Eric Petersen has been helping great tree care companies become extraordinary for over 20 years. Using ArboRisk’s exclusive risk management approach, he gets his clients to build a better business while lowering their insurance cost at the same time. Eric is a Past President and Honorary Life Member of the Wisconsin Arborist Association and currently sits on the TCIA Board of Directors. _______________________________________________________________________ Patreon: http://patreon.com/TheMunicip...
Apr 07, 2025•51 min•Ep. 61
Fallon is a Utility Arborist and Executive Director of the Utility Arborist Association . Prior to his current role he was responsible for leading vegetation management programs across several upper Midwest USA states on behalf of a large investor-owned utility. He’s also been an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he facilitated the Utility Vegetation Management Certificate Program – a combined effort of the Utility Arborist Association and the Utility Vegetati...
Apr 01, 2025•59 min•Ep. 60
Dylan Daisuke Loy Saito is from Portland, OR & Vancouver, WA and is a PNW-ISA Member (former Editor-in-chief), ISA Certified Arborist & TRAQ qualified, an ODA Public Pesticide Applicator , FEMA Incident Commander, ODOT Traffic Controller, and holds the Adult Mental Health Aid Certification. Dylan was born and raised on a volcano in the Pacific Ocean. It taught him to connect with the planet and forced symbiosis with nature. It was this life experience where he learned the gift of ALOHA, ...
Feb 15, 2025•2 hr 45 min
As the Chicago Region Trees Initiative Manager at The Morton Arboretum, Colette Copic stewards national and state funding opportunities for healthier and more resilient tree canopies in our communities. This includes helping communities build capacity within their forestry programs through funding opportunities, resources, and training. As an ISA-certified arborist Copic's background includes work in urban and community forestry, tree protection policy, ecological restoration, and community enga...
Dec 30, 2024•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 58
Casey Jogerst is the Permitting and Regulation Manager for the Urban Forestry Division in the Parks and Recreation Bureau at the City of Portland, OR. Casey holds a B.S. in Science from the University of Iowa and a M.S. in Forestry from Michigan Technological University. Casey completed her master’s degree concurrently with service in the Peace Corps and continued her path in forestry at the City of New York City where she worked as a forester on the Million Trees Campaign. In 2012, Casey reloca...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 18 min
Paul Filary is the Director of Operations for Kramer Tree Specialists and is the Commercial Director for the Illinois Arborist Association. Paul holds a B.S. in Forestry from Michigan State University, is an ISA Certified Arborist and has been working in the industry for two decades. Through this time he has become more involved with understanding motivational leadership and helping others achieve their goals in the field of forestry/arboriculture. He believes that whether you want to work the p...
Oct 03, 2024•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 56
Randy Krouse has been the Urban Forestry Services Manager for the City of Milwaukee since 2019. He is responsible for directing forestry operations, workforce development, and long-range strategic planning. He held many previous positions with the City of Milwaukee since starting in 1995, including Urban Forestry Crew leader, Technical Services Supervisor, and Urban Forestry District Manager. Randy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Forestry from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point ...
Sep 22, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 55
Nathan Schuettpelz is an ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist, ASCA Tree and Plant Appraisal Qualified, ISA Certified Arborist Municipal Specialist, and ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified professional with 20 years of industry experience. His primary focus is consulting arboriculture, serving as a contract municipal forester and expert witness in litigation and insurance matters. Nathan has a passion for sharing his love of urban trees with others, providing speaking engagements with the WAA, ISA...
Sep 18, 2024•2 hr 6 min
Ian Brown is the City Forester for the City of Madison. He joined Madison in 2023 after over 15 years with the City of Milwaukee. He has worked on a variety of projects including hyperspectral imagery analysis, street tree inventory, ash treatments, urban wood utilization, and arborist apprenticeship. His work continues to increase recognition for the economic value of urban canopy and grow arboricultural career pathways. Ian attended the University of Minnesota – Morris (B.A.) and the Universit...
Sep 02, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 53
In this episode I provide some updates on what I have been up to working with the: Illinois Arborist Association International Society of Arboriculture Urban & Community Forestry Society Illinois Urban Forest Strike Team ________________________________________________________________________ Patreon: http://patreon.com/TheMunicipalArborist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_municipal_arborist/ Questions or comments? themunicipalarborist@gmail.com Thank you to our sponsors: Davey Resou...
