A Weekend Class in Tree Care, from recognizing conditions to pruning for health and beauty
This weekend workshop will give each student the understanding they need to begin the proper pruning of trees and shrubs. Students will learn to prune in response to the way that woody plants actually live, grow, defend themselves, and restore themselves after damage.
Each morning, we will begin in the classroom, learning how and when to prune broadleaf trees, conifers, and shrubs. We will study the different theories of growth by which each kind lives. We will learn how to interact with the plants in a way that both achieves our ends and helps the trees and shrubs to thrive.
We will find the proper ways to prune to raise crowns higher, to reduce crowns when they become unstable, to remove dead and damaged branches, to structurally prune young plants to give them durable perennial shapes, to prune to improve flowering and fruiting, to prune to help control pests and diseases, to formally prune trees and shrubs to shape them as hedges, pollards or coppice plants, and to renovate overgrown shrubs by cutting them almost to the ground.
In the afternoons, we will go out into the field, where we will practice what we have learned. There are many excellent examples on campus and in the local area, where we can change the lives of woody plants for the better. We will, for example, begin to restore a fine knot garden that has been neglected for many years.
We will learn what are the key pruning tools to have, and how to sharpen and maintain them. In the process, we will take woods walks where we can begin to learn reliable keys to identify the principal native and ornamental trees and shrubs that grow in our area.
We will have lively discussions, and we will ask questions like, “what will this plant tolerate”and “what might it actually like?” The class will give a solid foundation on which to begin to prune with confidence and pleasure.
Schedule:
Friday
5pm - Meet and greet
6 to 7:30 - Dinner
8 pm - Introductions
Saturday
7:00am - Optional Yoga
8 to 9:30am - Breakfast
9:30am to 12:30pm - Session
12:30pm to 1:30pm - Lunch
1:30pm to 6:00pm - Session
6:30 to 7:30 pm - Dinner
Sunday
7:00am - Optional Yoga
8 to 9:30am - Breakfast & Checkout
9:30am to 12:30pm - Session
12:30pm to 1:30pm - Lunch
1:30pm to 5:00pm - Session
Pricing:
Workshop fee starts at $980 per person for a standard room. Upgrades are available. Click the “Book Now” button above to book and view your options.
Your instructor:
Bill Logan founded Urban Arborists and has run the company since its beginning. He teaches pruning and tree identification at the New York Botanical Garden's School of Professional Horticulture. At the Garden, he also teaches a master class in tree care to foresters of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. He has lectured at numerous botanical gardens around the country, including the Arnold Arboretum, the Morton Arboretum, and the Huntington Botanical Gardens. He has published four books of natural history - Oak: The Frame of Civilization, Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth, Air: The Restless Shaper of the World and, most recently, Sprout Lands: Tending the Endless Gift of Trees - all from WW Norton. As writer and contributing editor to House & Garden, House Beautiful and Garden Design, and as a garden columnist for the New York Times, he developed a keen sense of what makes a garden beautiful. He visits and/or consults on all Urban Arborists field work. He is a sought-after consultant to landscape architects, municipalities, companies and individuals. He is an ISA certified arborist and a member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists.
Recommended Tools
PRUNERS
Felco #2. Standard Right-Hand Prunershttps://sherrilltree.com/felco-f2-standard-right-handed-pruning-shears/ $78.99
Felco #9 Left-handed pruners https://sherrilltree.com/felco-f9-left-handed-pruning-shears/ $78.99
Corona Bypass Lightweight Hand pruner https://sherrilltree.com/corona-bypass-lightweight-hand-pruner-straight-1in-cut/ $33.99
SAWS
FOLDING SAW Felco 600 Folding saw https://www.amleo.com/felco-model-600-tri-edge-folding-pruning-saw-6-3-inch-straight-blade/p/F600 $30.59
Corona Razor Tooth Folding Saw https://www.amleo.com/corona-razor-tooth-folding-saw/p/VP-RS72 $29.71
Silky Pocket Boy Folding Saw https://sherrilltree.com/silky-pocketboy-curve-professional-saw-170mm/ $39.99-$53.99
Hand Saw Corona 13” https://www.shforestrysupplies.com/624 $41.90
Razortooth saw -rs-7120-corona-13-curved-blade-razortooth-saw.html Silky Zubat $330
Large tooth saw https://sherrilltree.com/silky-zubat-330-hand-saw-large-teeth/ $79.99
LOPPERS
Corona 26” Classic Aluminum lopper https://sherrilltree.com/corona-26-classic-aluminum-lopper/ $84.99
Corona High Performance 32”orchard lopper up to 2.25”https://sherrilltree.com/corona-high-performance-orchard-lopper-32-in-with-2-25in-cut/ $85.99
POLE SAW
Corona Professional Pole Pruner and SawKit https://www.amleo.com/corona-professional-pole-pruner-and-saw-kit-with-orange-fiberglass-poles-1-75-inch-capaci/p/16AF $281.86
Silky Sentei 21’ telescoping pole saw https://www.amleo.com/notch-sentei-21-foot-telescoping-pole-saw-with-silky-hayauchi-blade/p/4177-39 $368.99 Very expensive! But best price I havefound.
LONG REACH PRUNERS
ARS 6-10’ long reachpruners https://www.amleo.com/ars-long-reach-pruner-zf-series-6-10-feet $183.26
Field sharpener DMT double sided Diamond Sharpening Stone DMT double sided Diamond Sharpening Stone https://www.amazon.com/DMT-FWFC-Double-Diafold-Sharpener $34.04