ACTrees Webcast Series Volunteer Pruning Program Essentials. A Resource List

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1 ACTrees WEBCAST SERIES The ACTrees Webcast Series is a webcast held at the lunch hour on the third Thursday of each month. The goal is to provide training opportunities for local urban and community forestry practitioners. The trainings highlight successful programs and practices that you may want to adapt in your communities. Webcasts are open to all. Correctly planting and protecting trees is a good thing to do. However, planting and protecting trees also requires coordinating time and resources. ACTrees minimizes such requirements by sharing the innovative ideas and organized approaches of successful projects and models for members to replicate. We invite you to join Alliance for Community Trees for more ways to get involved. Together, we create a strong voice on behalf of the urban forest and make a great difference in the health, beauty, and livability of our communities. We strengthen communities by offering action-oriented approaches that bring people together around a common purpose. TOPIC Municipalities often set parameters for who can maintain public trees, and in some cases partner with nonprofits to encourage safe pruning practices. With proper training and oversight, volunteer-led pruning can help public and nonprofit tree professionals manage the growth and health of the urban forest. Pruning clubs also foster camaraderie among neighborhood green-thumbs and encourage residents to take ownership of local tree health. More information at: TRAINERS Samuel A. Bishop II Director of Education Trees New York 51 Chambers St. #1412 New York, NY, (212) sam@treesny.org Linda Eremita Senior Arborist TreePeople Mulholland Drive Beverly Hills, CA (816) leremita@treepeople.org Sam Bishop has been the Education Director at Trees New York since During this time, he has developed and introduced new technologies to the education programs, and increased annual participation in the Citizen Pruner course by over 100% in four years. He teaches urban forestry at The New School, as well as courses on urban trees at the New York Botanical Garden. Sam is an ISA Certified Arborist Municipal Specialist. He received a law degree from New England School of Law and a BA from Drew University. Linda Eremita is a certified arborist and a seasoned tree educator. Since joining TreePeople in 1998, Linda has held a number of roles including Volunteer Coordinator and Nursery Manager before assuming her current role as Forestry Education Manager and Senior Arborist. In designing and leading our urban forestry workshops, she plays a vital role in training volunteer leaders and Citizen Arborists to create a sustainable L.A. After earning a B.S. in Crop Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, with a concentration in Plant Protection, she moved to Seattle and studied horticulture for two more years. For over 14 years, she worked in Seattle as a landscape gardener/designer, including doing work for ACTrees member PlantAmnesty. In Linda s free time she loves growing her own food and spending time in nature. Page 1

2 Trees New York (New York, NY) TreesNY s signature Citizen Pruner Tree Care Course trains New Yorkers in tree care, biology, identification and pruning. Graduates of the program are certified by TreesNY and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation to legally prune New York City street trees. Citizen Pruners use appropriate tools and equipment, follow city regulations, and abide by safety standards and proper etiquette. With limited funding but significant need for tree maintenance, over 11,000 graduates of the program provide a tremendous benefit to the New York City government. After finishing the course, Citizen Pruner licenses are valid for 5 years. More information at: TreePeople (Los Angeles, CA) TreePeople s Citizen Arborist program trains Los Angeles residents to take care of their urban trees. Volunteers are trained to become Citizen Arborists by attending TreePeople s tree care events. Tasks include watering, weeding, mulching, and pruning. Citizen Arborists form a trusted network of highly trained community members who address tree maintenance issues in their local neighborhoods. They help lead community tree care events, and mentor tree care teams so that the LA s canopy thrives. More information at: Openlands (Chicago, IL) As part of its Community Greening effort, Openlands in Chicago operates TreeKeepers, a program that certifies the only nongovernmental group to work on public property planting and caring for trees. In order to be certified, volunteers must attend and pass seven consecutive Saturday classes, where they take written and practical exams on planting, mulching and pruning. Participants pledge to volunteer 24 hours within the year following graduation. Leading urban forestry professionals helped develop the curriculum and certification process, and volunteer to teach the courses. More information at: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (Philadelphia, PA) The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Tree Tenders program teaches the basics of tree planting, tree care, and how to rally communities around the importance of trees. The class is offered several times throughout the year in Center City Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. Tree Tenders plant and care for trees their communities, learning through hands-on tree care education in the five-county Philadelphia region. The nine-hour course covers tree biology, identification, planting, proper care, and working with your community. Area residents ages 16 and over are encouraged to enroll. More information at: Philly Tree People (Philadelphia, PA) Philly Tree People is an active pruning club dedicated to the care and maintenance of Philadelphia trees. Started by three Tree Tenders certified through ACTrees member Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philly Tree People steps in after urban trees have been planted to help area residents successfully maintain those trees through teaching proper pruning techniques. Procedures include clearance pruning, targeting broken, dead, and diseased branches; and weeding tree pits. Certified arborists oversee the pruning sessions, and Philly Tree People ensures tools are available for volunteers to use at each event. More information at: City Fruit (Seattle, WA) More than 30 Seattle parks have fruit trees many of them the remnants of heritage orchards. City Fruit has developed a threepart curriculum on fruit tree care to train orchard stewards on proper pruning technique. Each workshop lasts two hours and consists of lecture and hands-on practice and/or observation. Topics covered include basic fruit tree production, biology, pruning, pest management, and permaculture. City Fruit facilitates workshops and coordinates the steward groups with support from the State Department of Natural Resources, in collaboration with the US Forest Service. More information at: Page 2

