Education

• UNBC Wildlife/Danger Tree Assessor 2009
• GPS/GIS Mapping Training 2006
• PNW/ ISA Certified Tree Risk Assessor 2005
• American Society of Consulting Arborists
  Graduate of ASCA Consulting Arborists Academy 2005
• Tree Decay Assessment 2003, 2004
• Lakeland College, Vermilion, AB
  • Alberta Pesticide Applicator Certification
    & License 2003
• Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Edmonton, AB
  • Object Oriented Analysis Database
    Development 1998
• International Society of Arboriculture
  • Hazard Tree Evaluation 1997
  • Tree Assessment 1994
  • International Certified Arborist Certificate 1994
• Olds College, Olds, AB
  • Utility Tree Worker Certification 1993
• University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
  • Arboriculture Diploma 1991
• University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
  • Agriculture 1981 - 1983
• Lakeland College; Vermilion, AB
  • Agricultural Technology Diploma 1980
    

Professional experience

• Insurance companies, lawyers & municipalities.
  Assessed, reported and provided expert witness service as needed regarding:
  
  
  • Spray drift damage to trees
  • Wrongful trespass, removal &/or damage to trees
  • Expropriation of land and tree preservation
  • Single tree to complex windbreak and shelterbelt evaluations (over 50 cases)
  • Farmland, city properties and municipal lands
  • Expert witness to tree values and assessments

 

• California, Prairie Provinces and British Columbia:
  • Performed more than 500 Tree Risk Assessments throughout western Canada
  • Assessed over 100 species of trees and evaluated them in a utility corridor setting in California
  • Provided a complete tree inventory and assessment for over 7,000 trees on the University of Manitoba campus
  • Inventoried and assessed trees in more than 80 municipalities in Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C.
  • Developed the elm tree inventory program and procedures for Alberta Agriculture. Trained all field staff and worked on the development of the software program for use by the municipalities in managing their elm tree inventory
  • Developed and completed golf course tree inventory and assessments in British Columbia.
  • Risk assessment and consulting services for BC Hydro

• Instructor/Guest Speaker:
  • See Home Page for samples of Verna’s presentations
  • Saskatchewan Parks & Recreation Association Tree Assessment, Hazard Evaluation, PHC
  • International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), Alberta
  • Expropriation Association
    Tree values, inventories and assessments
  • Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST)
    32-hour tree worker licensing course
  • Olds College
    - Sections of the Utility Tree Worker certification course; tree biology, botany, tree pruning and tree health assessment.
    - ISA certification tutorial in eight subjects
    -Speak during the College’s Horticulture Week and for their Gardener lecture series
  • Red River College
    Developed and taught tree care courses to horticulture students and the general public
  • University of Manitoba
    44-hour tree worker licensing course
  • Tree nursery research worker
    Conducted scientific tree trials and genetic work at Jefferies Nurseries, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

   

• Professional Memberships
  • Canadian Nursery Trades Association
  • International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)
  • BC Landscape & Nursery Association
  • ISA Prairie chapter; past executive board member
  • The American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA)

 

• Accreditations
  • Registered Consulting Arborist (pending)
  • International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist PR-0113
  • PNWISA Certified Tree Risk Assessor #54
  • Utility Tree Worker IVMAA Certification
  • St. John’s Ambulance, First-Aid Instructor