Restore, maintain and care for local tree canopies with ‘Tree Tenders Training’ | News, Sports, Jobs

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A tree canopy spreads upwards towards the sky.

UNIVERSITY PARK — To empower concerned residents to make strides towards restoring and caring for the tree canopy in their communities, Penn State Extension will offer the “Tree Tenders Training Series.” Webinars will occur from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesdays from Jan. 14 to Feb. 25.

The course is designed for shade tree commissions, municipal officials and staff, community volunteers, landscape contractors, arborists and architects who work with municipalities, and anyone interested in restoring and maintaining tree canopies in their community.

Participants will learn how trees work, the ecosystem benefits of trees, how to properly plant and care for trees, tree identification, tree stressors and how to organize volunteer tree projects.

Those who attend live sessions can earn arborist continuing education units from the International Society of Arboriculture. Certificates of attendance can be provided upon request for landscape architecture continuing education credits or other professional certifications.

Since 1993, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has trained more than 4,500 Tree Tenders in 150 Pennsylvania neighborhoods. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has supported the program since 2004. The program expanded to Pittsburgh and smaller metropolitan areas in 2008 and has been available statewide since 2013, training nearly 3,000 additional Tree Tenders since then.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service; the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry; and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society provide financial and in-kind support for the program.

Participants must register by Jan. 6 to receive the link to access the webinars. A link to the recorded webinars will be emailed to registrants within 10 business days after the live event. The recording will be accessible for six months from the event date.

Registration includes a hard copy of the Tree Tenders Handbook, published by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, along with numerous downloadable publications and fact sheets.

More information is available on the www.extension.psu.edu/tree-tenders-training.