“Before this class, I was a drug addict with nothing; a rough past, nothing in my future, no direction. This gave me something that’s positive. I’m undeniably grateful for everything,” says Terissa, a convicted felon.
Terissa, who did not want to use her last name, was talking about the Utility Arborist Program at Alpena Community College in Alpena, Michigan. And she had no issues sharing her story with Michigan Works! – a non-profit program that provided funding for the course – her instructor and her classmates. Because, she says, the Utility Arborist Program changed her life, and she loves her new career as a utility arborist.
Terissa was the first female to graduate from the program, earning her certificate in May 2023.
She also is a recovered addict who found this program through the support of Michigan Works! and Michigan’s Offender Success Program. A passionate climber, Terissa passed the pesticide-application test on her first try – anyone in the industry knows the significance of that. And she found full-time employment as a utility arborist with Asplundh Tree Expert LLC, a 48-year TCIA member company headquartered in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.
Her job has given her the mental mindset to keep going forward, she says, adding that she feels the people she works with are her family.
Also, she loves being outside, even in the winter. “You get used to the cold and learn how to stay warm,” says Terissa.
Tree-trimming boot camp
Ben (not his real name) is a recent parolee from Michigan’s prison system. Released in June 2023, just two months later he was seated in Walt Wiltse’s class ready to change his life. Wiltse works for Thunder Bay Tree Service in Alpena and oversees the Utility Arborist Program at Alpena Community College. When Ben graduated in December 2023, his caseworker said that, other than a prison sentence, this was the first thing Ben had completed in his life.
What began as a “tree-trimming boot camp,” funded by a Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) Consultation Education and Training (CET) grant in the summer of 2020, swiftly transitioned from a one-semester certificate program to what will become an accredited, one-year degree program in fall 2024. With the support of Michigan Works!, area tree companies and Alpena Community College, the program has graduated 12 students. Another cohort started in January 2024.
Line-clearance arborists and tree services in general have established a history of one of the highest rates of injuries, incidents, illnesses and fatalities in Michigan, 3.9 incidents per 100 full-time workers (Select Michigan Industries by Incident Rates, USDOL, BLS, 2020). More formal training and thorough, prescribed instruction on safety hopefully will help change that.
First a certificate program
Alpena Community College had already built a successful Utility Technology Technician (line-worker) Program. They took the mastery of that training and expanded to offer the certificate program for line-clearance arborists. It is designed for those interested in working in the industry, enabling students to complete the required training and have the potential for job offers, all while earning valuable college credit.
Work in the program is coordinated with the established Utility Technology Technician Program, and allows the Utility Arborist Program students to build skills while working around
de-energized primary wires, which is not offered by similar programs at other institutions. Students will earn their CDL, become First-Aid/CPR certified, obtain their OSHA 10 card, learn the skills of chain-saw use and safety as well as tree felling and prepare for the Pesticide Application Exam.
The facilities on ACC’s campus include approximately 600 acres – about the size of Central Park in New York City – of woods, with four de-energized power poles set up as a right-of-way configuration with a variety of climbing conditions to train in. Wiltse creates several storm scenarios for students to work among, while also training them in the art of trimming and maintaining power lines. “This first started as a dream, something that is much needed in this industry, and our vision for the future is unbelievable,” says Wiltse. Wiltse says he is proud of his graduates, who earn $3-$4/ hour more than a “green hat” – someone with no experience in the industry. Their employers are impressed with the students’ skills and knowledge of the industry, according to Wiltse.
Going to a full-credit course
In Fall 2024, the Utility Arborist Program transitions from a certificate program to a one-year college-credit program. The credit program has been carefully aligned with the Utility Technology Technician program and includes math classes, a botany course and lab, speech and communication classes and additional time in the field. Students will be eligible for state and federal financial aid. The additional training offered in the credit program expands on the safety skills and knowledge of the industry.
It’s not just about cutting trees. Graduates can seek careers in job planning, as equipment operators, as pesticide applicators and more.
As a previous resource specialist for the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) Offender Success Team and a current educator for Iosco County Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) adult education, Mandi McDonald has referred clients and students to this program. She says she has watched them grow and develop personally and professionally from their involvement.
McDonald reflects
“I’m proud that these students have completely remade themselves and their lives as a result of their training as utility arborists,” McDonald says. The newfound self-reliance and esteem gleaned from successfully accomplishing this demanding training, as well as from obtaining viable employment that often offers per-diem support for course supplies on top of competitive wages, has ultimately transformed each student that has participated, according to McDonald.
“This confidence is fed and supported indubitably by the understanding and acceptance proffered by Mr. Wiltse and ACC staff,” McDonald says. “Undeniably, especially for returning citizens (returning from incarceration or addiction), ACC’s willingness to champion this metamorphosis, plus the classroom training and camaraderie, provide the foundation necessary for success for all involved.” This is particularly true for returning citizens seeking a chance to prove themselves and create new lives for themselves and their families, she says. “This program is not only revolutionary and progressive, it’s inherently therapeutic and game changing, especially for those who need a positive fresh start.”
“It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from. It’s possible to fix your life and change your future.” – Terissa Bird, Class of 2023.
And that is exactly what the Utility Arborist Program at Alpena Community College is doing.
For more information about ACC’s Utility Arborist program, visit
discover.alpenacc.edu/programs/degrees_and_programs/utility_arborist.php, or contact program director Walt Wiltse at (989) 358-7284 or wiltsew@alpenacc.edu.
Lisa Blumenthal is the assistant to the dean of Workforce Development at Alpena Community College in Alpena, Michigan.
