Advocacy can sometimes feel like leaning against a door that moves so slowly you’re never quite sure it’s moving at all. That’s especially true when the victories show up as small line items in government documents rather than headline-grabbing announcements. This week, we found one of those victories. We had to scroll down to number eight on the list to find it, but what was there offered another sign that the door is, in fact, moving.

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy recently submitted recommendations to OSHA identifying regulatory reform priorities important to small businesses. Among them, at number 8 on the list, was a dedicated Tree Care Operations Standard.

SBA’s recommendation highlighted many of the same concerns TCIA has raised for years: tree care is a uniquely hazardous profession, OSHA currently relies on a patchwork of standards written for other industries, and small businesses need a clear, practical standard tailored to the realities of tree care work.

For our industry, this is more than a policy recommendation. It’s evidence that the message we’ve repeated consistently for more than two decades is indeed gaining traction.

TCIA first petitioned OSHA for a tree care-specific standard in 2006. Since then, members, volunteers, staff, industry experts, and our advocacy partners have spent years participating in hearings, submitting comments, meeting with policymakers, and explaining why tree care should be regulated according to the hazards tree care professionals actually face.

The road hasn’t been short, smooth, or easy. And it hasn’t always been obvious that progress was being made. But over the past several months, the signs have become harder to ignore. OSHA briefed its advisory committee on a draft standard, the committee approved a resolution urging OSHA to issue a proposed rule, the rule appeared on OSHA’s regulatory agenda, and now SBA Advocacy has added its voice to the conversation.

The timing also reminded me that advocacy works best when more people are invited into the conversation.

Last week, Senator Maggie Hassan visited ArborTech in New Hampshire to hear directly from tree care professionals. Representatives from the Small Business Association’s New Hampshire office were there. Members of Congressman Chris Pappas’ staff were there. They saw professional tree care operations up close and heard firsthand why a dedicated Tree Care Standard matters. They brought that experience back to their offices with them.

Did their visit help cement this week’s recommendation? I have no idea. But advocacy is rarely a single conversation or a single meeting. More often, it is the accumulation of experiences, relationships, and observations that slowly move an issue from “something a trade association is talking about” to “something policymakers understand” to “this is something that deserves our effort.”

There is still work ahead before a Tree Care Operations Standard becomes reality. But after two decades of effort, it is encouraging to see more voices recognizing what our industry has known for a long time: tree care deserves a standard built for tree care.

That’s how we will ultimately succeed. Not by simply making our argument, but convincing others to begin making it too. After twenty years of pushing on this issue, it feels like more people are pushing alongside us. And for the first time in a long time, the door seems to be moving.

Have a great weekend!