For the past three summers, UMass and Stockbridge have offered a “pre-college” course in Arboriculture & Urban Forestry for high school students. The course will run for one week (35 hours of training—in the classroom and in the field) in July 2017. Students learn the importance of safety, basic tree biology and soil science, how to identify trees, how to manage insect and disease pests, how to prune and fertilize, and of course, some basic tree climbing skills. Typically, mornings are spent inside, in a classroom, and then the afternoons outside climbing and learning how to identify trees. In addition to the course itself, UMass provides a typical college experience for students, who live in dorms (unless they choose to commute from home), eat at the dining commons, and participate in supervised social activities with classmates. Learn more at http://www.umass.edu/summer/precollege.html.