Document existing conditions
November 30 – December 2, 2010
Fredericksburg, Virginia
$ 399 – Registration
ISA CEU’s available
Workshop is Full
To put your name on a wait list click the green “Register Today” icon below. Do not send payment.
Do you work or volunteer at a site that has old trees on the property? Have you ever wondered if an older tree is hazardous? If a significant tree requires special care? How to extend the life of an important tree? What to do when a tree no longer stands? This is your opportunity to answer those questions and learn more about mature trees.
Historic trees are iconic landscape features and important historic resources. Loss of mature trees change an historic landscape forever. Understanding and promoting proper tree care is an essential skill to insure historic trees grow to their full potential and have the longest life possible.
NCPTT, in partnership with the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, will conduct a three-day workshop about historic tree management, November 30-December 2, 2010. This training is for landscape managers, maintenance staff, volunteers, and others who care for, or are interested in historic trees. No previous tree care knowledge is required. Just come with an interest in mature tree care and a willingness to learn!
The workshop will feature a combination of presentations and hands-on field sessions at historic Kenmore in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia, and at George Washington Birthplace National Monument along Virginia’s Northern Neck.
Topics covered will include:
- Significance of Historic Trees
- How Tree Biology Changes with Age
- Weight Bearing and Stress Loading in Large Trees
- Tree Documentation and Dating Methods
- Why Trees Deteriorate and How they can Fail
- Tree Inspection and Assessment
- Methods to Sustain Tree Health and Stability
- Changing Maintenance Practices as Trees Age
- Trees at Risk: When Removal is Necessary
- Tree Replacement Strategies at Historic Sites
The workshop will also include a Question and Answer Panel. Participants will have an opportunity to ask workshop instructors specific questions about historic tree care.
REGISTRATION
The three day workshop costs $399. This includes instruction, a workbook filled with useful information, breaks, and lunch on Wednesday.
Registration deadline: November 12, 2010. – Workshop is FULL
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Tuesday, November 30 1:00 – 5:30 (Kenmore)
Wednesday, December 1 8:00 – 6:00 (George Washington Birthplace National Monument)*
Thursday, December 2 9:00 – 12:00 (Kenmore)
*Wednesday’s schedule includes carpool time to and from George Washington Birthplace National MonumentWORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS
Kevin T. Smith leads a research work unit for the US Forest Service that investigates the role of stress and disease on forest health and productivity. His personal research centers on the effects of environmental disturbance and injury on tree biology, especially growth and decay. Part of this research involves understanding how trees survive, grow, and die in the stressful urban environment. He investigates natural wounding from branch shedding, fire, and storms as well as mechanical damage from arboricultural practices. He also examines the role of wood decay in soil formation and forest fertility. His research methods include dendrochronology, forest pathology, and biological chemistry. He is frequently invited to present these themes to arboricultural and land management groups and has authored more than 80 publications in scientific journals and green industry magazines.
Dan McCarthy is a Preservation Arborist of the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, the cultural landscape program in the Northeast Region of the National Park Service. In this capacity, Dan provides technical assistance on cultural landscape issues in regards to tree care; performs comprehensive condition assessments of landscape features; manages, organizes and coordinates tree-related field projects that promote the stabilization and preservation of important landscapes; and coordinates arboricultural education and safety training programs for National Park Service staff. His work has included preservation maintenance field projects at over 45 National Parks in 17 states, and is credited with training 32 NPS staff to become certified arborists. Dan is a certified arborist through the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). He has been recognized with several national and regional awards for his initiatives and accomplishments in cultural landscape preservation and safety, including an award for Professional Excellence in Cultural Resource Management in 2003 and the Andrew Clark Hecht Memorial Public Safety Achievement Award in 2008.
