UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- To help satisfy an increasing need for trained and knowledgeable tree-care workers, Penn State Cooperative Extension will offer a short course on tree care beginning in late February. The program will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on four consecutive Fridays -- Feb. 23, March 2, March 9 and March 16 -- at Penn State Greater Allegheny (formerly Penn State McKeesport).

The course is partly in response to a rising demand among homeowners and municipalities for trained and certified tree professionals, according to course organizer Mark Remcheck, extension community forester based in Washington County. Currently, there are more than 15,000 arborists certified by the International Society of Arboriculture, he says, and these numbers continue to grow each year.

This short course is designed to increase participants' working tree-care knowledge and professional arborist skills and to prepare tree workers for the ISA Certified Arborist exam.

Topics covered will include diagnosis of plant diseases and insect pests; nutrition and fertilization; selection, installation and establishment of trees and shrubs; soil and water interaction and management; plant identification; assessment and risk management; pruning; construction impacts and management; and safety and climbing.

Registration is required by Feb. 16. The registration fee is $180. The first 20 people to register will receive a copy of the Arborist's Certification Study (a $95 value). For more information about this course, contact Penn State Cooperative Extension in Washington County at 724-228-6940 or in Crawford County at 814-333-7460.

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EDITORS: Contact Mark Remcheck at 724-228-6940 or by e-mail at mar15@psu.edu.

Writer/Editor Chuck Gill Phone: 814-863-2713 E-mail: cdg5@psu.edu