The International Society of Arboriculture’s (ISA) recently selected nine winners in this year’s Awards of Distinction, sponsored by Bartlett Tree Experts.
Since 1963, the awards recognize candidates in such areas as research, publishing, education, and advancing the best practices of proper tree care in the industry. The winners are selected by a diverse group of experts in arboriculture including university professors, retired arborists, owners of tree care companies, and forestry managers.
The honors took place at the 88th annual ISA Conference and Trade Show in Portland, Ore. This year’s class of Award of Merit winners includes two TCIA members:
Dr. H. Dennis P. Ryan is a distinguished university professor and author of dozens of professional articles on tree care industry research and this year’s recipient of the Award of Merit.
The Award of Merit acknowledges Dr. Ryan’s service in advancing the principles, ideas and practices of arboriculture. He is a professor of Arboriculture and Community Forestry at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the author of more than 100 published articles and presentations used to guide current and future arborists in the profession. He is a former chairperson of the ANSI Z133, a peer board of the top tree safety experts in the country dedicated to helping arborists work more safely in the industry.
Thomas Mugridge, an ISA Certified Arborist and general manager of Forest City Tree Protection Co., in South Euclid, Ohio, is this year’s recipient of the International Society of Arboriculture’s (ISA) prestigious Honorary Life Membership Award.
“Tom has been an ISA member for 30 years, training and mentoring many of the arborists who have come up through our industry,” said ISA President Colin Bashford. “He’s never self-promoting and always eager to help others learn. Tom is constantly networking with other industry professionals—even those who have long since retired—to acquire knowledge from them.”
Mugridge began his arborist career growing up next door to Forest City Tree Protection Company in South Euclid, where he worked his way up the ranks of a tree crew while still a boy. He became one of the first arborists to take the certification exam in Ohio and his contributions there led to the international adoption of certification for arborists with ISA.
Stay tuned to upcoming TCIA publications for more details about the 2012 Awards of Distinction winners. To learn more about the ISA Awards of Distinction, click here.
