Our Mission is to Advance Tree Care Business

The Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) is a national trade association of 1,800 tree care firms and affiliated companies and was established in 1938 as the National Arborist Association. TCIA supports you over the life of your business by providing tools you can use every day to improve your safety, sustainability, and chances for success. TCIA not only develops safety and education programs, standards of tree care practice, and management information for tree and landscape firms around the world, we also provide continuing education, training, conferences, and publications to promote the safe and appropriate practice of tree care.

TCIA + IRA Grants FAQ

In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law, appropriating $1.5 billion in funds for the United States Forest Service (USFS) to distribute as grants for tree planting and maintenance, workforce development for arboriculture, and other related projects to benefit our nation’s urban and community forests. In September 2023, USFS announced that they selected 385 grant proposals to invest $1 billion of the IRA funds into projects in all 50 states, two U.S. territories, three U.S. affiliated Pacific islands, and in several tribal communities

Tree planting and care is skilled and often dangerous work. Ensuring trees are planted and maintained in a manner that maximizes the benefits of the trees and keeps workers safe requires skilled arborists who have been properly trained. Grantees may lack the understanding and resources to contract for tree work with professional companies and to verify that completed work meets industry standards.

Furthermore, grantees who received IRA funds to enhance workforce development in urban and community forestry may lack access to and knowledge of industry credentials and training programs.

The Hub is a  green industry clearing house for knowledge and resources for IRA grant recipients, such as pass-through grantees, municipalities, non-profits, and community-based organizations. The goal of the Hub is to provide the necessary resources for IRA grantees to recognize and contract for professional tree services adhering to the necessary safety, planting, and maintenance standards, as well as to provide industry training tools  to assist grantees in their efforts to provide new career pathways into arboriculture.

TCIA has three objectives for the Hub when it comes to helping IRA grantees:

  1. Provide grantees information to help them identify professional tree care providers and professional tree care standards.

  2. Make grantees aware of free and paid career development pathways in the tree care industry, including arborist apprenticeship and on-line training courses.

  3. Provide valuable resources, such as contracting templates, guides, and fact sheets that help grantees both contract for professional services and manage internal projects.

About

A300 Committee

The ANSI-Accredited Standards Committee A300, known as the A300 committee, was formed in 1991.  The committee develops consensus performance standards for the professional management of trees, shrubs, and other woody plants.  ANSI A300 standards are the foundation for work specifications, training materials, quality protocols, and regulations for the management of trees, shrubs, palms, and other woody plants.

The A300 committee comprised the following
members as of October 2024:

  • AmericanHort
  • American Society of Consulting Arborists
  • American Society of Landscape Architects
  • Arbor Day Foundation (ADF)
  • Asplundh Tree Expert, LLC
  • Davey Tree Expert Co.   
    International Society of Arboriculture
  • National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP)
  • Professional Grounds Management Society
  • SavATree
  • Society of Commercial Arboriculture
  • Urban and Community Forestry Society
  • Tree Care Industry Association (A300 Secretariat)
  • USDA Forest Service
  • Utility Arborist Association
  • Wright Services, Inc.