March workshops to focus on tree care

February 17, 2016

Lincoln, Neb. — The Great Plains can be a difficult place to grow trees and the 2016 Tree Care Workshops will focus on some of those challenges. The Nebraska Forest Service will host full-day workshops in March in Scottsbluff, North Platte, Ord, South Sioux City, Hastings, Lincoln and Bellevue. 

"We're emphasizing planning and preparedness this year," said Graham Herbst, community forester specialist for the Nebraska Forest Service. "Good planning can make a dramatic difference in a community's budget, particularly with the weather extremes we've seen the last several years and loss to emerald ash borer on the horizon." 

Herbst said this year's sessions offer excellent resources for anyone involved in tree care, including homeowners. The sessions will focus on doing inventories of trees and tree health; preparing for emerald ash borers; where, why and how to plant trees; a four-season guide to tree care; selecting environmentally adapted trees; and outreach ideas for the whole community.

Tree Care Workshops are developed for public works employees, landscape managers, tree board volunteers, arborists, nursery and green industry professionals and landscape enthusiasts.

The workshop schedule is:

• March 1: Panhandle Research and Extension Center, Bluestem Room, 4502 Ave. I, Scottsbluff
• March 2: West Central Research and Extension Center, Snyder Classroom, 402 W. State Farm Road, North Platte
• March 3: Lower Loup Natural Resource District, Meeting Room, 2620 Airport Drive, Ord
• March 10: City Hall, Council Chambers, 1615 First Ave., South Sioux City
• March 22: Hastings Community College, Dawson Building, Cedar and Fir Room, 550 S. Technical Blvd., Hastings
• March 23: Jayne Snyder Trails Center, 228 N. 21st St., Lincoln
• March 24: Fontenelle Forest, 1111 Bellevue Blvd. N, Bellevue. 

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and sessions end at 3:30 p.m. Registration is $55, with lunch included. Some discounts are available. The registration deadline is March 1.

Sponsored by the Nebraska Forest Service and Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, the workshops are partially funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust, a beneficiary of the Nebraska Lottery.

Information and the registration form are available at the Nebraska Forest Service website, http://nfs.unl.edu/tree-care-workshops. For more information, contact Graham Herbst at 402-444-7875 or gherbst2@unl.edu.