Brian Kane

Massachusetts Arborists Association Professor

Faculty
Person in a tree
Contact
Email
Email
Phone
Facebook
Location
214 Holdsworth Hall

Primary Interests

Arboricultural Biomechanics, Tree Worker Safety

Interested students should feel free to contact me about helping out with research projects. I have lots of work to do, and can always use some help!

Current Projects

  • Effect of limb removal on forces and sway response of trees subject to different loads
  • Measuring rope tension during arboricultural tree climbing
  • Effects of root pruning on tree stability
  • Assessing factors predisposing trees to failure in hurricanes

Current Student Research Projects

  • Physiological and mechanical effects of pruning type and severity (Stella Dee)
  • Training municipal workers to prune trees (Teresa Siarnacki)
  • Tree management in Natick, Massachusetts (Asha Gehring)
  • Do support systems reduce the likelihood of tree failure (Amanda Halperin)

Previous Projects

  • Tree risk and structure analysis: determining risk of failure from structural defects and understanding how arboricultural practices such as pruning reduce the likelihood of tree failure (youtube.com/cladrastis)
  • Tree worker safety:  assessing climbing gear and techniques adapted from other high angle rope disciplines (youtube.com/cladrastis)
  • Urban tree growth:  measuring the post-planting growth of street trees

Courses Taught

Current

  • NRC 102: Arboricultural Field Techniques I
  • NRC 210: Arboricultural Field Techniques II
  • NRC 213: Arboriculture Field Techniques III
  • NRC 235: Sensible Pruning for Beginners & Experts
  • NRC 275: Trees and Sustainability

Recent Publications

  1. Fawcett, R., B. Kane, and D.V. Bloniarz. 2024. Training volunteers to structurally prune recently planted trees. Arboric. Urb. For. 50(3):224–240. https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.2024.006
  2. Apostolov, A., J.B. Oke, R. Suttle, S.R. Arwade, and B. Kane. 2023. Predicting tree failure likelihood for utility risk mitigation via a convolutional neural network. Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure. https://doi.org/10.1080/23789689.2023.2233759
  3. Okun, A., N.J. Brazee, M.J. Cunningham-Minnick, J.R. Clark, D.C. Burcham, and B. Kane. 2023. Do advanced assessment techniques change assessors’ rating of likelihood of stem failure due to decay? Forests 14(5):1043. https://doi.org/10.3390/f14051043
  4. Koeser, A.K., R.W. Klein, R.J. Hauer. J.W. Miesbauer, Z. Freeman, C. Harchick, and B. Kane. 2023. Defective or Just Different? Observed Storm Failure in Four Urban 
    Tree Growth Patterns.     Forests 14(5):988. https://doi.org/10.3390/f14050988
  5. Burcham, D.C., N.J. Brazee, R.E. Marra, and B. Kane. 2023. Geometry matters for sonic tomography of trees with one commercially available device. Trees – Structure and Function https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-023-02387-4
  6. Cunningham-Minnick, M.J., J. Milam, B. Kane, H.P. Roberts, and D.I. King. 2023. Abundant, distinct, and seasonally dynamic bee community in the canopy-aerosphere interface above a temperate forest. Ecology & Evolution https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9739
  7. Suttle, R., B. Kane, and D. Bloniarz. 2022. Comparing the Structure, Function, Value and Risk of Managed and Unmanaged Trees Along Rights-of-Way and Streets in Massachusetts. Forests https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101602
  8. Cunningham-Minnick, M.J., H.P. Roberts, B. Kane, J. Milam, and D.I. King. 2022. A cost-effective method to passively sample communities at the forest canopy-aerosphere interface. Methods in Ecology and Evolution – Practical Tools https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13987
  9. Nelson, M.F., R.W. Klein, A.K. Koeser, S.M. Landry, and B. Kane. 2022. The Impact of Visual Defects and Neighboring Trees on Wind-related Tree Failures. Forests. https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/7/978/pdf
  10. Kane, B. and S.R. Arwade. 2022. The effect of climbing line and ascent technique on the magnitude and frequency of loads associated with arboricultural climbing. Arboric. Urb. For. 48(6):309–318. https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.2022.023

Education

Ph.D., University of Massachusetts – Amherst 2002

M.S., University of Massachusetts – Amherst 1997

A.B., College of the Holy Cross 1992

Professional Achievements

  • ISA LC Chadwick Award 2022
  • TCIA Safety Award 2021
  • ISA President’s Award 2019
  • ISA Board of Directors 2013-2016
  • ISA Alex L. Shigo Award 2014
  • ISA Early Career Scientist Award 2011
  • Chair, ISA Science & Research Committee 2011-2013
  • TCIA Safety Award 2009

Careers in Arboriculture

http://www.isa-arbor.com/careersInArboriculture/careers.aspx
https://outsidecareers.org

Tree Care Advice

http://www.treesare good.org

http://certifiedtreeandlawn.org/ctl_search.cgi