In case you are unfamiliar, TCIA’s Board of Directors is responsible for setting the strategic direction and overall performance of the organization. Our responsibilities include establishing our vision, formulating policy, providing strategic planning and ensuring strong financial oversight.

OK, but what does this really mean?

We seek out ways to support the professional development and advancement of our member companies while upholding the highest standards of ethical business practices. And in order to do that effectively, we need to understand the issues that are arising within our industry.

It won’t surprise you to hear that one issue that continues to arise is insurance. Over the past year, conversations at the Board level surrounded two main issues: the increasing frequency of homeowners insurance companies requiring trees to be cut away from a structure, and how tree services and insurance companies are interacting on the billing and payment for emergency tree-work services. It became clear to the Board that TCIA should take a harder look at both issues.

As a result, the TCIA Board of Directors approved the creation of a task force to dig into the developing issue of the intersection of the insurance and tree care businesses.

While the issues are anything but simple, the goal of the task force is pretty straightforward: to understand the forces at play within these issues and make recommendations to the TCIA Board of Directors on what can/should be done. The task force has been set to offer its recommendations by mid-2026.

During our first task-force meeting, all participating members – from various segments of the tree care industry – provided personal experiences we’ve each had with these issues, and then we split into two subgroups to focus our conversations to better fit our experiences. Since then, each subgroup has been working on gathering insurance-claim data, identifying potential partner organizations and digging into existing and model legislation across the country. We plan to continue conversations with individuals and organizations and, with our efforts, get solid claim data in order to be able to make a strong recommendation on action items for consideration by the TCIA Board of Directors.

As a trade association, TCIA does not endorse specific products – with the exception of the ArborMax insurance program and the 401(k) plan we offer, both of which we partner with. Notably, we are committed to advocating for and educating members on proper, respectful and transparent business practices across the industry. We believe in empowering our members to make decisions that reflect their own business values, align with industry standards and maintain the trust of both their clients and the communities they serve.

If you or someone in your network is working on these insurance issues and would like to collaborate with our task force, please reach out to me directly (eric@arboriskinsurance.com).