October 30, 2016
Contact: Lisa Martinez, 361-767-5217, llmartinez@ag.tamu.edu
ROBSTOWN — To help homeowners and professionals properly care for trees, especially those in distress from the recent drought years, two state agencies will hold several classes in October in Robstown.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas A&M Forest Service will host certified arborist preparation courses from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. every Friday next month beginning Oct. 7.
They will be held at the AgriLife Extension office at 710 E. Main St. in Robstown.
A participation fee of $250 for all the courses will be charged to those seeking arborist certification. The fee includes the certified arborist exam manual.
Those not interested in certification pay $30 per session, and the manual is not included.
Anyone interested in attending should RSVP to the AgriLife Extension office for Nueces County by contacting Lisa Martinez at 361-767-5217.
“The classes are designed to help anyone interested in improving their tree care skills or as a prep course for the Certified Arborist Exam,” said Kevin Gibbs, the AgriLife Extension county agent for horticulture in Nueces County.
Gibbs said that unlike plants, tree stress symptoms are often delayed.
“Trees continue to suffer for years after a drought like the one Texas experienced a few years ago,” he said. “Unlike plants, by the time symptoms are visible, affected trees have been in distress for some time and often will not recover.”
Drought stress symptoms and many other tree-related topics will be discussed at the classes, Gibbs said, including tree biology, water management, nutrition and fertilization, pruning, oak wilt, tree worker safety and plant disorders and diagnosis.
“With this broad range of topics delivered by experts in their field, everyone from professional arborists to interested homeowners will benefit from these classes,” Gibbs said.
Class dates, topics and speakers are as follows:
Oct. 7:
— Tree identification, Paul Johnson, Texas A&M Forest Service community forestry program coordinator, Austin.
— Tree biology, Johnson.
— Water management, Mark Peterson, San Antonio Water System conservation project coordinator, San Antonio.
— Tree nutrition and fertilization, Peterson.
Oct. 14:
— Tree selection, Grant Ehlen, AEP-Texas forestry operations supervisor, Corpus Christi.
— Soil science, David Vaughan, Etter Tree Care arborist representative, San Antonio.
— Diagnosis and plant disorders, Vaughan.
— Installation and establishment, Ehlen.
Oct. 21:
— Pruning and oak wilt, Chad Luckow, AEP-Texas forester, Corpus Christi.
— Plant health care, Vaughan.
— Tree assessment and risk management, Vaughan.
— Trees and construction, Luckow.
Oct. 28:
— Urban forestry, Mark Kroeze, Forest Service regional urban forester.
— Tree worker safety, Kroeze.
— Tree support and lighting protection, Mark Bird, City of San Antonio city arborist, San Antonio.
— Climbing and working in trees, Bird.
For more information, contact Lisa Martinez at 361-767-5217 or llmartinez@ag.tamu.edu, Gibbs at 361-767-5217 or kevin.gibbs@ag.tamu.edu, or Bill Green, Texas A&M Forest Service, South Texas regional urban forester, Kingsville, 361-592-3536 or Bill.Green@ag.tamu.edu .