The American National Standard for Arboricultural Operations—Safety Requirements (commonly referred to as the Z133 standard) is a United States safety standard for use across the arboriculture industry. The current edition of the Z133 was published in 2017. Since that year, the Z133 Committee has drafted revisions to refine the standard, ensure better safety outcomes, and keep pace with developments in the industry. The new standard is expected to be published in the second quarter of 2025, pending an audit and approval by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
As we await ANSI approval, the current Z133 Committee is ending its term. The chair, vice chair, and current committee members will step down and make way for a newly selected committee that will continue to review the standard to ensure it stays up-to-date and relevant over the next five-year (2030) committee cycle.
At this transition, ISA would like to recognize the exemplary service of our outgoing Z133 chair, David Scharfenberger, and vice chair, Cary Shepherd. Dave and Cary took up the reins at the first meeting of the current cycle in April 2018 and have guided the committee through six years of review and revision, including introducing virtual committee meetings for the first time with the pandemic.
Aside from his service in the Z133 chair role, Dave Scharfenberger is a past board director for ISA and the Wisconsin Arborist Association and is active with the Tree Care Industry Association. Dave is most proud of his 20 years as an owner of Wachtel Tree Science, Inc., during which time he grew the company from 12 employees to over 50 while improving its safety record.
Cary Shepherd complements his service as Z133 vice chair with 35 years of experience with portable power hand tools used in arboriculture, including product development, safety compliance, technical service, sales management, legal support, field testing, and professional applications training.
We would also like to recognize the committed service of all the Z133 members and volunteers who participated in the current cycle. We commend their dedication to improving safety outcomes in arboriculture through their service on the Z133 Committee.
ISA would also like to take this opportunity to announce the chair and vice chair of the Z133 Committee for the 2030 cycle. We are thrilled to introduce Gerry Breton as the incoming Z133 chair. Gerry is the Director of Safety & Training and one of the company partners at Lucas Tree Experts. Previously, he was the owner/operator of a safety consulting business. He also worked in power generation for Central Maine Power Co. and Florida Power Light (FPL Energy) for 18 years. Gerry is a Certified Treecare Safety Professional by the Tree Care Industry Association, a Certified Safety Management Practitioner by the Institute of Hazardous Material Management, and a Certified Utility Safety Professional by USOLN. He is also a US Navy Veteran and has a Bachelor of Science degree in industry engineering technology from the University of Southern Maine with a minor in safety and ergonomics. He resides with his wife in Cumberland, Maine, and has two grown children.
ISA is also pleased to introduce Alex Julius as the incoming Z133 vice chair. Alex is the Employee Development and Safety Training Specialist at The Davey Tree Expert Company. She is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist®, ISA Certified Tree Climber®, Tree Risk Assessment Qualified, and a TCIA Certified Treecare Safety Professional. Alex’s interest in and passion for the Z133 extends back to her time in graduate school when she wrote her thesis on compliance with the standard and its correlation with credentialing.
Our incoming Z133 chair and vice chair will also help welcome the new committee members soon. The Z133 Nomination Task Group is in the process of selecting members, and ISA expects to communicate with all applicants before the end of December with notification of their status. We look forward to being able to announce the new Z133 Committee members in the new year.
If you encounter any of the Z133 Committee volunteers who are concluding or beginning their terms, please thank them for their service. They invest many volunteer hours into ensuring a standard that improves arborists' safety outcomes.