Georgia Arborist Association

The GAA has 968 members, 15 members of our Board of Directors, and a database of 4,000 tree care industry professionals. We drive improvements in the arboriculture industry in Georgia by providing varied education, networking, and outreach opportunities. Encouraging and training arborists to become certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) is the main vehicle we use to advance arboricultural practices in our state.

The roots of the Georgia Arborist Association (GAA) go back to 1972, when Hugh Tyer and several private tree care operators banded together as the Atlanta Arborist Association to discuss their trade. This group continued to meet for many years. In 1982, they began to get together at set locations on the second Tuesday of each odd month and renamed themselves the Georgia Arborist Association as new members joined from Columbus and Macon,.

In the early 1990s, when Tyer joined the ISA Southern Chapter’s Board of Directors, the GAA started promoting certification, holding tree climbing competitions, and offering training sessions. By attending the trainings, certified arborists were able to earn “continuing education units,” a requirement of their professional certification, from the ISA. In 1996 the GAA hosted our first annual Tree Climbing Competition, which continues to this day.