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WMU arborists among first in state to earn special certification

by Jeanne Baron

July 29, 2011 | WMU News

Photo of WMU arborist John Disbro.
Disbro
Photo of WMU arborist Chad Avery.
Avery
KALAMAZOO--Two Western Michigan University arborists are the first university employees in Michigan to earn certification as Tree Risk Assessors.

Chad Avery and John Disbro, arborists in Facilities Management-landscape services, attained the designation last fall.

The tree risk assessment course and certification exam are administered by the Northwest Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. Applicants for the exam must be certified arborists and have extensive field work in arboriculture.

The required course work is a combination of classroom lecture and field work, which includes modules in biology, structural mechanics, risk theory and practice, reading tree conditions, assessing and assigning risk levels, and prescribing risk mitigation strategies.

For more information, contact Timothy Holysz, WMU director of landscape services, at tim.holysz@wmich.edu or (269) 387-8582.