Tree Tenders’ Basic Training

Posted by on August 05, 2013

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society will offer its nine-hour Tree Tenders training course, which empowers and teaches concerned residents how to make dramatic strides toward restoring and caring for the local tree population, in three sessions from 6:00-9:00 PM, in two locations this Fall. In Bucks County, the class will be held on September 12, 19 and 26 at Middletown Municipal Center, 3 Municipal Way, Langhorne, PA. In Delaware/Philadelphia Counties, the class is scheduled for September 17, 24 and October 1 at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, 8601 Lindbergh Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA.

The Tree Tenders program is a vital element of the new PHS initiative, Plant One Million, the multi-state tree campaign to replenish the tree population of 13 counties in the Greater Philadelphia region, southern New Jersey and Delaware. The region has lost millions of trees in recent decades to development. The new initiative will involve local governments, corporate sponsors, organizations, schools, civic groups and residents in reaching the goal of a 30 percent tree canopy – the area of land shaded by trees.

The Tree Tenders course offers hands-on tree care training for residents and covers tree biology, urban stresses on trees, tree identification, tree planting, community organizing, tree pruning and root care. Given the intensity of the training, the training is not appropriate for children under age 16.
A community can form a Tree Tenders group by having three or more people graduate from the course. Benefits include tree grant and volunteer tree planting opportunities.

Fee for the course is $25. Pre-registration is required. Please register online at www.pennhort.net/treetenders .

For more information, contact Barley Van Clief, 215-988-8793, bvanclief@pennhort.org.