Arborist series

Penn State Extension will offer the “Arborist Short Course Series,” a 10-day webinar series designed to increase working tree knowledge and prepare participants for the International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist exam later this month.

This training is aimed at arborists and tree workers, landscape contractors, municipal workers, landscape architects, and park and grounds maintenance staff, but it is open to all who wish to attend.

Organizers noted that while the course provides good preparation for the arborist certification exam, the exam is not included. Those wanting to take the exam will need to apply with ISA.

The “Arborist Short Course Series” will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Jan. 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 29 and 31, and Feb. 5 and 7. Participants can attend the live lectures via online webinars, or they can view recorded lectures if their schedules conflict with the live sessions.

Instructors will discuss:

• Tree biology.

• Tree planting and establishment.

• Tree identification and selection.

• Tree pruning.

• Protecting trees during construction.

• Cabling, bracing and lightning protection.

• Tree insect and disease diagnosis and management.

• Soils, water relations and tree nutrition.

Organizers strongly recommend that participants obtain the “Arborists’ Certification Study Guide” for the course, especially if planning to take the ISA certified arborist exam.

Participants must register by 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 3, 2025. Registration includes the live webinars, as well as access to lecture recordings and downloadable resources and references on all covered topics.

More information about the course is available on the Penn State Extension website at https://extension.psu.edu/arborist-short-course-series.

Winter gardening

Penn State Extension Master Gardeners will share practical winter gardening insights in an upcoming webinar.

“Come Grow With Us: Winter Sowing and Harmful Plants” will occur from 8:50 a.m. to noon on Jan. 11. The webinar is designed for homeowners, beginning gardeners, intermediate gardeners and landscapers.

This year’s program focuses on practical methods for winter gardening, strategies to identify beneficial versus harmful plants, and the importance of incorporating native plants to support local insect populations.

Attendees also will learn about managing invasive species that threaten to disrupt native ecosystems and to make informed choices for a thriving, balanced garden.

The session will cover:

• How winter-seed sowing works.

• What you can grow implementing winter-seed sowing.

• Identification of poisonous plants and safe removal and disposal.

• Potential health hazards.

• Invasives in your landscape.

• Mitigation of invasives.

Participants must register by 9:50 a.m. Jan. 11. The registration fee is $10.

More information is available on the Penn State Extension website at https://extension.psu.edu/come-grow-with-us-winter-sowing-and-harmful-plants.

‘Woods in Your Backyard’

In early 2025, Penn State Extension will offer a webinar series aimed at helping individuals create and enhance natural areas around their homes and make a positive environmental impact through simple stewardship practices.

The “Woods in Your Backyard” series involves nine webinars that will take place on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m. running from Jan. 15 to March 12.

This program is designed for landowners, land managers and conservation organizations. Studies show that the size of wood parcels smaller than 10 acres is increasing.

This series is designed to assist in managing small parcels, but stewardship practices and forest ecology principles also apply to larger properties.

Participants will learn about:

• Reasons to manage forests.

• Forest ecology.

• Creating and managing wildlife habitat.

• Identifying and controlling invasive plants.

• Forest health issues and management.

• Forests and water.

• Selecting native trees for various sites.

• Establishing meadows and forests.

• Creating plans for their property.

Each registrant will receive the full-color, 108-page manual, “The Woods in Your Backyard: Learning to Create and Enhance Natural Areas Around Your Home.” This self-directed book will guide participants through the process of developing and implementing projects to enhance their land’s natural resources.

Additional resources will be provided to participants for downloading.

Partnering organizations include Forests for the Bay, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Forestry, Pennsylvania Game Commission, James C. Finley Center for Private Forests at Penn State, and University of Maryland Extension.

Registration for the webinar series is required by Jan. 8, 2025, to receive the link to access the webinars. Registrants will receive a link to the recorded webinar within several days after the live webinar.

The recorded lectures will be available for six months from the start of the event.

More information is available on the Penn State Extension website at https://extension.psu.edu/woods-in-your-backyard-series.