Constitution/ByLaws

Massachusetts Tree Wardens’ & Foresters’ Association Constitution/Bylaws

As amended at the Annual Meeting of the Association, January 13, 2015, Sturbridge, Massachusetts

Article I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Massachusetts Tree Wardens’ and Foresters’ Association.

Article II. Purpose

The Association is established for the promotion of scientific tree knowledge and the dissemination of information among those engaged in arboriculture, community forestry and related fields.

Article III. Members

Membership shall consist of Tree Wardens, City Foresters, and persons actively interested in arboriculture and allied fields.

Article IV. Executive Board

The Executive Board shall consist of officers and delegates. The officers shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and the Immediate Past President. The delegates shall consist of one delegate from each active county/region and at least six members at-large to be elected at the annual meeting. The President and Vice-President shall be involved with or have experience in municipal government.

Article V. President

The President or his/her designee shall preside at all meetings of the Association and Executive Board; shall co-sign all bank accounts; and shall submit a written report at the Annual Meeting detailing the activities of the Association and the Executive Board. The Vice-President, in the absence of the President, shall perform the usual duties of the President.

Article VI. Executive Board

The Executive Board shall act on all matters of interest to the Association, between the annual meetings, reporting such action to the members through the Secretary.

A quorum of the Executive Board shall consist of at least seven (7) members of the Board for the transaction of all Association business.

Article VII. Election of Officers & Delegates

All members of the Executive Board shall be members in good standing and shall be elected at the annual meeting.

The President and the Vice-President shall each be elected for a term of one year.

The Secretary and the Treasurer shall each be elected for a term of three years.

Association delegates and at-large members shall be elected for three-year terms.

All members of the Executive Board shall be limited to two consecutive terms.

There shall be no more than two members from the same business, government agency, or public utility on the Board at the same time.

All vacancies in their numbers may be filled by the Executive Board until the next annual meeting. All members of the Executive Board shall be involved in operations related to arboriculture, community forestry and related fields.

Article VIII. Annual Meeting

The annual meeting of the Association shall be held on such a date and place as the Executive Board shall recommend. Notices of all meetings shall be sent to each member at least 15 days before such meetings.

Article IX. Quorum

Twenty-five members at the annual meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of all business.

Article X. Dues

The annual dues of the Association shall be sufficient, in the opinion of the Executive Board, to defray the operating costs of the Association, excepting scholarships. The annual dues for each member of the Association shall be determined by the Executive Board.

Article XI. Nominating Committee

At least three months before the annual meeting, the President shall appoint a committee of three Executive Board members to nominate candidates for officers and board vacancies for the ensuing year.

Article XII. Amendments

Any proposed amendment to this Constitution must be announced in the call for the annual meeting, and such amendment, to become effective, must be approved by three-fourths of the members present.

Article XIII. Advisory and Honorary Life Members

The Executive Board may, from time to time, appoint Advisory and Honorary Life Members.

Advisory Members may be either active or honorary life members. Advisory members may attend all Executive Board meetings and may make presentations to the Executive Board, but they shall not vote on Executive Board actions.

Honorary Life Members shall have all the rights and privileges of active members but shall be exempt from dues.

Article XIV. Dissolution

Upon dissolution of the organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more of the exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(5), or of the corresponding section of any future tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal, state or local government for a public purpose.