Maryland for many years has had a Tree Expert law.
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<font color="blue">This section explains the history and who needed this title and how to get it. skip this if you aready know. </font>
Where, any company for hire for tree care and trimming, must have a licensed Expert on staff.
To get this license, you had to pass a test, much like the ISA certified arborist test. (Except, I'd actually say MD test was a little better and for the ID you walked around a campass and looked at the trees.)
In order to qualify to take the test, you had to:
1. either have 5 years working under a Tree Expert.
2. Or, Two year degree from an approved college course related to tree care or plant biology, plus also one year working under a tree expert.
The license program was great, it made sure that if you were hired to trim trees, cable, lightning protection, fertilize, ect. that you had the knowledge needed to make such decisions. A Tree Expert also has to show every year that the company they work for carries a minum property insurance and carries work-mans comp insurance. -this protects the homeowner.
Tree removal companies or sole proprietors, did not need the Tree Expert License to do removal work. Anyone could do removals.
<font color="blue">This is a change that happened, that was meant to make the Tree Expert law better but <font color="red"> </font> <font color="red"> </font> started problems: </font>
Then in 2006 (or was it late 2005?) they made a change to the law that passed. It stated that companies for hire for removals, had to also have a licensed Tree Expert on staff.
They felt that this would protect the homeowner from companies that did not know what they were doing and also it kept tabs on companies to make sure they keep their insurance up.
Loggers were excluded, as well as lot clearing. Also anyone could take a small tree down. Like under 20 feet or something.
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<font color="red"> Here's where the crap started. </font>
There were some people upset, naturally. Anyway "people" got together and paid a lobbyist to make a change. They got a change passed that would "grandfather in" companies that have been removing trees the past 3 years. They just needed to show that they were insured for that type of work the past 3 years. And they would get a Tree Expert license WITHOUT ever having to take the test or prove that they know anything about tree care. For the first time, the title Tree Expert was soiled and degraded. For the first time, a person could accuire that title without proving they actually were an expert on trees.
This grandfathering was scheduled to end in May 2007. Then the regular process of qualifying and taking the test would resume.
<font color="blue"> <font color="blue">This is what I wanted to show yo that is threatening the Tree Experts now. TCIA sent me this e-mail letter. </font> </font> -----------------------------------------------
Dear TCIA Member,
Proposed changes to the Licensed Tree Expert Law, SB 120, will be heard in the Senate Education Health and Environmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday, February 13, 2007 at 1:00 pm. TCIA urges you to weigh in on this proposed rule that in our opinion would severely undermine the effectiveness of Maryland ’s Tree Expert License Law.
SB 120 <font color="red"> extends the deadline for amnesty from the LTE exam from May 31 until December 31. More significantly, it allows any sole proprietor to be licensed without any documented work experience, education or proof of having run a business. Instead, the applicant will be allowed to submit four notarized affidavits from customers within the past three years, attesting to their, “…professional and satisfactory work as a tree expert.”
</font>
You can read the exact wording of the proposed legislation at the following link: http://mlis.state.md.us/2007RS/billfile/sb0120.htm
If you intend to testify, you need to sign up one hour before the hearing starts (sign up by Noon ). If you intend to submit material for consideration, please contact committee staff ((410) 841-3661) for the required number of copies.
The bill sponsor, Sen. Munson (R-2 Washington County; http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/05sen/html/msa12155.html) is not on the committee.
A list of Committee members is available at: http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/05sen/html/com/02eco.html
To find your elected officials, go to: http://mdelect.net/
To send your elected official an email, go to: http://www.mlis.state.md.us/cgi-win/mail32.exe
Communication to your elected officials is worthwhile particularly if your Senator sits on the Committee.
Maryland DNR has already submitted a bill report opposing the bill, because in their words, “If this bill passes, it would be the end of the tree expert licensing program as we know it.”
Please contact TCIA if you require further information or assistance with formulating your response to your elected representative.
