Partner Programs

Pre-College Summer Program

In July 2015, the Arboriculture & Community Forestry program will host its second annual pre-college course in urban forestry and sustainable arboriculture – the art, business, and science of caring for trees in our communities. Students spend their time on campus, learning all the basics of tree care. UMass faculty (Professor Harper, Dr. Kane, and Dr. Ryan) teach classes in pruning, cabling, fertilizing, plant health care (PHC), tree ID, and tree climbing and pruning for seven hours a day, Monday through Friday. For more information, contact rharper@eco.umass.edu.

About the UMass Programs

The Stockbridge School of Agriculture offers a two-year degree program leading to an A.S. degree in Arboriculture and Community Forest Management, one of six majors in the Stockbridge School. The specialized courses and faculty advisors for this major are part of the UMass Department of Environmental Conservation. Students learn the principles and practices of tree planting, tree removal, control of insects and diseases, and other aspects of the arborist’s profession–and they get first-hand experience with all of these practices. Arborists are employed by cities and towns, commercial tree care services, utility companies, public parks, and golf courses. This program has been approved by arborist associations at the state and national levels.

The University of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Conservation offers a four-year B.S. degree in Natural Resources Conservation with a concentration in Urban Forestry and Arboriculture. Stockbridge arboriculture graduates often return to complete this four-year degree. The department also offers graduate degrees in related fields.

All students – two-year, four-year, and graduate candidates – are eligible to apply for annual grants in the form of MTWFA scholarships and also SETWAA scholarships.

UMass Students: Congratulations Again!

For the last several years, the Stockbridge School/UMass PLANET Student Career Days Team has competed in the national student competition sponsored by PLANET (Professional Landcare Network). This year 65 schools and over 750 students from across North America took part in the 2014 competition in Fort Collins, CO. UMass was once again a winner: the landscape crew took third place in the landscape installation, and the arbor team won first place for the second year in a row. See more results and a picture of the entire 2014 team. This year’s arbor team consisted of BS Urban Forestry student Luke Longstreeth and Stockbridge Arboriculture & Community Forestry student Nicolette Eicholtz, MCA (photo right).  In 2013, Luke Longstreeth and Ethan Dangelo led the Stockbridge/UMass team to a first place finish in Arboriculture Techniques. MTWFA is a proud financial supporter of the Stockbridge/UMass team.

History

In 2013, the University of Massachusetts marked the 150th anniversary of its founding as the Massachusetts Agricultural College. As the MTWFA marked its 100th this same year, together we continue to celebrate a long and mutually beneficial history.

The close working relationship between UMass faculty and MTWFA and other professional industry associations has always been key to the success of the UMass arboriculture program.  Many working in the industry today received their formal education at UMass, and the faculty continue to lend their support with many educational presentations at professional meetings.

The UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry Program operates within the Agriculture & Landscape Program of UMass Extension. The core of the program is a self-managed group of educators and specialists in weed science, entomology, plant pathology, plant materials, alternative pest controls, and diagnostics.

Visit the UMass Extension main page for a list of events, what’s new, and quick links to landscape messages, fact sheets, plant diagnostic services, printed publications and more,  The website also links to the annual Green Directory and pesticide license information.

The bi-annual Green School is the most visible outreach of the Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry team. Green School is a 10-week comprehensive educational training program for green industry professionals. The series of seminars and workshops provides training in horticulture fundamentals and their relationship to environmental quality. Green School is in session every other fall. Watch for the next one in fall 2018.

UMass Extension operates a plant diagnostics lab to help professionals identify landscape and tree problems. Information for submission of samples ensures accuracy in diagnosis. Their soil testing service is also a useful tool available to professionals.

A reminder…the UMass Plant Diagnostic Lab has moved back to the UMass Amherst campus, effective January 2016. The new location is in the basement of French Hall, Room 3.  To deliver samples, drive up Thatcher Road from North Pleasant Street; French Hall is on the left just after the Franklin Dining Hall.  Turn into the rear parking lot (lot 62) – there is a designated short-term parking space next to the back door for Diagnostic Lab clients.  Metered parking is also available.

The U.S. Forest Service is a key partner and leader in urban and community forestry efforts nationwide. The Massachusetts Tree Wardens’ and Foresters’ Association (MTWFA) partners and cooperates with the U.S. Forest Service Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry (USFS NA) to increase communication among tree organizations and periodically, to accomplish special projects.

Related to the Strike Team effort (described below), the American Planning Association coordinated a June, 2014 scoping session on Hazardous Tree Management and Post-Disaster Recovery. Partially funded under the USFS-MTWFA Cooperative Agreement, the scoping session was a forum for key partners to discuss ways to reduce disaster-related damage to the urban forest. The session resulted in some excellent resources for planning for post-disaster recovery as well as action plans for future cooperation.

Urban Forest Strike Team (UFST)

Watch a video summarizing the use of the Urban Forest Strike Team following a 2019 tornado in Dayton, OH.  Natural disasters cause significant damage  to urban forests every year, and the resulting assessment and cleanup responsibilities are a challenge for many communities. The Urban Forest Strike Team (UFST) program was developed by state forestry agencies and the U.S. Forest Service in the Southern region (Region 8) and is now being implemented in the northeastern and midwestern states (Region 9). Urban Forest Strike Teams provide professional recovery services to communities following ice storms, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. The UFST process includes recruiting, training, and deploying professional urban foresters and arborists to assess tree damage using FEMA and tree risk assessment standards. The assessments help communities plan needed recovery work and document the amount of damage and cost of clean-up.

Beginning in 2009, the Forest Service has partnered with the Massachusetts Tree Wardens and Foresters Assn. to help expand the UFST initiative to its seventeen-state Northeastern Area. Under the cooperative agreement with MTWFA, federal monies have funded training sessions for NA team task specialists and team leaders, and deployments to assist impacted communities in Massachusetts and beyond.

The goal of the UFST program is to provide assistance in planning, response, recovery, and mitigation of the urban forest following destructive weather events. Tasks performed by Urban Forest Strike Teams may include: rapid tree risk assessments of damaged, standing trees; debris estimation assistance for communities or state emergency management agencies; identification and evaluation of tree planting sites for short and long-term recovery; and training of additional qualified local and state arborists to assist in disaster situations.

Strike team members (Task Specialists) attend a two-day training workshop and obtain continuing education via webinars, online courses, and/or state-sponsored disaster training scenarios. Upon completion of the training, Task Specialists are placed on a roster to be contacted if a local, state, or regional Strike Team is requested. Task Specialists respond to these calls with their interest and availability for deployment. View pictures of the 2013 Task Specialist training in Springfield, MA