Utility Arborist Research Fund
Utility Arborist Research Fund supports researchers studying utility vegetation management to benefit tree care professionals through improved safety, service reliability, and regulatory compliance.
Funder: Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund
Due Dates: January 1, 2027 (LOI opens) | February 1, 2027 (LOI due) | February 15, 2027 (Full application invitations) | March 15, 2027 (Full application due) | Mid-to-late May 2027 (Award notifications)
Funding Amounts: $10,000–$50,000 per award for one to three years; $50,000 total available in 2027
Summary: Supports research benefiting utility tree care professionals through improved safety, service reliability, regulatory compliance, and vegetation management.
Key Information: Grants to individuals are excluded; the LOI must identify the Principal Investigator and contracting institution.
Description
The Utility Arborist Research Fund (UARF) was established in 2010 by TREE Fund and the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) to support research with practical benefits for utility tree care professionals. TREE Fund manages the endowment and administers awards, while UAA’s Research Committee advises on research priorities. The program seeks to reduce tree-related outages, customer complaints, vegetation management complexity, and emergency tree work, with financial, public relations, and worker safety benefits.
For 2027, equal consideration is given to employee, contractor, and public safety; service reliability; and regulatory compliance. Topics include training relevance, quality and frequency, tree failure, tree worker experience, and process improvement. Social, exploratory, and other research related to utility vegetation management is also welcome. The program emphasizes sharing findings with scientific and practitioner communities and making results freely and widely available.
