Webinar | Cultivating Innovation: Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund) and Impact on Tree Research

Please join us Tuesday, January 27 for our next webinar brought to you by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council (TUFC) and the UT Residential and Community Forestry Workgroup!

Cultivating Innovation: Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund (TREE Fund) and Impact on Tree Research
Tuesday, January 27, 2025
11 a.m. Central / 12 p.m. Eastern

Preview:
Since 2002, TREE Fund has been shaping the future of trees and the arboriculture profession. Having just past the $6 million mark awarded in grants and scholarships, TREE Fund has made a giant impact on the tree care industry by funding research that focuses on stopping diseases and pests, improving overall tree survival, worker safety, best practices and more.

In addition to hearing about how TREE Fund has impacted arboriculture, we’ll also hear about the annual Tour des Trees bike ride, which has been going on since 1992, supporting tree research and passing along its importance to the public.

Speaker:
Paul G. Putman, PhD, President & CEO, TREE Fund, joined Tree Research and Education Endowment (TREE) Fund in 2023. TREE Fund is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge in urban forestry and arboriculture. Since 2002, TREE Fund has distributed over $6 million in research grants, scholarships, and funding for arboriculture-connected education both nationwide and around the globe to advance the science, practice, and safety of tree care and engage the next generation of tree stewards.

Prior to TREE Fund, Dr. Putman worked at the Cleveland Foundation, the world’s first community foundation, where he served in both grantmaking and philanthropy departments for 15 years. As a Program Officer with the Community Responsive Grantmaking team, Paul facilitated grantmaking across multiple sectors by focusing on efforts to strengthen nonprofit organizations and improve access to services for underserved populations. In the Philanthropy department, Paul served as Senior Director of Philanthropic Services, leading a team of professionals in working with individuals, families, and nonprofits throughout greater Cleveland to help them achieve their philanthropic goals. Prior to joining the foundation, Paul spent a decade leading the Center for Leadership and Service at Cleveland State University (CSU).

Jonathan Cain joined TREE Fund in April of 2021 and has experience organizing endurance events since 2009. In addition to handling all the newsletter, communication, and social media details, his primary duties revolve around organizing the rider recruitment, communications, stops, and outreach events for the annual Tour des Trees ride. When he was younger, he was in charge of the “bikes” area at a cub scout camp, which involved taking the scouts on a ride to an area of the camp where they learned about the research that was being done on the sap collection of a group of trees, so organizing the Tour des Trees is a natural fit.

Continuing Education:
1-CEU ISA Certified Arborist