By Eric Campbell, Vice President, Saluting Branches
Since 2015, Saluting Branches has grown from a one-time civic project at Rainbow Treecare of Minnetonka, MN, to a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit with a singular mission: “We honor American service men and women by organizing volunteer tree and landscape care for the property dedicated to our veterans.” The 2024 Day of Serviceincluded 95 locations across all 50 States, Puerto Rico, and Mexico — serving National Cemeteries, state veterans’ and municipal cemeteries, VA Hospitals, soldier’s homes, and monuments, amongst others. The efforts of 4,000 volunteers were supported, in turn, by the continued kindness and generosity of our industry sponsors and private donors.
The inherent hazards of the tree care industry, such as those associated with our tools, equipment, climbing and rigging systems, proximity to public utilities and infrastructure, activity on roadways and subsequent interactions with vehicular traffic, the presence of the general public and, of course, the trees themselves, are more-or-less present at any given location during the Day of Service. Some factors are unique to this volunteer experience that must be considered.
It’s with this collection of factors in mind that we approach the planning process for the annual event. For Saluting Branches, safety at any given site begins at the national level with the Day of Service Committee’s enrollment and logistics teams, before broadening to involve the location’s administrative offices, staff, site leadership teams, and volunteers. Within this network, safety decisions are layered upon one another. Site and site leader selection, site visits, work and event planning, training, day-of preparations and documentation all have a part in the process. This approach sets a solid foundation upon which a successful event can be built. It is open, timely communication amongst everyone involved in the planning process, however, that ultimately leads to the safety experienced during the Day of Service.
We gather stories of the incidents that happen in our industry along the way. We learn them from our crews, co-workers, and colleagues. They come to us through extended networks and industry communications. With time, we add our own. From those that pass us by without leaving the scars of lasting implications, to those events that are tragic in their finality, it seems the stories have a way of collecting of their own accord.
The hazards that we face in this line of work cannot be completely eliminated. We can, however, work to mitigate them. Diligence in identifying the hazards that are present, planning that manages our exposure to those hazards, and vigilance throughout the course of operations to ensure that mitigation evolves as developments occur, allow us to manage risk. This process of identification, management and re-evaluation must be approached as a team. Safety is, then, an individual responsibility and a collective effort.
No matter the setting, a day of work is a day of work. The particulars may shift this way or that. Hazards may be more-or-less present and the precautions that are taken in response are adjusted to match. While this is also true for Saluting Branches, special considerations emerge alongside those we typically navigate.
Protecting property ranks as a top priority on many job sites. Whatever it may be that’s of value to our clients, we utilize the tools and techniques at our disposal to look after that which is entrusted to us. Through Saluting Branches and participation in the Day of Service, volunteers are asked to perform work that will have a lasting impact on, and in, places that carry extraordinary historical, national and communal significance. This request is made with layers of responsibility that extend beyond the care of trees and landscapes, and includes the preservation of headstones, monuments and markers.
In some cases, these objects are physically irreplaceable, while damage of any degree has the potential to forever alter a place that has been set aside as hallowed ground.
Additionally, the communal nature of the Day of Service means that the work which we’ve volunteered to do is often carried out in proximity to and, at times with, individuals and crews that may be unfamiliar. Given the kinetic nature of our work and the dynamic use of space during operations, overlap between crews can create elevated needs for communication. Depending upon the experience, proficiency and communication-style of those involved, this arrangement can present both opportunities and challenges that may benefit, or complicate, the overall effort. Our experience has been that working together has, with extremely rare exception, only served to benefit the efforts and experiences of our volunteers and the success of our events.
Like so many factors in this industry, working within one’s limits is a constraint that must be continually evaluated. This can be challenging as the externalities that impact our situations continually evolve. Members of our crews may call out sick, shifting team dynamics. Tools or equipment may be out of service, changing our capabilities. Time may get short creating a sense of urgency. Budgets have a way creating corners we would rather not cut, and our physical capabilities change over the course of a day, a week, and a career.
These are pressures that we work to remove from our volunteers’ crews. Our Day of Service is not a production day and so there is no budget to meet. The “scope of work” is replaced with a list of projects that would be great to address if it is possible to do so. Risk-taking is discouraged and “going big” does not have a place in the arc of the day. Rather, we encourage everyone to do what they can with what they have in the available time.
Perhaps the simplest way to frame this thought is to maintain awareness for the fact that this is a Day of Service: We gather to tend to places of remembrance, caring, in turn, for neighbors, and communities. We come together to give to those who have given and to serve those who served. Our work and our contribution is to quietly do what we do so that others may have their moments of peace and connection. With this motivation in place, choices become less complicated and the best way forward becomes easier to see.
Looking ahead to September and this year’s annual event necessitates that we look back at where we’ve come from. Each year has been one of growth, coming in many forms, such as increases in the number of volunteers and the sites they served, geographic and demographic expansion, and the development of new relationships both with those in the industry and those beyond it. We expect that this year will be no different. We are looking forward to welcoming more volunteers and to more sites. The work at the national level to support this growth remains several steps ahead and includes an ongoing effort to further improve how we provide for the safety of the people and protection of the places that are involved. To this end, we are reviewing how we have approached event safety in the past and are in the process of refining our enrollment and logistics processes. We are developing new protocols to ensure that appropriate preparations are made and we are seeking input from others in the industry to expand our pre-event safety trainings.
Taking these steps to implement best practices during the Day of Service will undoubtedly create a safer day out for the Saluting Branches community. However, we also trust that this effort will play a part in raising general awareness for our industry on the whole and support the increased adoption of higher safety standards for working arborists throughout the year. What’s more, we hope to further this same conversation with and amongst other volunteer-based arboricultural projects as they continue advancing their own planning processes.
Over the last decade, Saluting Branches has had the tremendous fortune to have gone without instances of significant injury or property damage. This history of safety is a testament to the regard with which the safety standards that govern our industry are held, and it’s a demonstration of the respect and care with which industry professionals across the country conduct their work. It is an honor to contribute toward the advancement of these standards and promote the culture of safety upon which we all rely.
If you’d like to learn more about Saluting Branches, please visit salutingbranches.org or email info@salutingbranches.org.
Mark your calendars, the 2025 Saluting Branches Day of Service will be held Wednesday, Sept. 17. Registration for the event opens Memorial Day Weekend. We look forward to seeing you in September!
This article was originally published in the 2025 May/June edition of the UAA Newsline.
