Spanish Language Chainsaw & Tree Climbing Safety Seminar,
VDOF, VCE & MAC-ISA Partner for First-of-its-kind Program in Virginia

The Mid-Atlantic Chapter International Society of Arboriculture (MAC-ISA), Virginia Department of Forestry and the Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) are offering Virginia’s first-ever tree climbing and chainsaw safety program for Spanish language speakers.

“Having three strong educational groups co-sponsoring the event is a great partnership for a successful seminar,” said Nancy Herwig, MAC-ISA executive director. “We’re hoping to provide valuable information to a growing population of the green industry profession.”

The two-day program will be held Aug. 25 & 26 at the Fairfax County Park Authority’s Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, Va. The program runs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. The focus of day one is tree climber safety, while chainsaw safety will be the focus on day two. Participants may register for either one or both days.

Funded by a grant from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), trainers from the Forest Industry Safety and Training Alliance (FISTA) will teach participants everything from tree climbing and safety techniques to aerial rescue procedures to chainsaw operation and tree felling – all in Spanish.

Paul Revell, urban and community forest program manager at VDOF, said, “This is a terrific opportunity to reach an important segment of our population with potentially life-saving information. The dangers associated with chainsaw operations and tree climbing are very real; so it’s vital to be able to deliver a focused safety program in a person’s native language.”

Enrollment is limited to 50 people. Advanced registration is $30 per day for MAC-ISA members and $40 per day for non members. Add $10 per day for walk-ins. Registration fees include all training and lunch each day. Publications in Spanish will be for sale along with free handouts.

For more information or to register, call 703-753-0499 or email macisa@erols.com.

Registration forms are available at www.dof.virginia.gov.

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The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, there are Forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.

With nearly 16 million acres of forest land and more than 248,000 Virginians employed in the forest products industry, Virginia forests provide more than $30 billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.