Higher Ed in the USA

treeseer

Eric asked about education here so this is an article about some options. Who can recognize the song that the article is framed around?

page 54 here http://www.tcia.org/PDFs/TCI_MAG_March_07.pdf

We Don?t Need No Education?

Or maybe we do. Do you feel like you?re spending too much time in the bucket, or behind the chipper, or in the office? Take a look at what a little time in college can do for you. Higher education can help us all climb higher in the tree business, whether we?re branching out farther into municipal, utility, consulting or commercial tree care. It can help you reach new heights of expertise and income?as Alex Shigo once said, ?Education and wages are twins that grow and mature at the same rate.? Just one course, targeted to fit your curiosity and your needs, can open up new worlds of knowledge. By finding the right course of study to fit your goals, budget, schedule, and personality, you can take charge of the trees that you work with and leave your competitors behind.

A traditional path into the tree care business is a degree in Forestry from a four-year university. Several programs (see the list) are starting to address the needs of modern urban forestry. North Carolina State University recently decided to grow into this area, so in 2004 they assembled dozens of experts, including Dr. Bob Miller, architect of the highly successful program at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The experts agreed that the core of a successful urban forestry program is Arboriculture. Which only makes sense: Before you can understand how to manage many trees, you must first understand how to manage one tree. Biology, Dendrology and Soils are typically covered in the first two years, while Physiology, Management and Pathology are taught in the final two years at Clemson and Virginia Tech Universities, among many others.

For those universities that want to serve working people working toward a Master?s
degree without requiring a thesis, Virginia Tech provides a highly successful model to follow.
Graduate instruction at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research Extension Center began
in 1992 with a program leading to the M.S. in Horticulture. Taught in the evenings, courses
are offered in all departments represented at the Center. The faculty stays grounded in all
phases of the industry by balancing their time between teaching, research and extension.
Working people who not only don?t care to write a thesis but don?t care about a degree can
take courses there too. The center is often the site of Field Days activities, delivering an awesome
array of hands-on demonstrations of real-life research to attendees. Dr. Bonnie Appleton is
the Graduate Coordinator.


We don?t need no thought control?
Or maybe we do. Let?s face it, our ability to concentrate and control our thoughts is not improved by our modern world?s electronic gadgetry and real-time sensory overload. Besides, a four-year university degree and beyond does not fit everyone?s needs, so there are many other ways to get extra education in less time. Almost everyone reading this grew up with a television in the house, and much of the younger generation has long experience fighting virtual battles at a mile a millisecond. How can we tame all that technology and train it toward learning that will result in greater job growth and the satisfaction of understanding more about trees?

Online college courses are one way, and they are increasingly popular. Professor Joseph Murray of Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave Virginia reports that fingers tap quickly on the computer keyboards when it?s online registration time for his online course in Biology. That offering typically fills to capacity in less than three hours. A consulting arborist, Certified Tree Worker and Certified Arborist-Utility Specialist, Murray is one of many college faculty around the country with real-world work experience worth seeking out. On the BRCC campus Murray has planted a living arboretum with a rain garden, an assemblage of historic trees, and several research plots contrasting various pruning styles and rootzone regulation regimens. Murray?s Arboriculture program offered on campus has jumpstarted its graduates to successful careers as certified arborists in the commercial, utility and municipal realms.

Online education also can work for students in states such as North Dakota where there are long distances to cover. Minot State in Bottineau?s Urban Forestry Technology program is led by another arborist with considerable field experience, Robert Underwood. Once completed, its six courses comprise a one-year diploma, and its credits can transfer to a degree program. Bob?s students have ranged from a 61-yr old lady who mailed him over a hundred samples of herbaceous plants from Philadelphia to satisfy a lab requirement to a 16-year old who tackled the Soils course, based on the same comprehensive textbook authored by Philip Craul as university courses use, so he would not have to take that course on campus. Bob has received Forestry term papers from a student in India, and his students on his North Dakota campus were treated to an hourlong description of the desparate state of forestry in the Sahara desert, where a load of firewood can cost half a year?s pay. ?The huge diversity makes online education fascinating?, Bob says.

Universities and community colleges also offer other alternatives to the traditional semester-long courses. Some offer credit for weekend courses that prepare for the ISA certification test. Others are built around other special events, like a climbing class. Some manage to cover three credits of information in just one evening per week. By connecting with your local school, you may learn about courses that work for you without a long time commitment. You may be able to sit in on a course to see if it?s right for you. If you can make the time, full semester courses can feature field trips and the chance to meet and learn from other students in person, week in and week out, while you are learning together.


