Grant Info

Student Scholarships:

All TREE Fund scholarship awards are $5,000 each. See descriptions of each for specific requirements

Bonnie Appleton Memorial Scholarship

Robert Felix Memorial Scholarship

Larry R. Hall Memorial Scholarship

Will Nutter Memorial Scholarship

Fran Ward Women in Arboriculture Scholarship

John Wright Memorial Scholarship

TREE Fund

Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund

1755 Park St. Suite #200, Naperville, IL 60563

(630) 369-8300

treefund@treefund.org

www.treefund.org

TREE Fund is a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to support scientific discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in the fields of arboriculture and urban forestry.

TREE Fund earned our 2024 Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency. Check out our nonprofit profile to keep up to date with our impact. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/shared/17bf1c65-c913-4096-8695-11f0dc3fa73f.

Keep this link handy, we want to make sure you always have the information you need to support our work with trust and confidence.

TREE Fund is proud to announce that its strong financial health and ongoing accountability and transparency has earned a Three-Star Rating from Charity Navigator. This rating designates TREE Fund as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, indicating that our organization is using its donations effectively based on Charity Navigator’s criteria.