The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) recently awarded the Millard F. Blair Award for Exceptional Contributions to Practical Arboriculture to August Hoppe, Randy Krouse, Ben Reince and Jon Welch. Their contributions have been critical to the success of the Wisconsin Arborist Apprenticeship Program, the first arborist apprenticeship program in the United States.

Welch, Krouse, Hoppe and Reince also received the Urban Forestry Council’s Innovations in Urban Forestry Award

This program created a training model for turning new employees into skilled workers. The group has worked with the Tree Care Industry Association and the U.S. Department of Labor to get the arborist apprenticeship program approved. All four individuals actively serve on the Wisconsin Apprenticeship Advisory Committee and perform outreach.

In addition to this international honor, they received the Urban Forestry Council’s Innovations in Urban Forestry Award last year. Both Reince and Hoppe serve on the council. Hoppe serves as the current chair, and Reince serves as the representative from the Wisconsin Arborist Association.

To learn more about the Arborist Apprenticeship Program, check out Hoppe’s recent newsletter article.