“Bug Guy” Raupp gets Chairman’s Award

Presented by Terrill Collier, outgoing Board Chair.

As I began to think about who to honor this year with the Chair’s Award, I recognized that there are a number of people who don’t own commercial tree care companies, who aren’t members of TCIA, but whose efforts impact our businesses and our industry.

This year’s recipient is a professor and extension specialist at the University of Maryland at College Park. As an extension specialist, he develops and implements IPM programs for managed landscapes. The goal is to improve sustainability of landscape systems through the conservation and enhancement of biological diversity with special emphasis on natural enemy communities. He has worked closely with arborists and the tree care industry for more than 30 years. His extension programs provide training on the theory and practice of IPM. He has more than 200 publications, he has made more than 750 professional and extension presentations on the ecology and management of insect and mite pests. His “Bug of the Week” Web site is an information source on the natural history of insects.

We honor him not for his numerous accomplishments on the national stage, but for his specific contributions to TCIA members. He has provided industry-specific seminars and workshops at TCI EXPO; many of our industry’s best plant health care technicians and managers have attended. His presentations are consistently rated among the best by EXPO attendees. He has also worked tirelessly with TCIA to produce valuable programs for our industry, such as the Invasive Species Identification cards.

Perhaps, most important, is his accessibility – always willing to stay after presentations until every questions was answered – easily accessible by e-mail or phone – he has toiled endlessly to be sure all industry personnel from the one person owner/operator to the largest of companies has the best information and training he can provide.

His most recent accomplishment was to allow TCIA to become publisher of “Managing Insects and Mites on Woody Plants: an IPM Approach.” TCIA helped him take what was a black and white extension publication that many of you may have on your desk – Landscape IPM bulletin 350 – and turn it into a 198 page industry standard guidebook with 80 color photos. This book now addresses 145 different pests, while also teaching a Plant Health Care/IPM approach to pest control. This book will also be a centerpiece of TCIA’s Tree Care Academy PHC training program.

So it is my pleasure to give the Chair’s Award to Dr. Michael J. Raupp.