 The Citizen Forester program
is a community volunteer opportunity for Dallas residents
who want to help restore, enhance and conserve our urban
forest.
Sponsored by UFAC and Dallas’ Parks Department, the
program is a combination of classroom instruction and actual
field training. This training regimen enables citizens to learn basic tree
skills that promote tree plantings in their neighborhood while
also advocating the importance of Dallas’ urban forests.
Implemented in 2007, the program has already graduated over
50 citizen foresters.
Some of the class curriculum topics include:
- Tree identification
- Planting and pruning skills
- Benefits of Dallas trees
- Disease and pathogens
Program
Classes typically are held once a month
over a 5-month period, and are generally 2-3 hours in length
followed by 1-2 hours of field training. Evening and weekend
classes are occasionally scheduled but future schedule
formats are subject to change. The classes are
organized and led by Dallas City Forester Karen Woodard.
Past speakers included members of the Committee, City of
Dallas staff, Agrilife Extension Experts and other arborists
and forestry professionals/experts. To graduate, continuous
attendance is required.
Cost and Availability
The forester program is open to all area residents, no
experience is required and the cost is $75.00 per person. Please note, space is limited but the committee will do
its best to accommodate interested residents.
Volunteer
Upon graduation, citizen foresters are required to return
fifteen volunteer hours annually back to the city by
assisting with a variety of city tree plantings and various
tree related projects. They become the eyes, ears and hands
for the City Arborists on tree safety and hazards issues.
Moreover, Citizen Foresters are taking a greater role in
public education about trees.
Sign Up
Sign up today and reserve your spot for the 2011 Citizen
Forester program. The program starts Saturday, August 20, 2011 featuring six Saturday classes held throughout the summer
and autumn. The location, times and topics are listed on our
schedule:
2011 Citizen Forester Schedule (Coming Soon!)
2011 Citizen Forester Flyer
If you are interested in signing up for the Citizen
Forester classes, please contact UFAC’s Citizen Forester
Team Lead,
Eric Larner.
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