Jamie McGuane is a Work Leader for the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, the cultural landscape program in the Northeast Region of the National Park Service. Jamie assists with numerous cultural landscape projects at the Olmsted Center, including condition assessments, technical assistance, organizing and coordinating field projects, educational and training programs, and management of the Historic Plant Nursery Program. He is a certified arborist through the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and practices Preservation Arboriculture in the National Park Service. Before coming to work for the Olmsted Center, Jamie worked for six years at three National Historic Sites in the Boston area: Longfellow, Kennedy and Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Sites.
Charles Pepper is the Deputy Director of the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation (OCLP). Charles co-manages Olmsted Center programs and projects that promote the preservation of important landscapes through research, planning, stewardship and education. He is active in the development of methodologies that effectively integrate traditional horticulture with preservation practice. Charles has degrees in plant science, horticulture and landscape management from the State University of New York and Cornell University. He has been recognized with several national and regional awards for his initiatives and accomplishments in cultural landscape preservation. Charles was also selected to represent the US National Park Service on a mission to Angkor Wat, Cambodia to assist with the conservation of cultural landscapes and historic trees associated with the centuries old temple and palaces at this World Heritage Site.
Guy Meilleur is a consulting arborist with 45 years of experience in managing and caring for trees. He is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Board-Certified Master Arborist, and an ISA Certified Arborist – Municipal Specialist, and Utility Specialist. He has served as an instructor and guest lecturer at Duke University, North Carolina State University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Guy regularly published articles about tree assessment, tree care, restoring trees, and managing tree damage and decay in Arborist News, Arbor Age, Tree Care Industry, and The Arboricultural Consultant. He is a frequent presenter at national conferences and leads trainings for groups across the country. His company, Historic Tree Care, applies traditional and cutting-edge methods to conserve significant trees on public and private sites.
Jeff Kirwan is Emeritus Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Forestry at Virginia Tech. He is co-author of the award-winning Remarkable Trees of Virginia which celebrates Virginia’s oldest, biggest, most historic trees. He is advisor to the Virginia Project Learning Tree and Master Naturalist Programs. His research interests focus on indigenous ecology and cultural landscapes. Jeff is a tree farmer and a member of the Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians on his native Eastern Shore of Maryland. He and his wife, Judy, live in Blacksburg.
WORKSHOP LOCATIONS
Kenmore
Located in Fredericksburg, VA, this historic property was once home to Fielding Lewis and Betty Lewis Washington, George Washington’s sister. Washington surveyed the original 681 acre property. The grand Georgian-style mansion passed on to other families and was named “Kenmore Plantation” by the Gordon family in 1819.
Today, three beautiful acres remain of the Lewis’ 681. The grounds feature a garden, the first restoration project of the Garden Club of Virginia. The initial Garden Club work commenced in 1924 and was completed in 1932. Since then, the landscape has continued to evolve under the guidance of landscape architects associated with the Garden Club. Today,many mature trees exist on the property including a yellowwood, saucer magnolia, holly, and water oaks.
George Washington Birthplace National Monument
George Washington Memorial House
Located near Colonial Beach, VA, George Washington Birthplace National Monument preserves Washington’s family lands along the Potomac River and Popes Creek on the Northern Neck of Virginia. The site features a memorial house and colonial kitchen, a reconstructed plantation, and a colonial farm. The property features many historic and significant trees including the state champion hackberry tree, a grove of cedars, and red oaks. The colonial herb and flower garden features herbs and flowers from the period.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Workshop instructors will be staying at the Courtyard Marriott in the Fredericksburg Historic District. We have reserved a block of rooms at the hotel at the special rate of $95/night. The rate is good through October 29, 2010. For federal employees, the hotel will accept the 2011 government per diem rate.
To register, contact the hotel directly and give the online booking code NPSNPSA (king size bed) or NPSNPSB (2 queen beds). The hotel has limited government per diem rates, so we suggest federal employees also reserve using the booking code.
Additional lodging options include several bed and breakfasts in the historic district (within walking distance of Kenmore) and several chain motels at the intersection of Route 3 and I95.