Heather Leff

Introducing a different format this year: a bundle of Zoom webinars will replace the annual in-person conference but continue the tradition of quality professional education you’ve come to expect and value. The online events will all take place within the same two-day time period as the traditional January gathering in Sturbridge. On January 12-13, 2021, add to your knowledge and skills, get a head start on earning those needed CEUs, and gain a sense of accomplishment in the first month of the year! See the conference webpage for the details, program, and schedule, and then register here. Please note that each person must register with a unique email address. Each registered attendee will be sent two Zoom links, one for each day of presentations. To earn CEUs you must be logged into the webinar the entire time AND you will be asked to answer intermittent quiz questions as proof of attention.

Like so many other organizations working to ensure everyone’s safety in this crazy year, the Massachusetts Tree Wardens’ and Foresters’ Association board has decided to hold our annual meeting and conference online. Watch for plenty of opportunities to earn CEUS and to participate in the important annual business of the association.

Tyler Stevenson and other state staff in Ohio have developed a short video to summarize their use of the Urban Forest Strike Team (UFST) to assess tree damage in  the Dayton area after tornados struck there in 2019.

The Massachusetts Tree Wardens’ & Foresters’ Association supported both the deployment and the video, using federal grant funds they had for UFST. In addition to this and other deployments, that grant supported training of over 100 UFST task specialists and team leaders, many from Massachusetts and most from New England.

Ohio has produced a good resource to share with others to summarize how UFST assessments can help communities recover after disaster damage to their urban forests.

Link to the youtube video is below;

UMass Extension’s Green School is a comprehensive 12-day certificate short course for Green Industry professionals taught by UMass Extension Specialists, University of Massachusetts faculty, and guest presenters.

For eligible employers, the Green School registration fee may be partially reimbursed (up to 50%) through the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund Express Grant Program. Employers should submit an online application to the Express Grant program at least 4 weeks in advance of Green School’s starting date. To find out if you qualify and to apply for benefits, go to http://workforcetrainingfund.org/apply/express-program/. The information needed to submit an Express Application for reimbursement is:

·         Course Name: Green School 2020

·         Course ID#: 1126836

·         Cost: $650 until 9/15/20; $725 after 9/15/20

For complete information, including the schedule, curriculum, and registration details, visit ag.umass.edu/landscape/education/umass-extensions-green-school

Green School is going VIRTUAL! The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a temporary shift to remote delivery, and thus dramatic changes in the way that UMass will be offering the program for 2020. Click here for complete information on this course.

Green School is taught by University of Massachusetts Amherst Extension Specialists, UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture faculty, and guest presenters. While the in-person interactions and networking that Green School traditionally offers will be missed, this temporary shift to virtual instruction will benefit Green School attendees in many ways while prioritizing current public health best practices and restrictions:

• Registration cost savings due to reduced overhead.
• Savings of time and travel expenses.
• Attendees who have previously been unable to attend due to travel restrictions/distance will now have the opportunity to join us from the convenience of their own homes!