Once again Trees Virginia sponsored a valuable and educational seminar focusing on our trees and their care on September 19, 2002. This was the seventh conference that was sponsored by Trees Virginia and possibly one of the most successful.

Over 200 people participated, coming from as far away as Boone, North Carolina. Some tree care companies even sent entire crews for training. A new format was instituted this year and it proved to be very popular. In the past participants would listen to educational speakers in the morning and then travel to Ridgeway Park for outdoor demonstrations in the afternoon.

This year participants had the choice of listening to educational speakers in the morning and attending sessions at the park in the afternoon, or they could spend the whole day at the park. Thus the conference was aptly titled “Making Trees Your Business” & “Rig It Right Safety Training.”

Trees Virginia has consistently provided nationally and internationally known speakers for the conference. The “Rig It Right” safety training seminar was presented by world renowned ArborMaster. Participants were taught by Ken Palmer, President and CEO of ArborMaster Training, Inc. Mr. Palmer has twenty-seven years experience in the tree care industry and is a certified arborist. He is well-known for his instruction, research and innovation in tree climbing, rigging and rescue systems. For a complete listing of speakers and topics, see sidebar, left.

The outdoor seminar focused on climbing; work positioning, chainsaw handling and cutting. Learning to work smarter, not harder was incorporated into the instruction. Participants could choose to work all day with the program or attend the ArborMaster seminars after lunch.

Trees Virginia once again put on a valuable conference and hopes to continue with this tradition. Educational seminars of this magnitude require partnerships and Trees Virginia thanks the National Tree Trust and the Virginia Department of Forestry for their continued support. Special thanks to the City of Waynesboro for the continued support of this conference. Their contribution of resources and personnel is a tremendous investment in this conference year after year. Other sponsors included Carolina Stalite Corporation and the Virginia Tree Equipment Company.