Online Arboriculture Course

Gain skills and knowledge to diagnose and treat tree disorders

This course develops your skills and understanding in diagnosis and treatment of tree disorders.

• Learn to deal with pest, diseases, nutritional deficiences, water problems effectively.
• Save money with correct identification of tree disorder
• Improve your safety with correct tree surgery practices
• Increase produce with correct pruning and training procedures

This course is essential for anyone working with trees.

Suitable for:

• horticulturalists
• gardeners
• tree doctors
• farmers
• anyone involved with trees

8 Lessons each with a set task, 8 assignments. Course notes. Online & e-learning courses have self assessment tests.

This in-depth and comprehensive course will enable you prevent tree disorders as well diagnose and treat existing problems with trees including soil issues.

All too often trees are the forgotten giants of our garden areas. A shrub or ground cover plant is far closer to the human eye than a tree, and these plants usually get most of our attention because they are so easily seen. With trees it often seems to be "out of sight, out of mind".

Trees are in fact potentially far greater problems than shrubs. If a shrub blows over, it creates a bit of a mess and a gap in the garden bed. If a tree blows over, it can destroy half the garden, make a large hole in the roof of a house, or crush your new car. Trees, like people, can be hurt, they can get sick, and sooner or later they will die. They need to be fed and watered, and they do need "doctoring" if their life is to be extended to the fullest. Some trees, like some people, are hardier and never seem to become ill. In the same way, however, many trees have "medical" problems which no one seems to notice until it is too late!

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Arboriculture
   • Trees in the garden, Planting in the right position, Choosing the right variety, Choosing the right specimen, How to plant different types of trees, Transplanting, Tree Guards, Using a Tree Report Form
2. Tree Biology
   • Tree growth, Photosynthesis, Respiration, Transpiration, Vernilisation, What makes foliage change colour, Tree physiology, Roots, Stems, Leaves, Bud types, How a tree grows, Vascular tissue, Cambium, Xylem, Phloem, Secondary growth, Growth rings, Heartwood, Sapwood, Compartmentalisation, Water and plant growth, Growth rate factors, Arboricultural terminology
3. Soils In Relation to Trees
   • Fertilising, Compacted soils, Tree health and drainage, Treating soil over winter, Changed soil levels around trees, Measuring pH, Measuring soil organic content, Measuring water content, Determining fertiliser solubility, Testing affect of lime on soil, Laboratory testing of soils, Soil texture, Measuring salinity, Soil horizons, Soil Naming, Soil nutrition, Fertilisers, etc
4. Diagnosing Tree Problems
   • Tree health disorders, Frost protection, Minimising frost and wind damage, Mulch and frost, Missletoe, Diagnosing problems, Conducting a Tree inspection
5. Tree Surgery
   • Tree surgery-do you need it, Review of techniques, Tree surgery safety, Safety and the worker, Public safety, Safety regulations, Cavity treatments, Bracing, Cabling, Propping, Bark wounds, Tree climbing techniques, Knots, Anchoring points, etc.
6. Pruning of Trees
   • Pruning objectives, Removing branches, Crown cleaning, Crown thinning, Crown reduction, Crown lifting, Crown renewal, Fruit tree pruning, Felling a whole tree, Felling sections of a tree, terminology.
7. Aboriculture Equipment
   • Secateurs, Hand saws, Power tools, Safety with electricity, Engine and tool maintenance, Chain saws, Hedge trimmers, Ladders, Harnesses, Ropes, Pole belt, Spurs, etc
8. Workplace Health and Safety
   • Duty of Care, Lifting & manual handling, Protective equipment, Handling tools and machinery, Auditing tools and equipment

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims:

Describe measures to provide healthy trees in different situations, including appropriate plant selection.

Explain tree biology, including morphology, anatomy and physiology, as it relates to arboriculture.

Develop procedures to manage soils for improved tree growth.

Develop procedures for managing health disorders with trees, including environmental, pest and disease problems.

Determine surgical techniques commonly used in arboriculture to repair damage to plants

Explain tree surgery techniques commonly used in arboriculture to prune growth.

Determine appropriate equipment for arboricultural practice.

Determine appropriate workplace health and safety practices for an arboricultural workplace.

What you will do:

Distinguish between plants in order to identify at many different trees.

• Develop a standard tree report form, customised for surveying the condition and use of trees in your locality.
• Explain how to treat three specified soil related problems that can effect trees.
• Develop a twelve month program, for managing a health problem detected by you in an established tree.
• Demonstrate bridge grafting across a bark wound.
• Distinguish between different methods of pruning including:
  • Canopy reduction -Cleaning out -Topiary -Espaliering
• Determine the minimum equipment required to commence business as a tree surgeon.
• Compare different chainsaws, to determine appropriate applications for each.
• Determine legislation which is relevant to a specific arborist in a workplace which you visit.