Richard is the Owner and Lead Arborist here at Trees Vermont. Richard has Over 30 Years of Experience with plants and trees.

In 2010 he acheived the distiction of being the First Private Sector ISA Board-Certified Master Arborist in the State of Vermont.

Richard also became the First Vermont Arborist to Earn the ISA Tree Risk Assessor Qualification.

Richard came into arboriculture by way of financial programming; certainly an unconventional segue into the field but the structured logic and processes for debugging code and the attention financial details required built a firm foundation for tree healthcare.

With unceasing encouragement from fellow arborist and friend Jordan Voelker Richard earned the designation of International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist in April of 2004. Richard followed that up by earning the additional credential of Certified Tree Worker/Climber Specialist in 2008.

In November of 2010 Richard earned the premier credential of ISA Board-Certified Master Arborist. To put this acheivement into perspective, in 2012 there were Fewer Than 400 ISA Board Certified Master Arborists Worldwide.

In addition to being a fully qualified practitioner of tree care, Richard is also a qualified Consulting Arborist having graduated from the American Society of Consulting Arborists Consulting Academy in the spring of 2013.

In the Fall of 2014 Richard became a Tree Care Industry Association Certified Tree Safety Professional and a TCIA Instuctor for numerous programs including Chainsaw Safety, Chipper Operations, Aerial Rescue and Electrical Hazards Awareness.

Outside of the tree-world, Richard has a lifetime record of Community Service:

• Over 50 years involvement in youth programs both as a partipant and adult leader.
• 12 years as a Firefighter in Chittenden County, attaining the rank of Captain and retiring in 1994 following an unrelated eye injury.
• Along with his wife of 37 years continues to serve as Marriage Mentors to engaged couples prepare for making their lifetime commitments to each other.
• Served for nearly a decade as a work based learning provider and mentor for students studying at the Urban Forestry program at the local Job Corps facility.