While gardening can be a calming, satisfying way to spend a Saturday afternoon, the many tools and devices that help make modern landscaping easier also pose safety risks if proper precautions aren't taken. Thankfully, ANSI member and accredited standards developer the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) has put together a standard that provides comprehensive safety guidance related to the removal, repair, and maintenance of trees. This American National Standard, ANSI Z133-2012, Standard for Arboricultural Operations - Safety Requirements, covers general safety as well as risks associated with the use of vehicles, portable power tools, ladders, and hand tools, among other hazards. Another American National Standard, this one developed by ANSI member and accredited standards developer the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), provides guidance on a different aspect of tree care, namely the planting and transplanting of trees. ANSI A300 (Part 6)-2012, Planting and Transplanting, covers the four basic methods of tree transplanting - balled and wrapped, bare root, boxed, and tree spade - and includes important guidelines concerning inspection of a potential transplant site and other elements of the planting and transplanting process.
Whether gardening is your passion or you just need to manage your unruly lawn, standards are there to support the products and technologies that keep these activities safe and productive.