Sign up Today! 2007 Autumn Tree Care Advisor Core Course

Submitted by Rene Jones Lafflam on Sun, 2007-09-23 20:03.

This autumn, the Minnesota Tree Care Advisor Program will once again offer the core course in the Rochester area. This will be the sixth time that the training will take place in Rochester, and many volunteers from southeast Minnesota have completed this course. Several thousand hours have been contributed to nurturing Minnesota’s urban forests by these volunteers, in their own communities and around the state.

 

This autumn, the core course will be a cooperative event, with Angie Gupta and Jacob Ryg joining us for the training. Angie is the University of Minnesota Regional Extension Educator in Rochester, and Jacob is Rochester’s city forester. Both have extensive training and experience in urban forestry and forestry and will bring their unique perspectives to the training throughout the year.

The Tree Care Advisor core course involves 30 hours of “classroom” training, beginning this autumn and concluding next spring. This autumn, classes will be held at the Rochester Community and Technical College, from 6-9 p.m. on six evenings: October 29 through December 10 (every Monday except Thanksgiving week Monday). The training concludes during April of 2008 with two, full-day Saturday sessions: April 12 and 19.

To become a Tree Care Advisor, all classes must be attended since each covers a different basic topic. The curriculum includes the following core topics: pruning, planting, plant selection, tree and shrub identification, diagnosing and preventing problems (diseases, insects and disorders), avoiding and treating construction damage, avoiding and treating storm damage, working with and motivating volunteers, risk assessment and general tree care.

This training is for people committed to volunteerism, with their community, with their city forestry department, with the Extension Service and/or Master Gardener Program, or with local school or non-profit programs. It is not a replacement for college-level courses or professional development. The cost for individuals intending to return volunteer hours is $100.00. This includes a core course reference manual. For those electing to complete the training for professional development, the cost is $375.00. There is no pro-rated category for taking individual classes.

For more information or to register on-line, you may access the Tree Care Advisor web site (www.mntca.org) or contact Gary Johnson at johns054@umn.edu, or 612-625-3765. For a detailed curriculum schedule, contact Gary Johnson.

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