3 Tree Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA) Through Tree Tenders, Tree Pittsburgh has established a robust volunteer pruning program. With programs like neighborhood based 'Pruning Workshops' to advanced opportunities like 'Seasonal Pruning Volunteer' positions and 'Pole Pruning Workshops', Tree Pittsburgh establishes a dedicated corps of volunteers with the skills to develop a structurally sound urban forest. Safety, a professional sense of respect for the work being completed, commitment, and consistency on the part of active volunteers are essential to building a sustainable program. Tree Pittsburgh engages Tree Tenders by holding regularly scheduled pruning programs throughout the year, and rewards repeat volunteers at significant benchmarks in their service. Tree Pittsburgh also works to maintain a sound working relationship between municipal forestry staff and the community of volunteers. More information at: City of Spokane (Spokane, WA) The "Volunteers In Pruning" program trains local tree fans to prune young trees for form and structure and is designed to improve the future of young trees in public places. The program targets trees planted within the last three years, an ideal time in their development to correct any structural problems that can lead to future hazards or tree failure. Volunteers in Pruning are supplied with proper tools and encouraged to attend pruning work parties that take place in late fall through early spring. Each community s forestry program chooses which public trees will be targeted for pruning most often park trees and street trees. More information at: Trees Forever (Des Moines, IA and Cedar Rapids, IA) Participants in the Trees Forever TreeKeepers program take part in hands-on and classroom presentations led by experienced Trees Forever staff members and other invited tree experts in the state. TreeKeepers learn about proper maintenance, tree identification, and biology. Among other activities, these volunteers actively participate in tree care events and plantings in their communities. TreeKeepers are additional eyes and ears for trees in their neighborhoods, share their knowledge with neighbors and key influencers. More information at: Casey Trees (Washington, DC) Citizen Foresters are Casey Trees-trained volunteers who teach new volunteers how to properly plant and care for trees, represent Casey Trees at events and spread the word about the value of urban forests. To become a Citizen Forester, participants complete one or more qualifying class Trees 101, Tree Planting or Stand Up for Trees. More information at: Trees Atlanta (Atlanta, GA) Trees Atlanta s TreeKeeper volunteer training and certification program gives participants an in-depth exposure to every aspect of urban forest stewardship. Featuring workshops, presentations, and hands-on demonstrations, Trees Atlanta ensures TreeKeeper graduates will be certified stewards of the urban forest, and eligible to help lead ongoing volunteer projects. Graduates receive a citizen s field guide full of valuable resources and information, as well as an official TreeKeepers hat, a manual, and a native tree. Graduates also receive a signed certificate upon completion of 24 volunteer hours with tree projects. More information at: Page 3