Aug 26, 2024•40 min
Steve Lane joins us again! Steve is an Urban Forestry Consultant with Great Lakes Urban Forestry management where he specializes in GIS based tree surveys, tree risk management, urban forestry management, planning, appraisals and other innovative forestry solutions for a variety of public and private sector clients. He is also the past president of the Illinois Arborist Association, where he teaches a variety of advanced training courses for the organizations. Steve recently joined the ISA Board...
Aug 25, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 51
This special episode features a few of my favorite friends and colleagues including Village Forester Kevin Sorby from Wilmette, Illinois and Streets Superintendent Tony Dati from Niles, Illinois. ________________________________________________________________________ Patreon: http://patreon.com/TheMunicipalArborist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_municipal_arborist/ Questions or comments? themunicipalarborist@gmail.com Thank you to our sponsors: Davey Resource Group Arbsession Winkler ...
Mar 12, 2024•3 hr 40 min•Ep. 50
Michael Collins has been Riverside's Village Forester for 19 years. Prior to his arrival there, he worked at Cantigny Gardens as a Grounds Arborist and at the Morton Arboretum as a Research Assistant. Mr. Collins received his bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin Madison in Forest Science and a masters degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Natural Resources. He has been a Certified Arborist for over 25 years. He has also received his Municipal Arborist Specialist...
Mar 04, 2024•2 hr 38 min•Ep. 49
Kellie Schmidt is the Statewide Director of Development for the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association, maintaining an office in Springfield, IL. She is responsible for advocacy, member outreach, and program development in the regions outside of the Chicagoland area. She also serves as a liaison to ILCA member nurseries. Before joining the ILCA, Kellie served as Executive Director of the Illinois Green Industry Association for five years. She brings two decades of marketing and sales experie...
Feb 19, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 48
Following in the footsteps of notable black plant researchers and scientists like George Washington Carver and Percy Julian is no easy task, but Derek Haynes is more than up to the challenge. With a background in plant biology, and working in vaccine and therapeutics development using non-traditional plant-based technologies, Derek certainly practices what he preaches. Plants offer so much more than home decor, and Derek wants to show you how. He understands that the ancient and the modern don’t...
Feb 12, 2024•54 min
Aaron Schulz is the Plant Health Care Director & Consulting Arborist at Oak Bros Tree Care & Removal . He has a B.S. in Agricultural Science with a minor in Urban Forestry from Western Illinois University and is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist. He has served as the Past President for the Illinois Arborist Association (IAA) and currently serves the organization as the Advanced Training Co-Chair, Advanced Training Instructor in Pest & Diagnosis Management, is an ISA Certificatio...
Jan 31, 2024•2 hr 30 min•Ep. 46
This lighthearted introduction to 2024 features my two kids! _________________________________________________________________________ Patreon: http://patreon.com/TheMunicipalArborist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_municipal_arborist/ Questions or comments? themunicipalarborist@gmail.com Davey Resource Group Arbsession Winkler Tree & Lawn Care...
Jan 09, 2024•23 min•Ep. 45
Leslie Berckes is the Executive Director of the Urban and Community Forestry Society (formerly the Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA). The UCFS is the professional membership home for people who make daily tree planting and care decisions in communities across the world. She brings over a decade of experience in urban forestry to the organization, having served as the Director of Programs for Trees Forever , a Midwest-based non-profit serving Iowa and Illinois. Leslie is an ISA Certified Arbor...
Dec 13, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 44
Jason Cutler developed a love for trees at an early age. As a freshman in high school, he was invited to be a part of a Forestry Career Development Event team through the Future Farmers of America (FFA), and has been pursuing his love of trees ever since. He spent nine years as a high school agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, teaching over a thousand students various agriculture topics. Jason has been actively involved in helping many students and teachers learn the basics of forestry. The 201...
Dec 03, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 43
Miguel Reyes is an ISA Certified Arborist and TRAQ qualified & has also completed the Illinois Arborist Association (IAA) Advanced Training Domain . Miguel has worked with the City of Des Plaines for the last 12 years. He worked his way up from Maintenance Operator to his current title of Streets Crew Leader. As the city arborist, he oversees the health and care of over 22,000 trees in all public right-of-ways. He proudly partakes in the yearly tree planting program and Arbor Day activities ...
