June 2026

Increasing Urban Tree Diversity, Quality, and Abundance in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: Challenges and Opportunities

Andrew K. Koeser, Deborah R. Hilbert, Dexter Locke, Christopher B. Riley, and Nancy F. Sonti

This article first appeared in the January 2026 issue of "Arboriculture and Urban Forestry." Dr. Andrew Koeser is currently a Trustee on the TREE Fund Board of Trustees and the Chair of the Research and Education Committee. You can view the entire article here, for free: Article link. International Society of Arboriculture makes "Arboriculture and Urban Forestry" open access to all readers.

Contract growing has been discussed in multiple focus groups involving both growers and urban tree purchasers (Koeser et al. 2022; Hilbert et al. 2023a). Longer-term contracts provide additional stability, which is valued by growers producing long-term crops while navigating year-to-year fluctuations in the housing market or shifts in design trends. They also provide tree purchasers a communication pathway for specifying the species, sizes, and quality they desire (Stephens 2010). The mismatch between the multi-year growth cycle of trees and the shorter-term nature of most urban forestry funding sources can create a challenge to contract growing, something also discussed in similar focus group work (Koeser et al. 2022; Hilbert et al. 2023a).

Urban forestry programs have successfully engaged in contract growing in the USA through implementing it as part of large-scale planting projects, such as with New York City Parks (Stephens 2010); through regional initiatives coordinated by nonprofits like Chicago Region Trees Initiative (T. Brannen, personal communication) or through intergovernmental cooperative purchasing agreements as with the Suburban Tree Consortium (West Central Municipal Conference 2020). While contracts were frequently mentioned in our discussions, participants noted that not every agreement needed to be formal. Establishing long-term business relationships and fostering a shared history were often sufficient for many growers to adjust their production to include preferred species for repeat clients.

Increased communication has also been a common theme in past focus group research (Koeser et al. 2022; Hilbert et al. 2023a). This includes informal exchanges between growers and purchasers that go beyond what is immediately necessary for one-time transactions. Focus group participants often express appreciation for their involvement in the research process, as it provides an opportunity to sit down and engage with other green industry professionals outside their immediate field. Attending and presenting at conferences beyond those directly relevant to one’s work can also be an effective way to engage new audiences and networks across sectors. 

Lead Donors

We are deeply grateful to the following people and organizations whose accumulated contributions to TREE Fund in 2026 recently surpassed $2,500:

Asplundh Tree Expert, LLC

Hallie Dozier, PhD

Jeffrey Hamilton

Paul Karpel

Tree Care Industry Association, LLC

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.

New Research Grant Focusing on IVM, Lucas Tree Expert Integrated Vegetation Management Endowed Research Fund Announced

Lucas Tree Expert Company has established a $500,000 permanent endowment with TREE Fund to support Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) research in the United States and Canada.

The announcement was made at the Rights of Way (ROW) Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, highlighting a major milestone during Lucas Tree Experts’ centennial year.

The new Lucas Tree Experts Integrated Vegetation Management Endowed Research Fund will provide annual grants of up to $25,000 to advance sustainable vegetation management, support ecosystem health, and enhance the reliability of energy infrastructure.

For full announcement article, click here: https://treefund.org/archives/23670



For information on this grant program, visit https://treefund.org/lucas-tree-research-fund

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.

Additional dates for this year will continue to be added.

July 21, 2026. Noon CST.

Efficacy of Aphidoletes aphidimyza predator releases to control aphid populations on linden street trees

Presenter: Thomas Whitney, PhD

Save the date. Registration link available soon.

August 25, 2026. Noon CST.

Can Mandatory Minimum Clearance Requirements Between Trees and Powerlines Successfully Reduce Injuries and Death to Workers and the Public?

Presenter: Lawrence Kahn

Save the date. Registration link available 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. Our website is updated regularly as we add on new webinar dates, so check the webinar page for details.

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

Tour des Trees 2026: One Spot Left!

Only one spot remains for this year's Tour des Trees, so if you want to ride with us in South and North Carolina, register today.

Once we reach 100 riders, we will open a limited number of partial ride options for Days 3-5 from Brevard to Asheville. This will also serve as the "Wait List" if full-time spots open up.

Ride dates are September 12-18 riding from Greenville, SC to Asheville, NC.

See information on this year's ride and register today on our website, treefund.org/tourdestrees.

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.

Tour Alumni: If you haven't ridden in a while but would like to join us for Paul Wood's retirement dinner on September 17, join us!

The 2026 Tour des Trees will be an epic ride that you won't soon forget, so make this the year that you sign up and ride with us to support tree research.

Virtual Tour des Trees Registration Still Open!

Can't make it to the Carolinas this September? Never fear! You can still show your support for TREE Fund by participating in the Virtual Tour des Trees.

Set a fitness goal for yourself for this August and bike, swim, run, or walk your way to supporting tree research and education.

Sign up for the Virtual Tour des Trees today and be a part of this year's ride on your own time. Help spread the word about TREE Fund's programs by crushing your fitness goals and showing why TREE Fund's grants and scholarships are so important to the tree care industry.

See more information and register here.

Companies: Get your co-workers together a set a team goal, competing against other companies. See website for details.

Dr. Dan Herms Receives 2025 Ken Ottman Volunteer Award

Since 2007, TREE Fund awards the Ken Ottman Volunteer Award to an individual whose contributions to TREE Fund are exemplary. It is the highest and only award TREE Fund gives out annually.

On May 21, during TREE Fund’s Board of Trustee meeting at the Davey Tree Experts SEED Campus in Kent, OH, TREE Fund presented their prestigious volunteer award to Dr. Dan Herms, Vice President and General Manager at The Davey Institute.

In addition to serving on the TREE Fund Board of Trustees for the past five years, with his term ending in 2025, Herms served as the Chair of the Research and Education Committee, organizing teams of volunteers to evaluate and review proposals and ensuring that TREE Fund’s resources were invested into projects that would have the greatest impact. During his time as Committee Chair, Herms was able to help strengthen the credibility and quality of the grant-making process.

Full announcement

Please join us in congratulating Dan on this great honor!

Update Made to Mission Statement to Further Explain Importance of Work

During the recent May Board of Trustees meeting held in Kent, Ohio, the TREE Fund Board approved a minor, but very important update to the organization's mission statement, highlighting the application of funded research in industry standards.

TREE Fund's mission statement now states that the mission is to "support scientific discovery and dissemination of new knowledge and best practices in the fields of arboriculture and urban forestry."

By adding, "and best practices" to the mission, TREE Fund's mission statement now encompasses the inclusion of a focus on safety, tree care techniques, and a wider range of needs to help keep urban forests healthy and industry workers safe.

TREE Fund Webinar Attendance and Video

Thank you to everyone that attended our TREE Fund Webinar with Dr. Richard Hauer, Dr. Andrew Koeser, and Dr. Jake Miesbauer on long-term impact on trees after treatment for Emerald Ash Borer on April 21. We had over 1,260 attendees!

A recording of that webinar is available on our website in the Webinar Archives section or on our YouTube page.

For those that submitted their information to receive CEUs for ISA, those have been submitted and should appear on your profile in a few weeks.

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 and best practices in the fields of arboriculture and urban forestry.

TREE Fund earned our 2026 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.