Chicago and suburban residents are invited to become TreeKeepers at a class to be offered by Openlands Project at the Chicago Center for Green Technology, 445 N. Sacramento Ave., on Saturdays, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., starting Sept. 13. Deadline for registration is Aug. 20.
The seven-week TreeKeepers course, started by Openlands over 12 years ago, features instructors who are renowned experts in the field of arboriculture and tree research. Participants learn how to prune and care for trees, how to select and plant trees properly, what insects and diseases attack trees and how difficult it is for urban trees to survive. The course includes hands-on experience in pruning, mulching and planting.
Teachers may take the class for two graduate credit hours through the College of Education at Aurora University.
TreeKeepers are volunteers who are certified to give trees proper care and maintenance so they can thrive in the urban forest. More than 600 people are now certified TreeKeepers in the Chicago area. They assist the Bureau of Forestry and the Chicago Park District in caring for more than four million trees in the City of Chicago.
Openlands Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing public open space in the metropolitan Chicago area. Now more than 40 years old, Openlands is involved in creating land and water trails and urban community gardens, caring for urban trees, and protecting wetlands, prairies and other natural habitat.
The Chicago Center for Green Technology was a former Brownfields site on the west side that the City of Chicago's Department of Environment transformed into a model for sustainable development. The City uses the building to educate citizens, architects, developers and others about "green" design.
The fee for the seven-week TreeKeepers' course is $75. (Teachers must also pay for Aurora University tuition.) To obtain a brochure and registration information, call Tree Keeper Jim at (312) 427-4256, ext. 232, before Aug. 20.
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