Impact

Community forestry workshop offered in webinar series by Penn State Extension

Planning and managing the green infrastructure of street trees, parks and open spaces will help any municipality safely take advantage of the many benefits these assets provide. Credit: Rodrigo Soldon/Flickr. All Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Extension is offering a Community Forestry Institute workshop in a series of web-based seminars intended for the members of municipal shade tree commissions, municipal staff, arborists and foresters, community tree advocates, and volunteers.

The workshop is designed to help participants gain knowledge and skills in the effective management of public trees in Pennsylvania. A certificate of attendance will be awarded upon request to those who attend all six sessions live. Those unable to attend the live sessions will be able to view recordings of the sessions at their convenience. Participants will be mailed printed reference materials to accompany the program.

“Planning and managing the green infrastructure of street trees, parks and open spaces will help any municipality safely take advantage of the many benefits these assets provide,” said Bill Elmendorf, professor and Ibberson Chair in Community and Urban Forestry in the College of Agricultural Sciences, who is coordinating the course. “With proper planning and management, these assets appreciate and pay us back over time.”

Course participants will learn about the following:

— How municipalities manage their public trees and community forests, including the role of ordinances and shade tree commissions.

— Tree inventories, tree canopy assessments and community forest plans.

— How to manage trees and other green infrastructure adjacent to gray infrastructure such as roads, sidewalks and utility lines.

“Participants will be shown how to engage with elected officials, community organizations and volunteers on the topic of urban and community forestry,” Elmendorf said. “They will be taught how to promote their community forestry program.”

To register for the Community Forestry Institute workshop webinars, go to the website by Oct. 4. Registration is required to receive the link to access the webinars. Registrants also will receive access to the webinar recordings. For more information, contact Elmendorf at wfe1@psu.edu.

Penn State Extension’s Urban and Community Forestry Program is supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry.

Last Updated August 9, 2021