Journal of Arboriculture 31(3): May 2005 139 of 1950 to include, “the protection, improvement, and establishment of trees and shrubs in urban areas, communi- ties, and open spaces.” Around this same time, the Society of American Foresters created the Urban Forestry Working Group to address and define a new discipline (Deneke 1978). Also, the International Society of Arboriculture established an Urban Forestry Committee (Andresen 1981), which was later incorporated into the Society of Municipal Arborists. With the growing public landscapes of street trees and parks and an increased knowledge of the benefits of public vegetation, the need for an educated workforce of arborists evolved to include urban foresters educated in arboriculture. This dynamic was quickly realized by the USDA Forest Service, the International Society of Arboriculture, the National Arborist Society, and the Society of American Foresters. The care of trees and other plants has been part of U.S. university curricula since the initial founding of colleges and universities. Although it is impossible to determine when courses began to be taught that dealt specifically with shade trees, George Stone, with the Massachusetts State Agricul- tural College, was one of the first to offer a formal course in shade tree management in the late 1800s (King 1977). Additional reports indicate that Karl Dressel at Michigan Agricultural College taught a course titled Arboriculture in the mid-1920s (Andresen and Williams 1975). Coursework in arboriculture and urban forestry contin- ues to grow, and the importance of a four-year degree from a recognized university has been identified by some as essential to properly prepare aspiring arborists and urban foresters (Chadwick 1941; Hirt 1974; Andresen 1977). In 1975, the Urban Forestry Committee of the International Society of Arboriculture conducted a survey of North American universities offering a four-year degree in forestry, ornamental horticulture, and landscape architecture (Andresen and Williams 1975; Andresen 1977). This survey identified 43 U.S. universities with professional, undergraduate arboriculture curricula and no universities providing a graduate curriculum in arboriculture (Andresen 1977). Undergraduate urban forestry curricula were offered at 17 U.S. universities, and graduate curricula were present at five of the universities surveyed. Six universities were planning undergraduate arboriculture curricula, and five were planning urban forestry curricula (Andresen 1975, 1977). In a 1980 survey, 11 universities had a course with urban forestry as the title (Andresen and Johnson 1982). An additional 11 schools were planning to develop arboriculture classes, and ten of the forestry schools were planning new urban forestry courses. By 1980, Andresen and Johnson (1982) discovered university catalogs listed 20 urban forestry courses. Another survey was conducted in 1990 of forestry schools accredited by the Society of American Foresters. In this study, 25 universities had programs in urban forestry, with 18 being structured curricula (Hildebrandt et al. 1993). Of the universities surveyed, 30 had at least one under- graduate urban forestry course. Twenty-four schools offered individually tailored graduate degree programs, and six had structured graduate curricula in urban forestry. Education is important in the arboriculture and urban forestry professions. In a survey undertaken in the U.S. Mountain West region in the early 1980s, employer per- spectives on arboriculture and urban forestry education were solicited (McPherson 1984). Half of the respondents indicated that a 2-year education in arboriculture was the minimum necessary to enter the arboriculture profession. Less than one-third of the respondents indicated a minimum degree requirement of 4 years or more for arborists; however, half of the respondents required a minimum of a 4-year degree or more for an urban forester. In a recent Pennsylvania study, 70% of participating arboriculture firms indicated that a bachelor’s degree was important for certain positions, and 40% desired either an associate’s degree or certification (Penn-Del Chapter 2001). There are curriculum and experiential differences among a 4-year university degree, a 2-year technical degree, and a certification program. The increased need for trained arborists has also placed a demand on 2-year technical and certification programs, and these programs continue to grow in importance. Although this trend may be different today, in a survey of 2-year technical programs, Coufal (1979) found that technicians were having greater success finding arboricultural employment than those with a baccalaureate degree. In a nationwide survey of arboriculture and urban forestry professionals, the proportion of minori- ties and white males making US$50,000 or more annually was actually less for those with a baccalaureate than those without. However, females appeared to make more with a 4-year degree than without (Kuhns et al. 2002). The need for industry involvement and practical experi- ence of students continues to be expounded by educators and practitioners (King 1977, 1979; Deneke 1978; Ryan 1981; Andresen and Johnson 1982; McPherson 1984). McPherson (1984) discovered that over 70% of industry professionals surveyed believed that graduates in arboriculture or urban forestry should have at least 6 months of supervised field experience before entering the workforce. Seventy percent of participating Pennsylvania arboriculture firms were willing to hire interns if they were available (Penn-Del Chapter 2001). Public sector employers expect urban foresters to perform a wider range of planning and management skills than public or private sector employers of arborists (Tables 1 and 2). Further, in McPherson’s survey (1984), based on the percentages of respondents, over half of the public sector responses identified 31 skills required of graduating urban ©2005 International Society of Arboriculture
May 2005
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