Worker trapped 100 feet up in Southborough

A worker spent part of last week stuck more than 100 feet up a tree while OSHA started asking questions. The federal heat program is renewed and live for the next five years. And New Mexico just watched three times the usual number of trees die. Here's the week.

When the job goes wrong

Worker critically injured, trapped 100 feet up in Southborough

A tree worker in Southborough, Massachusetts, was seriously hurt and left trapped more than 100 feet up a tree on Wednesday, June 10. Rescuers got the worker down. OSHA has opened an investigation (AOL).

The early reporting does not say what happened. No fall, struck-by, or equipment-failure detail. No name, no employer, no citations yet. What we know is that someone got hurt badly enough to need a high-angle rescue and federal attention. We'll follow it as OSHA's findings come out.

The heat program is back, and inspectors have a checklist

OSHA renewed its National Emphasis Program on heat hazards in April 2026, and it runs for up to five years. That covers outdoor and indoor work both. According to a summary in the National Law Review, inspectors will look for a written heat program, a designated heat-safety representative, water-rest-shade-acclimatization measures, worker training, and heat monitoring.

Here's the part that should get your attention. Programmed inspections can happen on any day the National Weather Service has a heat warning or advisory out. That means an inspector can roll up on a 95-degree afternoon and ask to see the paperwork. If you don't have a written plan, write one before July does it for you.

Rules and money

Massachusetts lawmakers cut the arborist licensing language

The Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee pulled the Senate-passed provisions on public shade tree law and arborist licensing changes out of the environmental bond bill. The revised draft advanced Tuesday, minus those policy items, and with a smaller borrowing authorization overall (Commonwealth Beacon).

If you were tracking a licensing shift in Massachusetts, it's stalled. Policy riders get stripped from bond bills all the time when the House wants to control the spending number. The licensing fight isn't dead, but it's not in this vehicle anymore.

Line-clearance pay in Dayton: $24 to $26 an hour

A full-time Line Clearance Trimmer posting in Dayton, Ohio, lists $24 to $26 an hour and prefers candidates with ISA Certified Arborist, ISA Certified Tree Worker, or TCIA credentials (Careers In Government). One posting isn't a market, but it's a real number you can hold up against your own crew's rate for utility work. If your guys hold those certs and aren't clearing that, the data point is worth knowing.

USDA grant window closes June 30

USDA Rural Development is taking Rural Business Development Grant applications, with the national deadline for most applications on June 30, 2026 (USDA Rural Development). For-profit tree care companies can't apply directly. Public bodies, tribes, and nonprofits can, and the money can go toward technical assistance, training, or facilities that help rural small businesses. There's no maximum grant amount and no cost-share requirement, though smaller requests get priority. If you're tied into a cooperative or a training center doing rural workforce development, this is the one with a deadline this month.

The urban forest

New Mexico tree deaths tripled in 2025

A USDA Forest Service report with partners found tree mortality in New Mexico tripled in 2025 against historical averages, during the state's second-warmest year on record (AOL/KTSM). The die-off hit piñon-juniper and ponderosa pine hardest, and the researchers tied it to prolonged heat and drought stress. More dead standing timber means more wildfire fuel and water-supply problems downstream. The report calls for updated forest management to cut the vulnerability, which is the polite way of saying the current approach isn't keeping up.

What's chewing on trees in Massachusetts right now

The June 19 UMass Extension Landscape Message lists what's active across the state. Black turpentine beetle on pitch pine, boxwood psyllid on boxwood, elongate hemlock scale on hemlock, and spruce spider mite on spruce, among others (UMass Extension). No new quarantine pests this round. If you run plant health care in the Northeast, the weekly message is free scouting intel before you walk a property.

Around the trade

Davey crews pick up TCIA safety awards

Davey Tree said ten employees and one company safety program earned Tree Care Industry Association safety awards and certifications announced in mid-June (Davey Tree). Individual performance awards plus a program cited for cutting field incidents. Whatever you think of the big outfits, recognized safety programs are worth a look when you're building your own.

Z133 keeps showing up next to OSHA rules

Two reminders crossed the wire this week that the ANSI Z133 standard isn't optional reading. TCIA says its Electrical Hazards Awareness Program helps employers meet OSHA 1910.269 for anyone working within 10 feet of energized conductors, and that Z133 itself requires arborists to be trained to spot electrical hazards (TCIA). A state Urban Forestry News post separately pointed crews back to Z133 as the safety standard covering pruning, removal, brush cutting, and equipment use (Urban Forestry News). When two different sources push the same standard in one week, it's because someone got hurt not following it.

TCI EXPO heads to Fort Lauderdale

Registration and exhibitor info are live for TCI EXPO 2026, set for the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale (TCIA). It's the big one for the trade, with education sessions, business talks, and a floor full of equipment to climb on before you buy. If your gear budget plans run on a calendar, the sponsorship and exhibit sales are already moving, so the dates are worth penciling in now.

Stay hydrated, keep the written heat plan in the truck, and tie in twice when you're 100 feet up. The TreeNerd team.