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When the UAA chose to honor Randall “Randy” Miller with the 2022 Utility Arborist Award, his contributions exceeded the qualifications to be nominated. This well-respected and experienced professional has left an indelible mark on the commercial and educational field of utility arboriculture – and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Randy began his journey in the late 1970s with a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He then earned a Master’s degree in Urban Forestry from UW-Stevens Point, where his thesis focused on the “Frequency of Use and Survival of Selected Street Tree Taxa in Three Wisconsin Cities.” From there, his career took him to Utah where he worked as a state community forester. Randy officially retired in 2017 following more than two decades in vegetation management at PacifiCorp where he directed a $52M/year vegetation management program. In May of 2017, he became Director of Research and Development at CNUC in a full-time position.

 UAA President Dennis Fallon presents 2022 Utility Arborist Award to Randy Miller

It’s evident that Randy honed his skills in leadership, public speaking, writing, research and consulting, over many years. He’s an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, a Certified Utility Specialist and serves on the ISA Board of Directors. He’s a former UAA President and board member of ACRT. Randy has assisted with editorial boards and test committees, and peer reviewed articles for arboriculture journals. An accomplished writer, he has some 100 credits in publications, including Utility Arboriculture: The Utility Specialist Certification Study Guide with fellow UAA member Geoff Kempter. Randy, who enjoys speaking on any number of arboriculture topics, is hosting a UAA webinar later this month, Are you a leader or a boss? (See the webinar section for more in this edition of Monthly Update).

Randy is also firmly devoted to the Tour de Trees, where he avidly encourages people to participate in the annual long-distance cycling event or donate money to help fund tree-related education, scientific research and student scholarships. He’s been riding in the Tour de Trees since 2013.

“I’m an arborist,” he says. “Trees are both my passion and my vocation. And if I don’t raise money for tree research and education, who can I expect to do it for me? So those of us who care for trees, and particularly those who make their living in arboriculture and urban forestry, have a responsibility to fund tree research.”

Congratulations, Randy Miller, for making a lasting impact on the industry and having fun while doing it.