FALL 2025 NEWSLETTER

President’s Message

Hello fellow pruners,

As summer wanes and we enter autumn, there is a lot to look forward to: fall color, winter silhouette, lots of pine work! It is also a time to prepare for the burst of energies that happens when spring comes. That is what is happening in the APA—we are preparing for larger endeavors and events in 2026, and I'd like to invite you (yes, you!) to participate in this early stage. Contact me if you are curious about what we have planned, and would like to contribute your talents and time. You'll be glad you did!

As ever, feel free to contact me via email at apa@aestheticprunersassociation.org with thoughts or questions!

Lara Miranda

APA Certified Aesthetic Pruner® #65
President, Aesthetic Pruners Association
510.658.3438

Feature Article

Trees Need Their Branches, Not Just for Beauty but for Balance

Peter Quintanilla, CAP #25

In addition to "pruning," the word "decision" also derives its meaning from a Latin word related to cutting: the Latin decidere means "to cut off" or "to cut away." Every time we prune a tree, we make countless decisions: which branches to remove, which to preserve, and how each cut will affect the tree's future. But perhaps the most crucial decision of all is understanding that what we're cutting away is not just wood and leaves, but often the very systems that keep a tree alive and standing.

Like many APA pruners, I mostly prune small trees, but at times I am asked to recommend pruning for large trees. While the same basic principles apply, pruning large trees requires special attention to how the pruning might affect their structural stability.

When we prune, it is easy to think only about how a tree looks when we are done. While appearance certainly matters, it is equally important to understand the remarkable natural engineering that allows trees to survive storms and remain standing for decades or even centuries. At the heart of this system is a principle known as mass damping, one of the most important yet often overlooked concepts in tree care.

Mass damping is the way a tree uses its own weight, especially the mass of branches and canopy, to absorb and dissipate energy. When the wind blows, a tree's swaying is not a weakness but a built-in form of stability. Different parts of the canopy move at slightly different frequencies, scattering energy so the trunk and roots are not forced to bear it all at once. This effect is most significant in larger trees, where the height and weight of branches create even greater damping capacity.

Australian biomechanics researcher Dr. Ken James has studied this phenomenon for decades. His work shows that branches sway out of sync with one another, damping wind-induced motion. Even relatively small limbs play a meaningful role. By contrast, removing too many interior branches increases stress on structural parts of the tree.

A common view of a tree canopy is that of a sail. While this might make sense at first glance, Dr. James’ research shows it is a misleading analogy. Unlike a rigid sail that channels wind into a mast, a tree canopy is porous, flexible, and made up of thousands of moving parts. Wind passes through leaves and branches, each swaying at different frequencies, creating a damping effect that reduces trunk movement. Instead of concentrating force, the canopy disperses it, breaking wind into smaller eddies and distributing loads throughout the tree.

Leaves contribute to this system as well. Many species reconfigure their leaf shape in wind, folding, curling, or clustering, to reduce drag and mechanical stress. This adaptive movement complements branch damping, adding another layer of stability.

When trees are over-thinned, especially when interior branches are stripped away, that natural damping system is compromised. What remains is often a top-heavy tree or an end-weighted branch that sways more, not less, and is more likely to fail. Ironically, pruning intended to "lighten" a tree can make it less safe.

I am sometimes asked by clients to "open up" the canopy because they are concerned about windthrow or broken limbs. While light thinning may be acceptable for small trees, removing live interior branches on large, growing trees can work against a tree's natural response to wind forces. According to the ISA’s Best Management Practices on Pruning, when it comes to reducing crown density, "The removal of live interior and lower lateral branches should be avoided." The majority of branch reduction and removal cuts should be made at the canopy's periphery.

We would do well to remember that the tree will most likely be thinned again and again over its lifespan, with more interior branches removed each time. After a few decades, most if not all of its interior branches may be lost. We have all seen trees that have been "lion-tailed" over many years.

When pruning a tree, remember that every cut is a decision, one that should be made with respect for the tree's natural engineering. The branches you choose to leave behind may be doing far more good than you think. They are not just ornaments; they are part of the tree's survival system. The best pruning decisions honor a tree's beauty, its biology, and its biomechanics.

Feature Article

Involve Yourself in the APA

Allison Levin, APA CAP #34

When you give your time and energy to a project, it’s always good to ask, “What’s in it for me?”

To that point, why are you a member of the APA? Maybe you want to make professional connections, get tips about growing your business, or learn more about aesthetic pruning. Certainly, APA resources like Tree Talks, pruning seminars, and New Professionals panels are valuable to the professional pruner. 

But don’t overlook some of the most valuable benefits that a professional organization can offer.  These, believe it or not, come from participation—in a committee, by contributing to the newsletter, or even engaging in a conversation. Whether behind the scenes or in front of the camera, these are leadership activities that benefit the organization and our members—but they especially enrich you. Hear me out!

