140 Elmendorf et al.: Arboriculture and Urban Forestry Education in the U.S. Table 1. Examples of skills taught in urban forestry classes: A review of eight syllabi. • arboriculture • tree benefits and values • street and park tree inventory • street tree and other ordinances • shade tree commissions • tree management plans • tree evaluation and removal • work planning and budgeting • funding • conflict resolution • public relations • volunteer management • land use planning and regulation • preserving trees during development • utility forestry Table 2. Examples of skills taught in arboriculture classes: A review of eight syllabi. • tree identification • tree biology • tree anatomy • tree climbing • safety • tree removal • plant selection and planting techniques • chain-saw operations and safety • soils, fertilizing, and plant relations • pruning young and mature trees • CODIT and hazard tree evaluation • diagnosis • cabling and bracing • lightning protection • tree appraisal • ropes, knots, and hitches foresters and 26 skills for graduating arborists (McPherson 1984). When public sector professionals were asked to select from a list of 38 skills required of graduates from arboriculture programs, planting techniques (96%), pruning and tree removal techniques (93%), insect and disease control (92%), fertilization techniques (91%), and plant materials (90%) were identified as the five most important. For graduates of urban forestry programs, public sector employees identified insect and disease control (90%), general botany (89%), shade and street tree selection (89%), plant materials (88%), and planting techniques (86%) as most important. When asked to identify the top five skills that were most frequently lacking in arboriculture gradu- ates, private sector arborists identified pruning and tree removal techniques (47%), insect and disease control (32%), equipment operation (26%), public relations (26%), and safety procedures (21%). For urban forestry graduates, public sector urban foresters listed public relations (35%), budgeting (27%), public speaking (17%), writing (17%), and public administration (15%) as the top five skill deficiencies (McPherson 1984). There has been considerable debate about the suitability of 4-year university programs to provide adequate instruc- tion for and sufficient numbers of aspiring arborists and urban foresters (Deneke 1978; Ryan 1981; Andresen and Johnson 1982; McPherson 1984). Although somewhat dated, but on a more positive side, Andresen (1981), Andresen and Johnson (1982), and King (1980) stated that the current educational system was adequate to meet the ©2005 International Society of Arboriculture • tree protection during development • transplanting larger trees • chipper and truck operations and safety. demand of the arboriculture and urban forestry professions. However, the ability of educational institutions to provide an adequate workforce to the industry has been criticized in recent studies (Penn-Del Chapter 2001). Even with the current increase in the quality and quantity of university programs, it is reported that the demand for arboriculture and urban forestry graduates remains high, and in many areas of the United States, demand exceeds the supply of available graduates (Ryan 1981; Felix 1987; Rodbell 1993). Although 62% of participating Pennsylvania arboriculture firms indicated that they planned to increase employment, 65% indicated that a lack of qualified tree workers was the most critical concern facing the industry in Pennsylvania, and 77% indicated that finding qualified workers was a major problem for their firm (Penn-Del Chapter 2001). According to a 1990 survey, Hildebrandt (1993) found that 943 urban forestry students graduated from accredited forestry schools from 1980 to 1990. Of that number, 76% were employed in an arboriculture or urban forestry profession. For arboriculture and urban forestry graduates, the majority of today’s jobs are in the private sector, which is comprised mostly of arborists (Hildebrandt 1993; Rodbell 1993; Miller 1994). In Hildebrandt’s (1993) survey of urban forestry graduates, which did not include graduates of horticulture schools offering arboriculture curricula, 39% of the former students were employed as arborists. In a 1996 nationwide survey of urban forestry professionals, 30% were employed in arboriculture, 15% were municipal foresters, 8% were utility foresters, and 6% were employed by state forestry agencies. Half of those surveyed worked for private, for-profit companies (Kuhns et al. 2002). METHODOLOGY In June 2002, a 2-day arboriculture and urban forestry educator summit was hosted by the International Society of Arboriculture at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. This summit provided an important opportunity for society staff, industry representatives, and university and college educators to discuss curriculum and research, barriers to teaching, and teaching techniques. During the energetic discussions, differences in attitudes among educators became apparent regarding curriculum content such as urban soils, utility forestry, tree care safety, and land use planning. Differences in opinions were also apparent in discussions regarding important research topics. The
May 2005
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