Tree Care Industry Association Honors Forester

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ANNAPOLIS, MD – Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin this week congratulated Urban and Community Forestry supervisor Michael Galvin, on his receipt of the Tree Care Industry Association’s 2007 Advancing Arboriculture Award.

“Mike’s dedication to the Forestry Service has helped us effectively manage our resources and strengthen the department’s relationships with countless communities,” said Secretary Griffin.

Galvin, whose duties include licensing and regulation of tree experts in Maryland, likes to call himself the state’s top tree cop.

“Mike’s passion to professionalize the industry is unmistakable,” said Cynthia Mills of the Tree Care Industry Association. ”He has the vision to work together towards improvement.”

The Tree Care Industry Association, formerly known as the National Arborists Association, is a trade association dedicated to the advancement of the arboriculture profession. Its Advancing Arboriculture Award is given to a governmental agency, institution, or green industry partner that has worked to advance legislation, regulation, or practices favorable to the tree care industry.

“Over the past five years, Michael Galvin and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources have done— pass an arborist licensing law with real teeth and spend the resources necessary to enforce it,” the association said in its narrative accompanying the award.

Galvin, who has worked for the Forestry Service since March 1995, says Maryland has one of the most comprehensive licensing laws for tree experts in the country and has taken a leading role in working with the industry to upgrade its professional standards.

“It’s a great honor that they view DNR as an integral partner.” said Galvin.

Galvin has taken a position with Casey Trees, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization whose mission is to protect and enhance the tree canopy in the nation’s capital.

For more information on Urban and Community Forestry, visit www.dnr.md.gov/forests/programs/urban/.

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April 15, 2008

Contact: Wiley Hall 410-260-8002 whall@dnr.state.md.us

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages nearly one-half million acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov