Boston Flora

Tag: Worcester Tree Initiative

  • Friday, December 6, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm – What’s In Your Toolkit?

    Working in your yard or garden is a joyful activity made better when you are well equipped for the work. On December 6 from 11 – 12:30 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Derek Lirange will showcase a variety of common tools and their uses. He will also demonstrate the essentials of good tool care, such as cleaning, disinfecting, removing rust, and sharpening. The opportunity to see and handle these tools will give attendees a sense of how to invest in their toolbox when equipping themselves for a variety of tasks and how to keep their tools in great condition for years to come.

    Derek Lirange is the Community Forester for the Worcester Tree Initiative (WTI) program at Tower Hill Botanic Garden. He has worked for WTI since 2013 helping to coordinate programs ranging from tree planting and pruning events with volunteers to classes for children and adults on the value of the landscape in cities and towns. Derek has a Bachelors of Science in Community Forestry from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist.

    Tower Hill Botanic Garden members $15, nonmembers $20. Register online at https://towerhillbg.thankyou4caring.org/pages/event-registration-form—whats-in-your-toolkit

  • Thursday, November 7, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Pruning Basics

    Worcester Tree Initiative’s Community Forester, Derek Lirange, will cover the fundamentals of pruning woody plants including what should be cut out of trees and shrubs and how to make cuts for both health and appearance. He will also address common pruning mistakes or misconceptions and simple tool maintenance so you can make sure you’re making the best cut every time. The lecture takes place at Tower Hill Botanic Garden at 10:30 am. $26 for Tower Hill members, $36 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org

    Derek Lirange is the Community Forester for the Worcester Tree Initiative (WTI) program at Tower Hill Botanic Garden. He has worked for WTI since 2013 helping to coordinate programs ranging from tree planting and pruning events with volunteers to classes for children and adults on the value of the landscape in cities and towns. Derek has a Bachelors of Science in Community Forestry from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist.

  • Thursday, May 2, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Tree Planting Deep Dive

    On May 2 from 6 – 8 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, join the staff of Worcester Tree Initiative to learn how to properly plant and care for young trees and shrubs. Topics include: planting container trees, ball and burlap stock, and bare root plants. We will also discuss the basic elements of choosing right tree right place and when to stake a tree. Each attendee will receive a tree care booklet to take home. $26 for Tower Hill members, $36 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Thursday, November 15, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Pruning Basics

    Worcester Tree Initiative’s Community Forester Derek Lirange will cover the fundamentals of pruning woody plants, including what should be cut out of trees and shrubs and how to make cuts for both health and appearance. He will also address common pruning mistakes or misconceptions and simple tool maintenance so you can make sure you’re making the best cut every time. This beginner’s class will take place at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on November 15 from 10 – noon. Tower Hill member price $15, nonmembers $25. Register at http://www.towerhillbg.org.

    Derek Lirange began working at Worcester Tree Initiative (WTI) days after completing his Bachelor’s Degree, from UMASS Amherst, in Urban and Community Forestry in 2013. As WTI’s Community Forester, Derek’s primary role is to work with WTI’s partners coordinating tree plantings, education programs, and workdays.

    Image result for Derek Lirange

  • Tuesdays, October 2 – October 30, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Master Tree Steward Training

    Learn the skills essential to urban and community forestry and become tree stewards in your community at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Tuesday nights, October 2 – 30, from 6 – 9. Topics covered include basic pruning techniques and safety, tree identification and biology, proper tree planting and care, tree pests and diseases, tree health assessment, and urban soil challenges. To complete this program, participants must commit to at volunteering for at least 20 hours in the urban forest of Worcester or at Tower Hill Botanic Garden.

    Coordinated by Worcester Tree Initiative

    Session 1:
    Introduction to the program/Welcome
    Basic Pruning Techniques & Safety in the Field – Classroom Training
    The Value of Urban Trees
    Hands-on Indoor Pruning
    Field Tree ID

    Session 2:
    Hands-on Outdoor Tree Pruning
    Tree Biology
    Tree Diseases/Fungi
    Tree ID

    Session 3:
    How to Properly Plant a Tree
    Tree Establishment and Ongoing Tree Care
    Tree Health Assessment Intro
    Identifying Common Urban Trees

    Session 4:
    Community Pests/Diseases: How to Identify & What to do.
    Soil, Plant Nutrition & Urban Soil Challenges
    Tree Identification: Shapes of Leaves, Texture of Bark, Leaf Scars, etc.
    Identifying Common Urban Trees

    Session 5:
    Evolving Forest – Migration of Pests and Change in Agricultural Zones
    Tree Care Leadership in your Community
    Test
    Certificates/Volunteer Sign Up

    SKILL LEVEL: ALL LEVELS. THBG members $120, nonmembers $140. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Saturday, January 27, 1:00 pm – Tower Hill READS 2018 Kickoff

    Join friends and fellow garden members reading and discussing a thought provoking, award-winning book, The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben during Tower Hill Botanic Garden’s 2018 community read. Tower Hill also plans a series of tree walks, lectures and other events with the Worcester Tree Initiative. The kickoff will be held Sunday, January 27 from 1 – 2, and is free with admission, but registration is recommended at https://towerhillbg.thankyou4caring.org/pages/event-registration-form—tower-hill-reads-2018-kickoff

    Learn more about the book and related events at the kickoff. Copies of the book are available in the Library and The Garden Shop.

  • Thursday, October 5, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Trip to Clark University’s Hadwen Arboretum

    Over thirty varieties of trees can be identified in Hadwen Arboretum, a 6-acre arboretum located behind Fairlawn Rehabilitation Center along Lovell Street and May Street at Clark University in Worcester. Join Tower Hill Botanic Garden and the Worcester Tree Initiative Staff as we talk about the varieties present in this landscape as well as the old ‘heritage’ trees. This arboretum is also home to a portion of the East/West Trail that spans 17 miles within Worcester. Free, but registration is requested at https://towerhillbg.thankyou4caring.org/pages/event-registration-form—clark-universitys-hadwen-arboretum-trip. Co-sponsored with the Worcester Tree Initiative

    MEET AT HADWEN ARBORETUM, WORCESTER MA:

    Please meet in the small parking lot on Lovell Street, directly across from Levell Drive. Look for Worcester Tree Initiative signs to indicate the meeting spot. Parking is available on Lovell Drive and also on the portion of Lovell Street across May St. from the Arboretum. Parking is not allowed on Lovell Street alongside the Arboretum.

  • Saturday, August 19, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – Worcester Community Gardens Tour

    Did you know that Worcester has over 60 community gardens, some dating back to the 1940’s? Tower Hill Botanic Garden invites you to explore the many exciting gardening projects of Worcester’s Main South neighborhood with a walking tour on Saturday, August 19 led by the Regional Environmental Council (REC) and Worcester Tree Initiative (WTI). Highlights will include two community gardens, an urban orchard, and the YouthGROW Farm, a youth-led urban farm which employs 30+ local teens. Guests will have the opportunity to learn more about the food justice work taking place in Worcester as they enjoy touring these beautiful community spaces.

    Co-sponsored with Regional Environmental Council and Worcester Tree Initiative.

    REC’s community garden network began in 1995 with one garden and one volunteer gardener with a vision to grow food in the city. In the last 12 years, the network has grown to include over 60 community gardens throughout the City of Worcester involving more than 500 volunteer gardeners and reaching 2,000 Worcester Public School Students.

    WTI has planted fruit trees throughout the City of Worcester in groves and orchards through public and private partnerships and given fruit trees away for people to grow at their own homes. In addition WTI offers workshops to train experienced and inexperienced growers alike in the best methods for caring for fruit trees. WTI supports the growth of fresh produce by and for local residents of the Worcester area.

    PARTICIPANTS WILL MEET AT THE YOUTHGROW FARM ON 63 OREAD ST., WORCESTER. PLEASE PRE-REGISTER. Free for Tower Hill Members, $10 for nonmembers. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org. Photo by Matt Volpini for www.wbjournal.com.

  • Wednesday, April 27, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm – The Value of Trees in the Urban Landscape

    In celebration of Arbor Day, learn about the many environmental and economic benefits of trees in Tower Hill Botanic Garden’s interactive indoor and outdoor presentation, led by Ruth Seward of the Worcester Tree Initiative.  The class, free with admission to the garden, will be held Wednesday, April 27 beginning at 3 pm.  Pre-registration is requested at www.towerhillbg.org.