Navarre, FL – July 12, 2010 –Trees Plus, one of northwest Florida’s oldest and most respected full service tree care and landscaping companies, today announced owner, Rob Williamson was named as a finalist in the ISA’s True Professionals of Arboriculture award, for the second consecutive year. Mr. Williamson was one of twenty-one finalists out of more than 20,000 ISA certified arboricultural professionals from around the
“It was a very difficult process to choose our finalists from so many outstanding nominees. Rob really stood out by his commitment to client service and his extensive community involvement. We hope he gets nominated again in 2011,” said Sonia Garth, ISA Public Relations Manager. The award finalists are judged on their interaction with customers, leadership of employees and their communications.
It is common for nominees to come from the northeast
Rob Williamson is an ISA Certified Arborist and his professional affiliations include the ISA, TCIA (The only TCIA member in
“To be recognized by the ISA again as a finalist for the True Professionals award, lets me know we are headed in the right direction as a business. Having said that, of course I want to win it! I will continue to raise awareness for tree related issues and increase our presence in the community I call home.”
More information about Trees Plus or to read Rob’s blog can be found at www.TreesPlusOnline.com. Contact Trees Plus via email at info@TreesPlusOnline.com, or by calling (850) 939-9979. Information about the ISA award program and the certification program is found on the International Society of Arboriculture website at www.ISA-Arbor.com.
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About Trees Plus
Serving Okaloosa, Walton, Escambia and
About the International Society of Arboriculture
The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), headquartered in
Navarre CERT to Hold Disaster Preparedness Fair: Sponsored by Trees Plus
Saturday, June 26, in Conjunction with Ham Radio Field Day
Navarre, FL – Listen to live music, build yourself a hot dog, and get information from area business and organizations about being prepared for (and recovering from) disasters, all while having a pleasant afternoon at Navarre Park. On Saturday, June 26, from noon until 5:00pm, the Navarre Community Emergency Response Team will hold a Disaster Preparedness Fair. In addition to providing information and entertainment to the community, this event is a fundraiser for Navarre CERT.
Sponsored by Trees Plus, the event will feature booths with area businesses and organizations that provide products or services related to disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation.
Starting at 1:00pm, the Navarre CERT Amateur Radio Club will be participating in the annual
Amateur Radio Relay League Field Day, where hams demonstrate the emergency
communications capabilities that are the foundation of amateur radio, by operating on noncommercial
power and contacting other hams all over the US and beyond. Anyone (including
you!) can sit in and make radio contacts under the guidance of a licensed ham.
Don’t forget that Navarre Park also features a children’s playground and splash pad, as well as
the Butterfly House. The Navarre CERT information booth has children’s disaster preparedness
materials such as activity books, comic strips and puzzles, including a popular word search. So
bring the kids along!
You may have seen members of Navarre CERT assisting the Sheriff’s Office and community
organizations in non-disaster situations. But the team’s real mission is to teach disaster
preparedness, assist emergency services agencies in responding to disasters, and helping in the
recovery from disasters. CERT is a volunteer organization under the Citizen Corps program of
the Dept of Homeland Security. Navarre CERT is a non-profit corporation and needs the
financial support of the community in order to serve Navarre and other areas of Santa Rosa and
surrounding counties.
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A Santa Rosa County businessman is being honored today for being the top in his field.
Rob Williamson, owner of Trees Plus in Navarre, is the Florida Urban Forestry Council's 2009 Outstanding Professional. Williamson will receive the award at an urban forest seminar today at the Pensacola Civic Center.
"It really validates what we, the team members of Trees Plus, are doing," said Williamson, 41. "A lot of work went into it. It's very rewarding."
Charlie Marcus, the state Division of Forestry's representative to the council, serves on the group's awards selection committee. He praised Williamson's efforts to promote urban forestry.
"He has done volunteer tree and landscape work for a number of public entities," Marcus said. "He has conducted educational programs for local communities. He serves on a local tree board (in Fort Walton Beach). He sponsors an awards program for residential properties that expeditiously use trees to enhance energy conservation, use primarily native trees, and adhere to the concept of 'right tree/right place.' "
Williamson believes giving back to the community is an important part of his business.
"The team members at Trees Plus donate a lot of time to preserving parks, natural areas, historic cemeteries and historic trees," he said. "I go into school and speak about preserving trees."
Trees Plus has helped at Bagdad Cemetery and the Old Mill Site Park in Bagdad, and restored two historic trees at the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Fort Walton Beach. Williamson is the chairman for the Emerald Coast Science Center in Fort Walton Beach and hopes to work with Escambia County urban forester Jimmie Jarratt to help plant trees in urban areas this year.
Trees Plus was established in 1992. Williams has owned it since March 2005. The business employs as many as 17 people at the height of the season, he said. It serves customers from Pensacola to Santa Rosa Beach in south Walton County.
