Graduation for the class of 2024 was held on Saturday, November 16 at Ivy Creek Natural Area. 29 students finished the rigorous training to become certified Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards. We look forward to working with all of them at our various volunteer projects and events.
Planting 20 trees at Walnut Creek Park for final field session of training.
Tree Stewards will monitor the progress of the new trees and prune them when they are established in a year or two.
The first field session and introduction to the training began on Saturday, August 24th at Ivy Creek Natural Area with a very enthusiastic group.
The second field session took place on September 6th at Ivy Creek Natural Area for the Forest Ecology walk. Tree Stewards Tom Wild, Phil Stokes and Nancy Weiss led the walks.
Third session on September 21st began with Robin Hanes giving an introduction to the CATS Tree Nursery to the students at the Dept. of Forestry before breaking out into groups for a tree ID walk on the trails.
The 4th field session on October 5th at McIntire Park was a pruning training coordinated by Tim Maywalt and David Marrs. Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards including Barbara White, Phil Stokes, Toine Wyckoff, Pat Punch, Becky Turner and Ben Heltzel conducted the pruning training in small groups to better provide a hands-on experience.
The 5th field session on October 19th covered all aspects of identifying and controlling the invasive plants and vines that can effect the life of trees. This session was led by Tree Stewards Tim Maywalt and William Hamersky with assistance from Jacob Edel, an Invasive Management Specialist from the Blue Ridge Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM).
The 6th field session took place November 2nd on a stunningly beautiful fall day at Walnut Creek Park by the boat landing. The class with a group of mentors planted 20 trees of various species along the lake edge.
Graduation Day for Class of 2024!
