Asplundh Endows Hyland R. Johns Research Fund to Support Arboriculture Innovation

Asplundh has announced it will permanently endow the Hyland R. Johns Research Fund, ensuring continued support for arboriculture research and education.

The Hyland R. Johns Grant Program was created in 1995 to honor Johns’ lifetime contributions to arboriculture. Administered by the Tree Research and Education Endowment (TREE) Fund, it supports long-term research and technology transfer projects that benefit arborists.

The announcement was delivered by Asplundh Chief Operations Officer David Fleischner during the Trees & Utilities Conference, hosted by the Utility Arborist Association and the Arbor Day Foundation on September 10. The company will contribute more than $500,000 over the next three years to fully endow the fund before its centennial in 2028. Grants will continue to be awarded during this period.

“Asplundh wouldn’t be the company it is today without our mutual support and partnership with the ISA,” Fleischner said. “Hyland Johns was instrumental in establishing that relationship and making sure it thrived in ways that have proven to be a benefit to the entire industry. Ensuring that this grant-making fund will always have the capital to support arboricultural research is a fitting way to honor Hyland’s legacy and mark Asplundh’s upcoming centennial.”

“Asplundh has been a dedicated, Crown Level partner of TREE Fund’s for many years and has always been very supportive of our programs,” said Dr. Paul Putman, TREE Fund President & CEO. “We’re thrilled to be a part of their centennial celebration. This new commitment to fully endow the Hyland R. Johns Grant Program will provide needed grant dollars for meaningful research benefiting the everyday work of arborists.”

Hyland R. Johns, who worked at Asplundh from 1950 until his retirement in 1990, was a leader in advancing arboriculture research and education. He helped develop the company’s personnel and training department, standardized forestry education methods, and supported industry-wide research initiatives. Johns organized a 1952 herbicide study that led to the PA Game Lands 33 research project, which continues today. He was also a founder of the ISA Research Trust, later known as TREE Fund.