I’m not going to pretend that (for example) committee work is easy. We are all pressed for time that we owe family and ourselves. We’re often worn out from a long day in the trees. 

On the other hand, there are skills you’ll sharpen, opportunities you can pursue. Here are some of the benefits of participating: 
• As people get to know you, they can become friends, associates, and resources.
• You’ll get practice in speaking, writing, and presentation.
• You’ll get experience in planning, analyzing, negotiating, leading, and collaborating.
• Your pruning skills will develop the more you immerse yourself in the world of aesthetics.

These are all valuable skills for anyone who works with people. Yes, we prune trees…after we’ve won over our clients! Clients we find through our web of contacts, all made possible by our communication skills. 

Opportunities to choose from:
• Newsletter Committee
• Website Committee
• Craft Standards Committee
• Education Committee
• Finance Committee
• Board

More opportunities: 
• Certification
• Certification Test Administrator
• Member Forums
• Social media
• Teaching events
• Local outreach and community building
• All the other opportunities I haven’t thought of but YOU might!

Whoa, this is heady stuff! Worth a bit of your time, I think!

So I encourage you to think of your ambition; whether that’s a full-time job or a headliner opportunity at a national conference, think about what skills are involved, and how the APA can contribute to your success. “What’s in it for me?” It’s always good to ask! 

Want to explore this more? Start a topic on the APA forum, and let’s start talking about it.

APA Open Board Positions

At the upcoming January 2026 APA Annual Meeting we will have 2 key board positions to fill:
Secretary and Treasurer

We hope that you are inspired after reading Allison’s article about the benefits of volunteering! Read on about these upcoming opportunities—both roles are integral to the operation and success of the APA...and you get to hang with the APA Board!

We need you!

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Secretary

Duties of the APA Secretary

- Keep a log of minutes of all APA board meetings, the Annual Meeting, and any other meeting deemed as necessary.

- Provide copies of the minutes for approval by the board and make minutes accessible to members.

- Keep charge of all official APA documents.

- Keep a copy of the By-laws and Policies and Procedures and update as necessary.

- Call roll at APA meetings and determine the presence of a quorum.

- Provide written notice of the Annual meeting to APA members.

- Conduct correspondence of the APA as needed.

If you think you may be interested, consider joining a monthly board meeting on Zoom on the second Thursday of the month to see the current Secretary in action.

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Treasurer

Duties of the APA Treasurer

The APA Treasurer works with the bookkeeper and accountant to document and report the income and expenses of the organization. We are currently working to streamline the Treasurer’s tasks to make the position easier, but basically the Treasurer’s duties include the following:

- Deposit occasional incoming checks and review online income transactions.

- Manage the payment of bills, fees, organizational dues and other expenses.

- Provide the bookkeeper with bank statements and documentation of deposits and payments for the bookkeeper to enter into the APA accounting software.

- Review the financial statements created by the bookkeeper and accountant.

- Serve as Chair of the Finance Committee.

- Write a Finance Committee report for the quarterly newsletter.

- Make a financial report to the membership at the annual meeting.

- Work with the Finance Committee, Board and other committee chairs to prepare an annual budget.

Because of the nature of the position—managing paper documents, receipts, checks, and the organization’s financial files—the Treasurer needs to be located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Become an APA Certified Aesthetic Pruner®

Calling all Associate and Student APA members! It’s never too early to start working towards certification!

Next CAP application deadline: March 1, 2026
Upcoming CAP Mentoring meeting: November 3, 2025
Certification details at https://www.aestheticprunersassociation.org/become-certified
Questions? Looking for help? Contact the Craft Standards Committee at craftstandards@aestheticprunersassociation.org

APA Upcoming Events

APA Picnic

Come spend time with fellow pruners!

Family and friends are welcome to join. Bring food and beverages for yourself and/or to share.

Sunday, September 21, 2025
11am – 2pm* (PDT)

Redwood Bowl Picnic Area

Roberts Regional Recreation Area, Oakland, CA

For questions, contact Jeff Becerra at jeffbecerra@sbcglobal.net.

 *The original “save the date” for the picnic listed 3pm as the end time. People are free to stay beyond 2pm, but we’ll officially end at 2pm to give time for those viewing Matt Ritter’s Tree Talk (3–5pm) to return home. 

CAP Mentoring

Need help getting certified? We are here to help!

Monday, November 3, 2025
6pm – 7:30pm (PST)

On Zoom

REGISTER

APA Coffee Talk

Join us for an informal Zoom gathering to talk shop with fellow pruners.

Sunday, January 11, 2026
10am – 11:30am (PST)

On Zoom

REGISTER

APA Annual Meeting

*Save the date*

Join us for our annual membership meeting, where we review and discuss the activities of the organization, elect board members, and get to know one another.