No dark sarcasm in the classroom?
Or maybe there will be some light sarcasm, flavoring real-life experience in the field. Not all college courses are dry as a xeriscape and boring as the EAB. For instance, the Landscape Design/Build curriculum at Columbus State Community College in Ohio was designed with the help of thirty professionals in the landscape industry. Professionals are also instructors, to ensure that the material stays fresh and graduates have skills that are needed in today?s job market. CSCC lives up to its motto of offering ?Education that WORKS?. All graduates take the full curriculum, so whether they choose to specialize in Design, Construction, or Plant Health Care, they are grounded in all three..

The material evidently holds the students? attention--78% of students who enter the program graduate in the allotted time, compared to 27% of those entering a nearby university. This hybridized, interdisciplinary approach has several advantages for both the school?steadier numbers of students to keep the program running smoothly?and the student?a broader understanding of the field, and diversified skills to boost employability. Combining arboriculture with nursery, turf maintenance, or environmental science has worked for other schools. Diversification works.

Community colleges that offer specialized arboriculture programs often try to recruit students in high schools, but they run into two problems. First, the students, faculty, administrators and counselors are not always aware of arboriculture, and they may not have the time to learn about it. Second, commercial tree care companies and municipalities continue to hire young people, show them the basics, and put them to work. Paying bills right now may mean more to a potential employee than a better job later, so companies can take advantage of students who are not aware of all the money that is available to them through grants and loans.

Every student should know about Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education that gives money to students. Federal Student Aid's mission is to ensure that all eligible Americans benefit from federal financial assistance?grants, loans and work-study programs?for education beyond high school. They are the nation's largest source of student aid: during the 2005-06 school year alone, they gave about $78,000,000,000.00 in new aid to nearly 10 million postsecondary students and their families. It looks like there is plenty of money to go around!
The first step in getting this money is to go to FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid and fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the fundamental qualifying form used for all federal and government-guaranteed commercial lenders' programs?as well as for many state, regional and private student aid programs. By filling out the online or paper FAFSA, applicants start the process of qualifying for aid. Each year, approximately 14 million FAFSAs are processed. With a little help, you can enter the tree business with more options if you have some learning under your belt. It?s like joining the Army?if you go to West Point or ROTC first, you have a lot more choices than if you enlist.



Hey, Teacher, leave those kids alone!
Or maybe teachers can stand back a little and watch over students teaching themselves, as long as they are ready. Colleges offer Independent Study and Special Topics options for students who want to study ?outside the box? by looking into a particular question that is not covered in a course. Some recent examples of Independent Study topics that arborists have undertaken: ?What is the nature of wood decay, and can it be managed??, ?How do sprouts grow from the end of a broken branch, and can they be trained into safe branches??, and ?What are the most important insect pests in our state, and how can we control them?? There are only two ingredients needed for successful projects: a motivated student with a plan, and a faculty member (often a former professor of the student) who is willing to guide it. Independent Study can be very rewarding, leading to journal publications and grants from the TREE Fund and other sources.


All in all its just another brick in the wall?
Or maybe it?s a load of CEU bricks that help build the wall that holds up your arborist certification. The ISA Certification Board approved some changes in the CEU policy effective as of July 1, 2005. Previously, college courses were worth 10 credits, or 15 with a laboratory component. College courses are now worth 10 CEU's per credit hour. For example, a 3-hour college course is now worth 30 CEUs. Do the math?one college course can now satisfy about three years of certification. This may or may not be overrated in proportion with other CEU opportunities, depending on the course and the work that goes into it. Of course, you can never earn too many CEUs. As always, college course work must be at an academically accredited 2-year or 4-year institution.

Human capital works to increase growth and enable enrichment for the employee, just as equipment capital such as trucks and tools work for the employer. Today, we consider human capital as the sum of education, natural talent, training, and experience. These fundamental assets fill the fountain from which future fortunes flow. Adding to our education is like depositing money in the bank. This process of training the brain and accumulating knowledge can be envisioned as stacking bricks of gold in our own personal Fort Knox. Shigo again: ?Remember, ?learn? has ?earn? in it. The more you learn, the more you earn.? Education earns interest as it?s called upon to help us deal with new job challenges. Unlike trucks and tools and other forms of capital, it keeps increasing in value.

All in all you?re just another brick in the wall.
But that doesn?t mean there are bricks in your head. Climbing trees and other physical aspects of arboriculture can be fun and profitable, but if you start exercising your mental muscles early in your career, you can continue to experience upward mobility even after your body tells you to get down from the trees. This article has highlighted just a few of the many programs of higher education that are available to those who want to grow into the business of tree care. Shop around for different higher education opportunities before you register. Be sure you?re barking up the right tree, or you may wind up howling on the dark side of the moon!

Training and education are the ?meat? of any career, building muscles with the strength to advance. We in the tree business are envied for our ability to enjoy what we are doing, but we know that enjoyment is dessert, like chocolate pudding after we have eaten a nutritious meal.

How can you have any pudding if you don?t eat your meat?

