Urban Forest Steward is a series of workshops about urban trees organized by TreeFolks and Austin Urban Forestry. Drought, disease and habitat degradation take a constant toll on urban trees. Texas A&M Forest Service estimates that the 2011 drought killed more than 5.6 million urban trees across Texas. We believe that the more you know about trees, the more you’ll want to take care of the trees at your home and in your community. The goal of Urban Forest Steward is to equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to do just that!
This year’s series is more exciting and in-depth than ever before, with topics taught by respected professionals from both public and private sectors. Pick and choose the sessions that are most interesting to you or take all 4 sessions to earn an Urban Forest Steward certificate and get the 2014 Urban Forest Steward t-shirt!
| Session #1: Advocating for Trees — September, 13, 2014 |
| In Session 1, you’ll learn about why trees matter to people living in urban areas and how you can help protect this important resource for future generations. We’ll discuss how trees benefit our communities and urban ecosystems, tree protection and replacement regulations, engaging public officials, and increasing public support for tree planting, care, and maintenance. Session 1 will also include a short course on Applied Tree Biology. |
| Session #2: Bugs, Drought, & Other Gnarly Issues — September 20, 2014 |
| Session 2 will cover the various challenges faced by urban trees and how you can intervene to improve the health of your trees. Experienced arborists will discuss abiotic problems faced in urban forests, common tree pests and diseases, how urban soils affect trees, tree care during drought, structural defects and how to assess tree risk, and how to volunteer to care for trees in Austin. |
| Session #3: Doing It Right (Tree Planting 101) — October 18, 2014 |
| Session 3 is all about how to properly choose, site and plant a tree. We’ll begin with a hands-on field exercise where you’ll learn how to plant a tree the right way, under the instruction of seasoned tree planting volunteers and arborists–because, yes, there is a wrong way to plant a tree! The rest of the day will cover how to select the right tree species for the right place and how to care for young trees so they’ll become well established and grow into healthy, thriving trees. You’ll also learn how to supervise and teach other volunteers to plant trees. |
| Session #4: Tree ID Expert Training — October 25, 2014 |
| The goal of Session 4 is to teach you how to identify the trees that you see around you every day. Brother Daniel Lynch said,”In conservation, it is well to remember that we cannot appreciate what we do not know.” We believe that learning to identify trees is key to increasing appreciation, conservation, and care of trees and the wildlife they support. We’ll discuss trees common to Central Texas, species diversity and wildlife habitat, and tree anatomy. After lunch, you’ll head out into the field to practice identifying trees alongside experienced tree geeks! |
Each session will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will be held at:
Britton, Durst, Howard & Spence Building
Chesnut Community Center
1183 Chestnut Avenue
Austin, TX 78702
Drinks, refreshments, and lunch are included in the registration fee.
Current TreeFolks members receive a 20% discount. You are a member if you have donated in the past 12 months. Join today!
