Arboriculture Career Certificate
Train from home to be an expert in arboriculture
This course develops the knowledge and skills needed to work in arboriculture, and provides an essential background training in plant identification, selection and care.
This course has a strong practical focus, involving a lot of field work including such things as routine tree inspections, soil inspections, observing and analyzing problems with trees growing in a wide variety of situations. Under the guidance of expert horticulturists, you will build a very sound foundation that will allow your knowledge and skills to continue growing and developing effectively throughout a lifelong career.
COURSE CONTENT
This course is made of two parts, including the following modules. Click on each course listed below for an outline
- identify hundreds of different plant species
- inspect trees, report on their condition and identify a range of problems, and suggest treatments for those problems
Course Profiles
Horticulture I
This gives you a broad based understanding of all aspects of horticulture, and in doing so, lays a foundation for working in arboriculture. Before studying the specifics of tree culture, you first need to understand how plants are identified, how soils are structured, the way in which plants obtain nutrients and gardens are created. Knowledge of things like this (developed in Horticulture I), will provide an important perspective for studies that follow; and give the study of arboriculture not only a different relevance, but also make many things easier to understand and remember.
Arboriculture I
This follows on from Horticulture I, laying the foundation for both further studies and growth of your skills and knowledge throughout a career in arboriculture.
There are eight lessons in this module, as follows:
- Scope and Nature of Arboriculture
- Biology of Trees
- Soils In Relation to Trees
- Diagnosis of Tree Problems
- Tree Surgery
- Tree Pruning
- Equipment used for Arboriculture
- Workplace Health & Safety
Trees for Rehabilitation
Tree planting for rehabilitation is a growth industry world wide; and with moves toward carbon trading schemes, this sector of the tree industry would seem likely to boom over coming years. This module has been included because of the developing significance of this field, and the likely job opportunities this type of work will offer graduates. There are ten lessons in this module as follows:
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Approaches to Land Rehabilitation
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Ecology of Soils and Plant Health
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Seed Propagation Techniques
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Propagation and Nursery Stock.
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Dealing with Chemical Problems
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Physical Plant Effects on Degraded Sites
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Plant Establishment Programs
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Hostile Environments
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Plant Establishment Care
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Rehabilitating Degraded Sites
Arboriculture II
This expands on the foundation created in the first three modules, with the following aims:
Explain how to plant a specified advanced-sized tree on a specific site.Explain tree injection, including the technique and applications.Identify situations where trees require strengthening operations to be carried out.Compare different ways to control roots which invade underground pipes.Calculate the cost of removing a specified tree.Determine appropriate tree species suited to a specific visited site.Devise a method for removing a tree, including tree felling and stump removal.Analyse different specimens of mature trees, from each different genera, to detect any patterns in problems occurring in those trees.Develop criteria for the establishment of a tree plantation on a specific site which addresses; site restrictions, cost and function.
Plant Selection and Establishment
Again, building upon the previous courses, this develops an improved capacity to select the right plant for the situation at hand; and then to give that plant the best chance of developing into a strong mature specimen.
Plant Protection
This course rounds off the certificate by expanding your ability to deal with problems that may threaten ta tree's health, vigor or even longevity. There are ten lessons in this module, as follows:
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Introduction
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Control Techniques
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Chemicals
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Identifying Diseases
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Disease Control
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Insect Classification
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Insect Control
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Non Insect Pests
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Weed Identification
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Weed Control
Deciduous Trees
There are eleven lessons in this module as follows:
- Introduction
- Maple (Acer)
- Birch (Betula)
- Ash (Fraxinus)
- Oak (Quercus)
- Prunus
- Other Deciduous Trees
- Special Project
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Tips for Growing Trees in Small Gardens
Shade is common in small gardens, and it has both benefits and disadvantages for plants and people. Even the family pets need and appreciate a little shade in the hot summer. With the prevalence of skin cancer, shade is particularly important, not only to keep us cool in hot weather, but also to provide protection from this serious disease. Many small gardens will be naturally shaded due to the presence of surrounding structures such as fences or buildings.
Shade protects plants from both extreme temperature and excessive light. Some plants love shade, however many don't. Careful plant selection is important to make the most of your shady areas.
Creating Shade
You may desire to create more shaded areas. This can be readily done by such means as:
• Installing a shadehouse or covering existing structures with some shade material.
• Temporary covers made from canvas, shadecloth or similar materials can be strung up on poles or between established buildings and/or trees to create shade during warmer months, and then removed during cooler times.
• Building a pergola. These can be made shadier by training a plant (eg. laburnum) over the pergola. If you use deciduous climbers you can get the benefits of summer shade, and increased light during winter when leaves have fallen.
• Growing suitable shade trees. These should not have invasive root systems that might damage drains, footpaths, foundations, etc. Deciduous types can be used to create summer shade, while letting through increased light in winter, however cleaning up the fallen leaves can be real chore.
Shade Density
Shade can be light or heavy.
Deciduous plants provide no shade in winter but lots in summer. More upright trees with an open or high canopy may allow light to penetrate more into a small garden.
If you want to minimise shade, choose taller trees with a less spreading habit, and less dense foliage.
TREES WITH NARROW CANOPIES
(ie. don’t spread much, so can fit into narrow spaces)
Calocedrus decurrens
Carpinus Betululus Fastigata
Cupressus sempervirens
Juniperus chinensis “Mountbatten”
Juniperus scopulorum “Skyrocket”
Hymenosporum flavum
Pinus strobus “Fastigata”
Pittosporum phylleraeoides
Populus nigra “Italica”
Sophora japonica “Princeton Upright”
Taxodium distichum
If you choose to use shadecloth, it's easy to control the degree of shade, because such products usually come with the amount of shade stated. 50% or 70% shadecloths are common.
If the garden is shaded heavily, you will need to be more careful in your choice of shrubs to grow below that shade.
Other Things To Consider
• Plants growing in shaded areas may need less watering than those exposed to the sun. The plant uses less water in the shade. The ground remains cooler in shaded areas.
• In cool climates over watering can cause problems. Some problems are slime/algae growth on pathways and on pot surfaces, fungal diseases can easily spread, especially damping off and root rot.
STUDY AND LEARN MORE
THE ACS TEAM APPROACH
ACS was founded by John Mason in 1979 as Australian Horticultural Correspondence School.
Right from these very early times, we've always believed that the best education only comes when the student is learning from the experience of a whole range of industry experts (rather than just a single teacher).
Every ACS course is a work in progress, continually evolving, with new information being added and old information being updated by our team of internationally renowned professional horticulturists.
Over the decades more than 100 horticulture experts from across the world have contributed to these courses, bringing their individual knowledge and experiences from as wide afield as England and Spain to Australia and America.
While may colleges and universities focus on providing courses that relate only to the country where they are based, ACS has always striven to make its courses relevant to all parts of the world; any climate, economic or cultural situation. This has been achieved by involving a large number of professionals in the course development.
When it comes to tutoring, marking papers and mentoring students, the team approach is just as strong as with our writing. ACS students have the ability to obtain advice and support from staff across the world, with horticulture tutors located in the UK, Australia (both the north and south) and New Zealand.
The ACS team approach and global focus to both course content and student support, ensures our graduates have a unique and "real world" skills set. This unique approach is highly regarded by our colleagues in horticulture.