Sunday, January 25, 2026
10am – 12:30pm (PST)

On Zoom

Other Events

North American Japanese Garden Association (NAJGA) International Conference

This is a wonderful opportunity to learn new skills, engage with different people from around the world, and establish connections in the Japanese garden community. The APA will be offering three sessions of pruning instruction on pine trees in the gardens at the Missouri Botanical Garden (MOBOT), led by Maryann Lewis and Bill Castellon. It’s not too late to register! Find out more information about NAJGA and the upcoming conference here. 

Wednesday, October 15 – Sunday, October 18, 2025
Missouri Botanical Garden (MOBOT), St. Louis, MO

Please send us information on events in your area that may interest other members so that we can include them in this column.

APA News

Members can join a conversation over coffee!

APA Coffee Talks are a chance for informal conversation about pruning, held quarterly on a Sunday morning over Zoom. From strategies for getting more work to questions about working on specific cultivars, they are an opportunity for pruners spread far and wide to connect with other pruners. They’re also a chance for newer folks to hear from those with more experience.

The Education Committee just started hosting Coffee Talks in the past year. The first three Coffee Talks have been well-attended, with conversation ranging from approaches to fruit tree pruning to how we charge. They’ve also included sharing about pruning-related events and resources. Our most recent Coffee Talk covered many topics, including weather patterns and effects on pathogens; client communication and turning down jobs; estimates vs. consultations; ways to set rates, including adjusting rates and approaches to raising rates; collaborating with arborists in working on big trees; borers on black pines; scope of work and charging; ways to find work; dynamics and dimensions of working for wealthy people; and differences in clients in different geographic locations. Sound interesting?

Our next Coffee Talk will be on Sunday, January 11, 2026, 10–11:30am (PST). You can register here.

Other News

Review: Shin-Boku Nursery September Pruning Workshop

Shin-Boku Nursery in Wentworth, New Hampshire held a pruning workshop in September led by APA CAP Nicki LaPlante and Douglas Roth of Sukiya Living Magazine (The Journal of Japanese Gardening). Fifteen pruners gathered for Sukiya Living Magazine’s annual Japanese Pruning Workshop at Shin-Boku Nursery on September 12 and 13, 2025. Three APA members participated: Yauhen (Eugene) Zhukau, Provincetown, MA; Sophia Pilling, Harwich, MA; and Nicki LaPlante, Peru, NY. It was a perfect New England autumn weekend. Lots of learning and fun was had!

APA Members-only Videos

Members can access video links to past APA Talks!

Links to Tree Talks, APA Annual Meeting talks, and other archived presentations are available on the APA website under the Resources tab.

You must be logged in to your account to view the videos.

NEW Videos Available:

Welcome New APA Members

Associate Members

Rob Maser (San Ramon, CA)
Mary Nickerson (Woodinville, WA)

Affiliate Members

Evan Cordes (Portland, OR)
Jessica Kardos (Kenwood, CA)
Andrea Patten (Novato, CA)

Student Members

Joey Salcido (El Sobrante, CA)

Committee Chair Reports

CRAFT STANDARDS COMMITTEE
Co-Chairs: Walt Fujii, CAP #10, and Allison Levin, CAP #34

Committee members: Dina Blackwell, Carolyn Cooley, Grant Foerster, Maryann Lewis, Judy Thomas, Emily Fronckowiak, Randall Lee.

The Craft Standards Committee (CSC) met three times since our spring report.

Updating of the Certified Aesthetic Pruner (CAP) Exam Oral Test section has been completed to improve ease of administration.  

The reworked CAP Exam Written Test questions were edited and vetted by Nicki LaPlante, Barb Eaton, Melissa Hyams, Grant Foerster, and Dina Blackwell. Dina entered the 195 written test questions into the Classmarker database. Classmarker is the program used to administer the written test.

In order to train the Test Administrators (TAs) who will conduct the CAP Exam, a recorded training session was recently completed. Maryann Lewis led this TA training session by guiding the group through the recently updated Test Administrator Guidelines. Due to Maryann’s diligence and the cooperation of all present, it was agreed that the recording should be saved for training future TAs. The purpose of the TA guidelines is to provide a fair, consistent and effective platform that recognizes the unique qualities each of us brings to the art and craft of aesthetic pruning.

The APA Certified Aesthetic Pruner® (CAP) designation recognizes those professional pruners who demonstrate a high level of proficiency when applying the art and science of aesthetic pruning. For this reason, the Craft Standards Committee seeks members whose knowledge and experience will maintain the well-earned reputation of the CAP designation.

We welcome and look forward to input and participation from interested members!

