TREE Fund Supports International Research with $79,700 in Grants

Researchers from around the globe submitted a record number of grant applications to the Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund).  Out of the 130 applications, five research grants were awarded from the Fall 2025 Grant Application Cycle.

“Not only are we very proud to have received another record number of applications for our research grant programs last cycle, but we are also astounded by the quality of the international research projects that were approved for grants,” said Paul Putman, president and CEO of TREE Fund. “All of this together just continues to show how important it is to be funding this research that can help benefit the knowledge of arborists, tree care companies, and urban foresters all over the world.”

The TREE Fund awarded more than $79,700 in research grants for five projects. The TREE Fund's Research and Education Committee, which includes researchers and industry professionals, reviewed the applications and voted to determine which projects will be most helpful to the future of the arboriculture and tree care industry.

After a final approval vote of the TREE Fund Board of Trustees, one grant each is being awarded from the following grant programs: John Z. Duling Grant Program, Jack Kimmel International Grant Program, Safe Arborist Techniques Fund Program, Tree and Soil Research Fund Grant Program, and Bob Skiera Memorial Fund Building Bridges Initiative and John P. White Grant Program. Here are the grant awardees.

1. The John Z. Duling Grant, which provides start-up or seed funding to support innovative research and technology transfer projects, has been awarded to Brett Fredericksen Jr. of Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville for the project, “Environmental Indicators and Intervention Treatment for Horned Oak Gall Outbreaks on the Common Street Tree Quercus palustris.”
2. The Jack Kimmel International Grant, which provides funding for arboriculture research by applicants working primarily outside the United States, in partnership with Canadian TREE Fund, has been awarded to Mohammad A. Rahman of the University of Melbourne, Australia, for the project, “Trait-based Assessment of Urban Tree Health and Climate Resilience.”
3. The Safe Arborist Techniques Fund Grant, which supports original research that creates a safer work environment for people working in the tree care industry and the general public they serve, has been awarded to Leonardo Bianchini of University of Tuscia, Department of Agriculture and Forestry Services (Italy) for the project, “Tree Risk During Rigging Operations: Identifying Biomechanical Risk Factors for Arborist Safety – TRIAS.”
4. The Tree and Soil Research Fund Grant, which supports projects with research of interest to the landscape architecture community with special focus on the area of trees and soils that support them, has been awarded to Andrew Milward of Toronto Metropolitan University for the project, “Mitigating Roadsalt Impacts on Urban Trees: Strategic Companion Planting with Native Halophytes.”
5. The Bob Skiera Memorial Fund Building Bridges Initiative and John P. White Grant Program, that supports projects which will help arborists and urban foresters communicate the value of trees and urban forests on a global basis through technology transfer and engagement with developers, builders, civil engineers, city planners, elected officials, and other policymakers, has been awarded to Luz Piedad Romero Duque of Fundación Jardín Botánico “Joaquín Antonio Uribe” de Medellín (Colombia), for the project, “Beyond the Canopy: Cocreating a Healthier City with Urban Trees.”

TREE Fund currently has eight research grants, two education grants, and six student scholarships available for application each year. Application cycles are in the fall and spring of each year. Information on how to apply for these programs can be found at www.treefund.org.