"I'm one of the few certified arborists in the area. As a certified arborist, I am able to provide consultations for new construction," Williamson said. "We do tree planting and removal. We do tree pruning and stump grinding, anything to do with trees. We also have the landscaping side of the business."
Pensacola News Journal • Louis Cooper • lcooper@pnj.com • February 10, 2010
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Click the link below to see a brief interview conducted with Rob Williamson of Trees Plus. This was featured in the International Society of Arboriculture's E-Newsletter: Planting Seeds - Fall 2009.
http://www.isa-arbor.com/members/Resources/Planting%20Seeds_Fall_2009.pdf
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Each spring Florida homeowners are often alarmed by the appearance of blisters and wrinkles on the leaves of their valuable oak trees. These deformities are symptoms of a disease known as oak leaf blister, caused by the fungus Taphrina caerulescens. This disease is found throughout the United States and Europe.
In Florida it most commonly occurs on live oaks, water oaks, laurel oaks, and southern red oaks. On healthy trees the effect of oak leaf blister is usually negligible. Although severe cases of the disease can cause defoliation and loss of growth, it rarely if ever kills the host tree.
Prepared by Ernest C. Ash, Biologist, and Dr. Edward Barnard, Forest Pathologist, Florida Division of Forestry.
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I was conducting a hurricane evaluation for a client recently and a question came up. How do I hurricane-proof my trees? Many clients have the same goal of tree preservation along with home protection. My first reaction was to commend the client for thinking proactively as opposed to reactively when it comes to their tree care. The truth is, most indigenous trees, if properly maintained, should perform without failure during a wind event. The key is eliminating pre-existing conditions which lead to tree failure.
Following Hurricane Ike that struck the Houston area in 2008, insurance carriers commissioned a study to analyze the claims they paid. One Houston company discovered that roughly 50% of all structural loses were caused by fallen trees and tree limbs. However, this insurer went one step further and hired an arborist to inspect the trees and determine why the failure had occurred. That high winds caused the tree failures was not the surprise, the surprise was 100% of the sampled trees exhibited pre-existing health and/or structural conditions which served as the catalyst to the tree’s failure. Of the sampled properties, there was not a single healthy tree which failed. As a result, many arborists, myself included, believe most tree losses can be avoided with proper identification and treatment of pre-existing symptoms and regularly scheduled maintenance.
So now that we know tree failures can be avoided, what are the steps to take to protect trees and structures? Tree conditions can be very difficult to diagnose. Although a hollow trunk can still support a full crown, the tree is still a hazard. This is when an arborist with experience in risk assessment is vital to proper diagnosis. Regularly scheduled maintenance by a tree care provider with an arborist on staff, not a landscaper or lawn service, can help you head into this and future hurricane seasons with confidence your trees and home will be protected.
The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) provides a list of certified arborists in your area to aid in selecting a tree service. Take the appropriate steps to reduce or eliminate potential tree hazards prior to the next storm. Use an arborist to assist you in this risk assessment process and with all your tree service needs.
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While visiting existing clients and meeting new ones, I have the distinct pleasure of traveling from one end of this picturesque landscape to the other. My time in the field lately is leaving little doubt about the impact of the current economic downturn on this area and its effect on our collective psyche. From Pensacola to Destin and back to Niceville and Pace, many of our once bustling storefronts now stand vacant. The countless “for sale” signs tell us we have a long way to go before noticeable economic improvement comes to the gulf coast. If you listen to any form of media, the relentless negativity is everywhere. Local or national tv news, radio, internet, newspaper you name it and the story is the same. If you internalize this constant onslaught of negativity, it can get you down if you let it. I choose not to participate in the recession or group think. Here is a thought…What if we viewed this time in our lives as an opportunity. An opportunity to become aware of our surroundings. A chance to spend more time with loved ones. An opportunity to grow, learn, improve, adapt, exercise, overcome, persevere, change direction, re-focus. Anyone can continue to point out the problem, it takes true leadership to propose a solution. If you find yourself in a hole, put down the shovel. Be aware and receptive to change and a new path will be revealed to you.
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Green technology, eco-friendly, organic, carbon footprint and global warming are terms rapidly becoming part of the American psyche. The global importance was truly evident recently as Al Gore won a Nobel Prize for his efforts in the study of global warming. He has been a busy guy, what with inventing the internet, serving as VP, running for President of the United States and now discovering our rising global temperature. Where does he find the time?
Seriously though, Earth day is rapidly gaining notoriety in the U.S. and in our local area. The City of Ft. Walton Beach recently had 2,000 kids in attendance for their Earth Day celebration this year. This is an amazing success story and the local volunteers should be proud of the work done to raise awareness with the youth of the area. The first such celebration took place in 2005 and there were 500 in attendance so the growth is tremendous.
Northwest Florida is an ecological wonder and should be preserved and enhanced as our rapid growth continues. Please ensure you are doing what is necessary to conserve where possible, reduce your carbon footprint and educate yourself on the local ordinances and codes prior to starting your next landscape project. Oh, I almost forgot, Happy Earth Day everyone!
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