Nov 20, 2023•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 42
Melissa Custic manages operations for the Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI)—a collaboration of regional partners working together to improve the health, diversity, and equity of trees in the seven-county Chicago region. Melissa works closely with colleagues of partner institutions to increase canopy cover, reduce the impacts of invasive species, and increase the preservation of oak ecosystems in the Chicago region. She has developed several resources and training programs aimed at improving...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 41
Scott Grams has served as the Executive Director of the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA) since 2008. ILCA is the leading non-profit trade association for landscape, lawn care, nursery, and allied trades professionals in Illinois. Since 1959, ILCA has provided landscape contractors with the resources needed to enhance their performance and ensure continued growth and success. The Association’s mission is to enhance the professionalism and expertise of members by providing leaders...
Nov 05, 2023•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 40
Dr. Stephanie Adams is a Tree Pathologist and an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist who serves as the Plant Health Care Leader at the Morton Arboretum and as the Research Director for the Illinois Arborist Association. She has been involved in the tree care industry for 23 years. She enjoys performing clinical plant disease diagnosis, conducting research on tree diseases and other plant health issues, and delivering these findings to green industry professionals. _______________________________...
Oct 22, 2023•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 39
Aaron has been a practicing arborist for over 20 years. He began his career completing his BS in Urban Forestry from UW-Stevens Point. After graduation, he worked full-time as a climber, at first in WI, and later traveling to work 1.5 years in New Zealand. Upon returning, he started his own business working as a contract climber for companies around the southern half of WI. In 2010, Aaron moved to Oceanside, CA, working as a climbing arborist in North San Diego County. In 2011, he moved back to ...
Sep 16, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 38
Jim Flott is President of Community Forestry Consultants, Inc. (CFC) . CFC provides TreeWorks™ tree management software; inventories and appraisals; management plans; risk assessment and risk management plans; tree preservation plans; diagnosis; expert witness; forensic investigations; urban forestry program reviews; training workshops; and urban forestry, arboriculture, and horticulture consulting services to individuals, corporations, universities, municipalities, county and state agencies, ce...
Jun 12, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 37
John Wayne Farber is the Director of Operations for Hoppe Tree Service , is a Board Certified Master Arborist, a TCIA Tree Care Safety Professional (CTSP) and a past board member of the Wisconsin Arborist Association. Patreon: http://patreon.com/TheMunicipalArborist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_municipal_arborist/ Questions or comments? themunicipalarborist@gmail.com Learn more about PlanIT Geo’s tree canopy data subscriptions Check out PlanIT Geo’s urban forest resource library http...
May 02, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 36
Frank is the Village Forester for the Village of Schaumburg, Illinois though when we recorded this he was with the City of Berwyn, Illinois. Frank has an excellent outlook on our industry and life in general! Patreon: http://patreon.com/TheMunicipalArborist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_municipal_arborist/ Questions or comments? themunicipalarborist@gmail.com Learn more about PlanIT Geo’s tree canopy data subscriptions Check out PlanIT Geo’s urban forest resource library https://arbse...
Apr 16, 2023•1 hr 43 min
Steve was the first guest ever on the show and I am so glad to have him back for another discussion! Though he has retired from his previous role as the General Services Superintendent at the Village of Algonquin, Illinois, he is still very active in the industry owning Ludwig Speaks, LLC and is also a consultant with Great Lakes Urban Forestry. Patreon: http://patreon.com/TheMunicipalArborist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_municipal_arborist/ Questions or comments? themunicipalarboris...
Mar 25, 2023•1 hr 40 min
Brandon Dobnick is a Certified Arborist, CTSP, and a 13 year veteran to the arboriculture world. He is a production arborist through and through where he lives, breathes, and eats trees day in and day out. Getting his start in the Residential Commercial sector after college, he has seen the Industry from the production grind of Utility hazard removals that no one wants to do to the meticulous pruning of the largest Oak Collection in the world. He is a Big Tree Registry tree hunter, and advocate ...
Feb 27, 2023•2 hr 37 min
This episode’s guest is Beau Nagan who has worked in the tree care industry for over 20 years. He has two associate degrees from Juliet Junior College in Landscape Management and Turf Management and a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture with an emphasis on urban forestry from Western Illinois University. He has worked for Davey Tree as a climber, Davey Resource Group as a Utility Work Planner on the south side of Chicago and the Morton Arboretum where he worked as an arborist for 6 years. He is ...
Feb 07, 2023•2 hr 33 min