________________________________________________________________

EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Chair: Carolyn Cooley, CAP #15

Committee members: Judy Thomas, Evelyn Borchert, Greg Kitajima, Allison Levin, Cathy Crystal, Peter Quintanilla

The Education Committee has benefited greatly from the addition of two new members: Peter Quintanilla and Cathy Crystal! 

We hosted two talks in our New Professionals series in the past few months. “Tools We Love” featured a panel of pruners: Oscar Romero, Evelyn Borchert and Jason Welsh. “Ergonomics and Body Health” featured personal trainer and physical therapy assistant Summer Prueitt. Both of these talks had information valuable to both new and seasoned pruners. You can find videos of these talks on the APA website in Guest Lectures under the Resources tab. Keep your eyes out for the next New Pros talk on a business related topic, and let us know if you’re interested in being a New Pros speaker—it’s great to have a range of voices and experience as part of this series.

We’ve got two upcoming Tree Talks: On September 21, botanist Matt Ritter will speak on “California Trees,” and on December 14, Jocelyn Cohen, CAP #28, will speak on “Ancient Trees.” We’ve got a talk on firescaping for pruners in the works, too. Let us know if you’ve got suggestions for Tree Talk topics or speakers!

The next Coffee Talk will be January 11, 2026, 10–11:30am (PST) on Zoom. 

We’re putting together a survey of members on the topic of how we charge, and for 2026, we’re working on a fruit tree pruning hands-on workshop—stay tuned for more info. 

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FINANCE COMMITTEE
Chair: Barbara Eaton, CAP #60

Committee members: Lara Miranda, Dina Blackwell, Melissa Hyams, Nina Rizzo, Mark Mendell, Shivawn Layne (Accountant), Helga Mahlmann (former Accountant)

In the second quarter of 2025, our main income was from membership dues, totaling $1,840. We received a $260 donation to the Sachiko Umehara Scholarship, and received a bit of additional income from a CAP application fee and merchandise sales. Our CD account earned $345 in interest for the quarter. Our main second quarter expenses included about $740 in website expenses and a little over $200 for our mailbox rental. 

Anyone interested in joining the Finance Committee is welcome to email Barb at apatreasurer@aestheticprunersassociation.org.

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MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
Chair: Alex Senauke

Committee members: Dina Blackwell, Lara Miranda

This summer we gained six new members. Our largest membership base continues to be located in the Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest. On a personal note, I will be moving to Oregon this month to study forestry at Oregon State University. Please reach out if you want to connect about networking opportunities and potential programming in the Willamette Valley region! My email address is alexsenauke@gmail.com.

Additionally, we continue to publicize APA programming on LinkedIn. Follow us to stay up-to-date and to easily share events with your professional network:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/aesthetic-pruners-association/

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PROMOTIONS COMMITTEE
Chair: Jeff Becerra 

Committee members: Dina Blackwell, Jane Chua-Couzens, Barb Eaton, Melissa Hyams, Nina Rizzo

The APA will once again be a sponsor of the North American Japanese Garden Association’s International Conference, this year taking place in St. Louis, Missouri, in October. If you’re attending, look for our logo on the tote bag and help spread the word about what we do!

The Promotions Committee has also been supporting late summer outreach events such as staffing the APA booth at Solano Stroll and organizing the annual picnic.  

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SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE
Chair: Randall Lee, CAP #3 

Committee members: Dina Blackwell, Melissa Hyams

We had four candidates for the Sachiko Umehara Scholarship this year. The Scholarship Committee of Dina Blackwell, Melissa Hyams, and Randall Lee met in April and scored the candidates. The committee chose to award the scholarship of $500 to Carolyn Reuman. Carolyn is a member of the Merritt College Pruning Club and has participated in the Hands-on Pruning class. The APA Board approved the decision by the Scholarship Committee and Randall notified the Peralta Colleges Foundation of the APA's choice. The Peralta Colleges Foundation notified Carolyn in May.

The Sachiko Umehara Scholarship, managed by the Peralta Colleges Foundation and funded by the Aesthetic Pruners Association (APA) and individual donors, is designed to help cover the tuition costs of the academic classes offered through the Merritt College Landscape Horticulture Department. This scholarship is awarded to any student who wishes to get a horticulture education and take the Aesthetic Pruning series of classes offered at Merritt College.
• Scholarship amount: $500.
• Deadline to apply: March 1, 2026
• Apply online starting October 1, 2025 through the Peralta Colleges Foundation (https://peraltafoundation.org/scholarships/). Students cannot apply directly for the Sachiko Umehara Scholarship, but the Peralta Colleges Foundation system matches all scholarships in their database for which applicants are eligible. Applicants should demonstrate a stated need and an educational commitment to learn the craft of aesthetic pruning.
• The scholarship is awarded by the APA and announced in May.