The Front Royal/Warren County Tree Stewards are happy to announce that we have changed the format for our acclaimed “All About Trees” course. The Tree Stewards have been holding an annual class for residents and future Tree Stewards for over 20 years. After the pandemic and the trend toward online learning we wanted to make it easier for participants to learn the course material at their own pace, get plenty of hands-on field training, for a very low cost. Education is a primary piece of our mission.
Our 2024 All About Trees Program with have Online & In-Person Field Classes.
In-Person Classes are on Saturdays, Sept. 7 to Oct. 19, 2024, usually from 9am – 12noon.
Reading and Video assignments are at your convenience.
Course Fee: $30 (includes all classes) Tuition assistance is available.
How do I complete the Course for Certification?
- Register:
- Register online and pay with Paypal
- OR Mail in form and payment (Printable Registration Form)
- Download the Trees Virginia “Tree Steward Training Manual” as your guide and for your reading assignments. The PDF will open and you can save it to your computer or print it as desired. https://www.treesvirginia.org/images/pdfs/Tree-Steward-Training-Manual.pdf
- Read the assignments and watch video classes as listed below.
- Attend in-person field classes to learn hands on.
2024 All About Trees Syllabus
| Day / Time* | Class | Location | Reading Assignments** | Video Assignments |
| September 7 Saturday 9am to 12 noon | • Welcome • Tree ID Walk with Conner Goolsby, VA Dept. of Forestry | Burrell Brooks Park 450 East Criser Road Front Royal (Next to Samuels Library) | • Unit 1 – Tree Anatomy • Unit 4 -Tree Identification | How Trees Grow; Tree Roots & Shoots https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faSvimwltaE&t=11s |
| September 14 Saturday 10am to 1pm | • Hands on Pruning with Ron Perlik, ISA Certified Arborist | Meeting Room B Samuels Library 330 E Criser Rd. Front Royal | • Unit 7 – Tree Pruning • Unit 9 – Invasive Species in Virginia | An Approach to Pruning: Dr. Ed Gillman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHt3ym3F7Kc (forward to 5 minutes to get to start of program) Healthy Trees, Health Cities: Pruning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1wVL5InBxM |
| September 21 Saturday 9am to 12 noon | • Conifer ID with Carrie Whitaker, Asst. Curator at Blandy, ISA Certified Arborist | VA State Arboretum (Blandy Arboretum) 400 Blandy Farm Ln Boyce, VA Meet at kiosk in Blandy parking lot | • Unit 3 – Environmental Factors Affecting Trees • Unit 5 – Tree Selection | Right Tree, Right Place https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDMTfB9bsLc |
| September 28 9am to 12 noon | Tree issues and remedies led by Jim Osborne, ISA Certified Arborist | Gazebo on Main Street – by Front Royal Visitor’s Center | Unit 8 – Tree Problems and Diagnosis | Tree Troubles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7U0cB5pntA |
| October 5 9am to 12 noon | Tour of Veatch’s Gleann Arboretum with Beverly Veatch, owner | Veatch’s Gleann 604 Moores Ford Rd Strasburg Directions will be emailed | Unit 2 – Tree Physiology | Tree Life Functions: Soil & Water https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZksgSxmib8&t=18s |
| October 12 10am to 5pm Pick a 1 hour slot to fit your schedule | • Fall Festival of Leaves • Join the Tree Stewards at our booth to participate and observe. | Downtown Front Royal, Main and Chester Streets | Unit 10 – Trees and People in the Community | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= HG6pEssOB_Q&t=8s |
| October 19 9am to 10:30am | • Planting of Class Tree led by Vinny Resch, ISA Certified Arborist | The Soccer Complex, Kerfoot Ave.and Salem Ave. | Unit 6 – Tree Planting and Care | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j pyxuLvmG0A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= Sb1B_5NkFHE&t=186s |
*All Classes are on Saturday from 9am to noon unless noted.
**All reading assignments are from the Tree Stewards All About Trees Manual unless noted.
All About Trees is based on the Trees Virginia “Tree Steward Manual,” developed by the Virginia Urban Forest Council. Supplemental videos for each unit are available here. Tree Steward Training Videos
When the course material is complete you will receive a certificate. We invite you to consider joining the Tree Stewards a few hours a month to maintain the beautiful parks, street trees and green spaces where we all live and play.
Tree Identification Video with Karen Snape, Extension Forester