---------------------------------------------
<font color="blue"> If any of you live in Maryland, please try to do something. Or if you have any influence on Maryland politics, please help us! </font>
------------------
<font color="blue">This section explains the history and who needed this title and how to get it. skip this if you aready know. </font>
Where, any company for hire for tree care and trimming, must have a licensed Expert on staff.
To get this license, you had to pass a test, much like the ISA certified arborist test. (Except, I'd actually say MD test was a little better and for the ID you walked around a campass and looked at the trees.)
In order to qualify to take the test, you had to:
1. either have 5 years working under a Tree Expert.
2. Or, Two year degree from an approved college course related to tree care or plant biology, plus also one year working under a tree expert.
The license program was great, it made sure that if you were hired to trim trees, cable, lightning protection, fertilize, ect. that you had the knowledge needed to make such decisions. A Tree Expert also has to show every year that the company they work for carries a minum property insurance and carries work-mans comp insurance. -this protects the homeowner.
Tree removal companies or sole proprietors, did not need the Tree Expert License to do removal work. Anyone could do removals.
<font color="blue">This is a change that happened, that was meant to make the Tree Expert law better but <font color="red"> </font> <font color="red"> </font> started problems: </font>
Then in 2006 (or was it late 2005?) they made a change to the law that passed. It stated that companies for hire for removals, had to also have a licensed Tree Expert on staff.
They felt that this would protect the homeowner from companies that did not know what they were doing and also it kept tabs on companies to make sure they keep their insurance up.
Loggers were excluded, as well as lot clearing. Also anyone could take a small tree down. Like under 20 feet or something.
--------------------------------------
<font color="red"> Here's where the crap started. </font>
There were some people upset, naturally. Anyway "people" got together and paid a lobbyist to make a change. They got a change passed that would "grandfather in" companies that have been removing trees the past 3 years. They just needed to show that they were insured for that type of work the past 3 years. And they would get a Tree Expert license WITHOUT ever having to take the test or prove that they know anything about tree care. For the first time, the title Tree Expert was soiled and degraded. For the first time, a person could accuire that title without proving they actually were an expert on trees.
This grandfathering was scheduled to end in May 2007. Then the regular process of qualifying and taking the test would resume.
<font color="blue"> <font color="blue">This is what I wanted to show yo that is threatening the Tree Experts now. TCIA sent me this e-mail letter. </font> </font> -----------------------------------------------
Dear TCIA Member,
Proposed changes to the Licensed Tree Expert Law, SB 120, will be heard in the Senate Education Health and Environmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday, February 13, 2007 at 1:00 pm. TCIA urges you to weigh in on this proposed rule that in our opinion would severely undermine the effectiveness of Maryland ’s Tree Expert License Law.
SB 120 <font color="red"> extends the deadline for amnesty from the LTE exam from May 31 until December 31. More significantly, it allows any sole proprietor to be licensed without any documented work experience, education or proof of having run a business. Instead, the applicant will be allowed to submit four notarized affidavits from customers within the past three years, attesting to their, “…professional and satisfactory work as a tree expert.”
</font>
You can read the exact wording of the proposed legislation at the following link: http://mlis.state.md.us/2007RS/billfile/sb0120.htm
If you intend to testify, you need to sign up one hour before the hearing starts (sign up by Noon ). If you intend to submit material for consideration, please contact committee staff ((410) 841-3661) for the required number of copies.
The bill sponsor, Sen. Munson (R-2 Washington County; http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/05sen/html/msa12155.html) is not on the committee.
A list of Committee members is available at: http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/05sen/html/com/02eco.html
To find your elected officials, go to: http://mdelect.net/
To send your elected official an email, go to: http://www.mlis.state.md.us/cgi-win/mail32.exe
Communication to your elected officials is worthwhile particularly if your Senator sits on the Committee.
Maryland DNR has already submitted a bill report opposing the bill, because in their words, “If this bill passes, it would be the end of the tree expert licensing program as we know it.”
Please contact TCIA if you require further information or assistance with formulating your response to your elected representative.
---------------------------------------------
<font color="blue"> If any of you live in Maryland, please try to do something. Or if you have any influence on Maryland politics, please help us! </font>
