The Illinois Arborist Association will be having the first of it’s 2 annual Days of Service on Wednesday, March 4th at the Farnsworth House property in Plano, Illinois (just outside of Sugar Grove). Last year, we partnered with the folks at Farnsworth to remove significant amounts of dead Ash and Elm trees along their major walking paths. We had an amazing turnout of around 40 people from various private industry groups, as well as provided training to 10+ volunteers from the GreenCorps program in Chicago, who learned from industry professionals how to safely remove and prune trees. We are hoping that this year will be a success as well!
The work this year that will help enhance the property will be much less labor and equipment intensive than last year. Essentially, we will be helping to clear dead trees from along the remaining walking paths, as well as performing brush clearing of the many small Silver Maples, Buckthorn, and Bush Honeysuckle that border the walking paths. Very few large dead trees require removal, and the overall nature of the site will be much improved by thinning these woodlands and removing dead or invasive species. We will also be performing basic pruning along a line of Red and Sugar Maples which border their entry driveway for aesthetic reasons.
Equipment required for this Day of Service will be a minimum of two 15”+ chippers, a variety of chainsaws (mostly smaller climbing saws due to the brush removal being a key focal point), one front end loader to handle larger logs, climbing gear for up to 4 climbers, pole says and hand saws, a minimum of one Bobcat or other similarly equipped claw machine, and a minimum of 2 bucket trucks for pruning the crowns of some of the larger trees on the site.
In terms of manpower, the more the merrier! If we can meet or exceed the 40-50 people we had last year, this would be a tremendous success. This Day of Service is a great way to not only network with your peers, but also to show your company’s commitment to Arboriculture overall. And feel free to include some of your grounds people! With a lot of brush to remove, we will be looking to have 2 grounds people for every person cutting brush, so additional manpower will be a welcome addition regardless of skill level. And in fact, this event may be a great way to have your grounds folks get training from some of the biggest names in the industry for how to advance their skill sets and careers!
Please respond back to this email with the number of people you intend to commit to this effort, as well as any machinery you are able to provide. Hot lunch will be provided by Farnsworth House, and a free tour of the Farnsworth House itself will be provided as part of this program. Thank you again for your continued commitment to IAA, Arboriculture, and your careers. CLICK HERE to volunteer or donate equipment for use that day.
