Urban trees are all around us: they are in our backyards, parks and business districts. Trees play a vital role because they keep buildings cool during the summer, cleanse the air and help retain storm water runoff. Bridging The Gap’s Heartland Tree Alliance (HTA) program is once again offering the opportunity to learn about trees and tree care through their popular Tree Keepers course.
The Tree Keepers course includes 16 hours of instruction in both classroom and hands-on, field settings. Participants in the course learn about trees from the ground up. Topics include soils, tree benefits, the internal workings of a tree, how to identify different species, proper pruning methods for young trees, choosing the right tree for the right place, proper planting and mulching techniques and common tree problems.
Graduates can become an active member of Heartland Tree Alliance’s corps of volunteers who help take care of trees on public property in the pruning and planting events HTA organizes throughout the year. The cost for the entire course and all materials is only $50.
There are two upcoming Tree Keeper workshops. The first session will be held at the Clay County Extension Center beginning on Thursday, September 18 with subsequent classes meeting on Thursday mornings. The second is being held at the Shawnee Parks & Recreation workshop in Shawnee, Kan. starting on Thursday, October 2 with subsequent classes meeting on Thursday evenings. The complete course schedule can be found on the HTA website at www.heartlandtreealliance.org.
Tree Keepers courses are taught by highly trained and experienced foresters and arborists from both governmental entities and private practice. The Heartland Tree Alliance mission is to engage people of the Greater Kansas City region to take action and advocate for a healthy community forest.
To sign up or learn more about Tree Keepers or Heartland Tree Alliance, please contact Noelle Morris at 816-561-1061, ext. 115, or email [email protected].