From Green Right Now Reports
As part of an initiative to plant one million trees and restore tree cover in Pennsylvania’s 14 metropolitan areas, the state’s TreeVitalize program will offering citizens classes in planting and caring for trees.
“Trees, like people, need to be nurtured to thrive,” John Quigley, Pennsylvania’s acting secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said in a statement. “Many urban street trees die within the first seven years of planting. These classes will teach people how to help our investments in trees to survive.”
TreeVitalize is a program aimed at revitalizing urban areas by increasing tree cover with a goal of 1 million new trees planted statewide by 2012. More than 186,000 trees have been planted to date.
During eight hours of training, participants will learn about tree biology, identification, pruning and root care, as well as how to raise funds, manage volunteers and work with local government.
The Tree Tenders training program was developed by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in collaboration with Penn State Extension Urban Foresters in the Philadelphia area. It is now being offered with instruction provided by the state’s Bureau of Forestry, in partnership with PHS, Penn State, and other local urban forestry experts.
Participants are expected to volunteer time to community tree planting projects in exchange for the training.
Registration for all classes is required. Classes are being held this spring in Pittsburgh; Blue Bell, Montgomery County; Havertown, Delaware County; and the City of Philadelphia.
Workshops also will be offered later this summer in Altoona, York, Easton and Wilkes-Barre.
The program will provide training and support on shade tree ordinances, inventories, management plans and budgeting necessary to effectively manage public trees. The first institute will be offered May 20-21 in the Pittsburgh area, with a second one under development for the fall in the Allentown area.
For a Tree Tenders schedule and to register, visit the TreeVitalize web site and look under “TreeVitalize Events.” Registration also is required for the Municipal Tree Institute workshop, details of which will be posted on the Web site when available.