President ’ s Message
Dear Fellow Arborists ,
It seems like just last week when I was standing in front of the group at Ken ’ s Steak House , wondering what type of response I ’ d get about my proposal that we cement our position as true professionals , and charge for site visits accordingly . Since then COVID arrived , the market tanked , and our businesses were shut down . Then within a matter of days we were deemed “ essential ” and allowed to reopen , the market has come back , and now the uncertainty of an election is behind us .
Throughout all these transitions , the members of the MAA board and our management team have been creative and responsive , allowing the MAA to thrive as an organization and our membership to benefit from networking and educational opportunities . The MCA Committee hosted a successful series of exams and we ’ ve welcomed new MCAs into our ranks . Many thanks to all for the hard work getting us to where we are today .
Needless to say , it ’ s been hard to focus on the message I presented at our last in-person dinner meeting with all that ’ s been going on , however , I think now more than ever we , as a group , must recognize and embrace our status as true professionals . With so many people working or learning from home , we are facing unprecedented demand for our services . Many companies with whom I ’ ve spoken are booked out through the winter and are actively and aggressively hiring new staff . If ever there was a moment to be especially conscious of the value of our time , this is it .
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you as a board member and as the MAA ’ s president . It has been an honor . I look forward to watching the Association thrive in the years to come , and I eagerly await the day when we can meet again at Ken ’ s , mill about in the bar , and share stories .
Be safe and be well ,
Trumbull Barrett , MCA President
maa neWS is a publication of the Massachusetts Arborists Association , Inc . maa neWS is published four times a year for the Massachusetts Arborists Association ( MAA ) and is distributed free of charge to members . The purpose of the newsletter is to disseminate information to promote general standards and ethics in commercial arboriculture , as well as to foster research and share knowledge with its members . The MAA is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to communications between its membership and the industry . The MAA believes the information in this publication to be accurate as of its publication date and is not responsible for inadvertent errors . The MAA and Massachusetts Certified Arborist ( MCA ) logos are trademarks of the Massachusetts Arborists Association , Inc . Qualified MAA members and certified members only are permitted to utilize the logos . Logos for MAA and MCA are available through the MAA office .
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DiSclaimer : The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the MAA .
MAA Board of Directors
PRESIDENT Trumbull Barrett , MCA Barrett Tree Service East Medford , MA
VICE PRESIDENT Ray Rose , MCA Town of Wrentham DPW Wrentham , MA
SECRETARY / TREASURER Neal Reilly , MCA The Reilly Tree & Landscape Co . Plainville , MA
PAST PRESIDENT Natascha Batchelor , MCA Davey Tree Expert Co . East Falmouth , MA
MCA REPRESENTATIVE Brandon Maltby , MCA Maltby & Co ., Inc . Stoughton , MA
DIRECTORS Kevin Cleveland , MCA Tree Tech Foxboro , MA
Russell Holman , MCA , CTSP , BCMA Arborway Tree Care Boston , MA
Max Ford-Diamond , MCA City of Boston Boston , MA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR M . Virginia Wood
MEMBERSHIP & CERTIFICATION MANAGER Carrie Martin
MANAGEMENT TEAM Peggy Benjamin Kristen Dreyer Charissa Sharkey
MASSACHUSETTS ARBORISTS ASSOCIATION , INC . 67 West Street Medfield , MA 02052 ( 508 ) 653-3320 Info @ MassArbor . org MassArbor . org
2 MAA NEWS DecemBer 2020