4 Richmond Tree Stewards (Richmond, VA) Sponsored by the Virginia Urban Forest Council, the Tree Stewards program is a state-wide program that facilitates education of community volunteers interested in promoting healthy urban forests. Tree Stewards participate in classes, educational programs, and projects in their communities intended to increase public awareness regarding the value of trees. With classroom training and hands-on practice, Tree Stewards are equipped to identify trees, counsel on tree selection, demonstrate proper tree planting and follow-up care, and guide removal of invasive plants that threaten trees. TreeStewards learn the basics of tree biology and physiology, pruning techniques, construction impacts on trees. Formal training takes place for one night a week for twelve weeks. Tree Stewards have chapters in Charlottesville/Albemarle, Front Royal, Lynchburg, Richmond, Roanoke, Arlington, Alexandria, and Virginia Beach. More information at: NYC Parks & Recreation MillionTreesNYC (New York, NY) New York City's MillionTrees campaign seeks to plant 1,000,000 trees throughout all five boroughs, including approximately 220,000 street trees. The Young Tree Pruning Program helps fulfill the City s commitment to strengthen, protect, and preserve its urban forest. The program is carried out by in-house trainings with City staff that teach ANSI A300 standards to ensure that all modern practices of structural pruning are upheld, and in conjunction with local, volunteer-based organizations. Its strategic focus is on neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs that have been the targets of concentrated tree plantings because of their low canopy cover and high population rates. In light of recent storms, the program has greatly increased the resilience of New York City s tree population to structural failures during severe weather. More information at: Up With Trees (Tulsa, OK) The P s of Trees Citizen Forester classes (focusing on Planning, Planting, Preserving and Promoting Tulsa s urban forest) are held at Up With Trees in Tulsa. Participants take short walks to nearby downtown tree sites for hands-on field applications as part of each session. Citizen Foresters receive 16 hours of training, learning how to identify tree species, how to plant and maintain trees, and the value of urban forestry awareness and education. Program graduates become part of an elite volunteer corps that will plant, maintain, prune, and inventory trees in parks and other locations. All classes are be taught by certified arborists and professionals including local collegiate faculty and city officials. More information at: Texas Trees Foundation (Dallas, TX) Texas Trees Foundation trains limited number of volunteers to become Citizen Foresters. Participants are tasked with educating and advocating for the urban forest in Dallas and acting as a volunteer base for tree planting events located throughout the city. The hands-on training experience covers tree biology, tree identification, proper pruning and planting procedures, the how to when watering, and much more. More information at: ACTrees National Webcast Recording- Repeat Volunteers: Cultivating Tree Leaders In promoting the value of urban forests, successfully cultivating repeat volunteers can become your most effective strategy for spreading the word, facilitating projects, and building broader support for your mission. Consistently retaining volunteers requires an investment of time, training, and other resources to sustain the overall quality of your relationship. Retaining volunteers develops a corps of supporters who may become your future project leaders, donors, political advocates, and best ambassadors for the message that trees matter. More information at: Page 4

5 PUBLICATIONS Volunteer Management: People are the Solution In promoting the value of urban forests, successfully recruiting and managing volunteers can become your most effective strategy for mobilizing ordinary people to spread the word. ACTrees developed Volunteer Management: People are the Solution as part of the Community Tree Leadership Forum in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and Arbor Day Foundation. Tools included in this guide help organizations to establish a volunteer program that provides the building blocks for finding the right volunteers, maximizing their impact, and recognizing their contributions. In addition to assessment forms and best practices, this guide contains in-depth case studies of 3 model volunteer programs: Trees New York s Citizen Pruner Program (New York, NY) Trees New York connects the diverse volunteers trained as Citizen Pruners who maintain trees around New York City with communities in need of their services. Trees Atlanta s Volunteer Recruitment Model (Atlanta, GA) Trees Atlanta strategically recruits volunteers as a result of knowing that most people volunteer due to environmental concerns, desire to beautify the neighborhood, social reasons, or get a good workout. Friends of Trees Volunteer Engagement Model (Portland, OR) In order to engage as many people as possible, Friends of trees provides volunteer opportunities at differing skill and time commitment levels to reach and engage volunteers. More information at: All About Pruning By Charles Deaton and Michael Maccaskey With clear photographs, drawings, and instructions, this handy reference describes how to prune evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and vines from the time they are first planted. It also explains how to rejuvenate old specimens, repair damaged plants, correct pruning mistakes, and train fruit trees and berry vines for greater harvests. The ABCs Field Guide to Young and Small Tree Pruning By Andrew G. Pleninger and Christopher J. Luley The ABCs is a systematic and prioritized method for proper tree pruning. It is intended for use on trees that can be pruned from the ground with hand tools. The book combines photographs with detailed graphics to serve as a useful resource for teaching workshops or master gardener classes. Pruning: A Practical Guide By Peter McHoy and Foreword by Elvin McDonald This comprehensive manual explains basic techniques through step-by-step instructions with the aid of 300 color photographs and diagrams. A directory of trees, shrubs, and climbers explains whether a particular plant benefits from pruning and, if so, how and when to do it. There are special sections on rose, clematis, conifers, fruits, and hedges. Pruning Simplified By Lewis Hill This book details over 100 clear, easy-to-follow illustrations on pruning methods including a chapter for each tree category. It also goes over a guide to pruning tools and equipment, with additional safety tips. For those who are creative with their shears, artistic pruning methods like topiary, espalier, and cordons are also outlined in this book. The Pruning of Trees, Shrubs, and Conifers By George E. Brown and Tony Kirkham This book recommends the best pruning techniques and practices. This unique encyclopedic treatment details the best pruning methods for more than 450 genera of trees, shrubs, conifers, and woody climbers. Page 5