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Guy Meilleur | Forensic Arborist | Better Tree Care

JohN Dee

Wow. A very good, well thought out post of yours treeseer. The US seems full of different oppurtunities to advance in and through Arboriculture. I like some of the points you put in there about why we should seek to further our education.

Great post mate.

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Climber with slow climbing speed, must make up with mighty chainsaw roar.

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treeseer

So John did you recognize the song?

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Guy Meilleur | Forensic Arborist | Better Tree Care

Ekka

Everybody knows that song.

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JohN Dee

Hmmm, would it be: Another brick in the wall - Korn?

__________________
Climber with slow climbing speed, must make up with mighty chainsaw roar.

Free Tree and Green Industry Link Directory

Red : Green : Blue

treeseer

ok, korn covered pink floyd. I thought it was obvious as heck and a fine hook to keep the piece flowing. it runs thru my brain cuz my kids play Dub side of the moon a lot. the editor thought it obscure (i find him obscure sometimes), and some readers did not make the connection.

ekka you asked about bob underwood's thing so that is why I linked it. If you can't give props to your friends then why write, i figure.

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Guy Meilleur | Forensic Arborist | Better Tree Care

mdvaden

Good article Guy...

One shock for me after moving to southern Oregon was not the limit of horticulture education, but the virtual absense of it.

That's one of the reasons I'm looking forward to moving back near Portland, Oregon.

I'm sort of a perpetual student. I love college and learning. Not just new classes, but repeat classes.

Once we sell and get back north, that puts almost a half dozen colleges and universities within my reach again for occassional courses of study. Nothing world class really (although OSU might well be in the turfgrass department).

I prefer live situations, because meeting and sharing industry information with other students after class is a good experience.

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Grove of Redwood TITANS

Oregon BIGOOT trap

treeseer

hope the move gets moving for you, Mario. Portland has a lot offer; it'd be neat to be able to ski mt hood and hike the rocky coast all in the same day. ISA did good picking Portland for the 2012 conference, so we can recover from the Brisbane debacle in 2011.

I love living in the country and still being less than a half hour from Duke, UNC and NCSU. Yeah live learning is best, we have outside demos at ncsu every couple of months; next one is in 8 days.

Next tuesday this guy www.kingdomofffungi.com is speaking at unc; i asked him to put in all he had on wood decayers.

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Guy Meilleur | Forensic Arborist | Better Tree Care

mdvaden

Portland (or examples you mentioned) have other opportunities to learn to, without enrollment - volunteer things.

There is the Hoyt Arboretum, The World Forestry Center (think that's the name now), the Rhododendron test garden and the Oregon Garden. Almost all do volunteer stuff, and there are expert people around to share stuff and work with.

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Grove of Redwood TITANS

Oregon BIGOOT trap

Underwor

Thanks for the plug Guy. The North Dakota School of Forestry, a part of MSU-Bottineau, just celebrated our 100th year. As one of the oldest schools in the nation, created by the state's founders in 1889, it has a rich history of educating foresters in many fields. At present, the emphasis is on arboriculture, commercial tree care and urban forestry. There are also horticulture programs in turf, golf course and athletic field management, landscape design, greenhouse and flower shop management and floral design. Other departments have classes in wildlife management and environmental technology. Classes lead to 1 and 2 year degrees. We have joint agreements with schools in the US and Canada for continuation to 4 year degrees. Give us a look at Welcome to MSU Bottineau! .

Thanks, Bob Underwood

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Bob Underwood, Associate Professor of Forestry
ND School of Forestry
Minot State University - Bottineau Campus
Bottineau, North Dakota

mdvaden

Do you (they / it) incorporate arboriculture into the landscape end?

One thing I appreciated about Portland Community College, is that since - at least - 1982, they have had Consulting or Certified Arborists teaching 2 separate tree care classes as part of the Landscape Technician 2 year certificates. As well as teaching some of the tree identification classes.

I'd imagine that the age of your instituion helps, because my experience locally showed that as the program got older, it became even better.

Do you have a favorite aspect yourself - say forest versus urban tree care?

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Grove of Redwood TITANS

Oregon BIGOOT trap

Underwor

Yes, all landscape students take the arboriculture class, as well as soils. My early years running a tree care business and working at Western Illinois Univ. on grounds showed me that LD's needed to know more than form, texture and color. My favorite story was the Phd at WIU, who spent over an hour trying to situate two trees in a planting so they were not in a straight line. I spent more time dealing with plants that would not grow on or were too big for the site than I did with any other sort of problems.

We lean toward the commercial arboriculture end of things, since that is what most of my 40 years of work has been, although my training was in forest resource management.

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Bob Underwood, Associate Professor of Forestry
ND School of Forestry
Minot State University - Bottineau Campus
Bottineau, North Dakota

treeseer

I've come to the conclusion that all LD's must be rabid fundamentalists who think Armageddon is nigh so they have no need to consider that trees must grow to live.

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Guy Meilleur | Forensic Arborist | Better Tree Care