Home Study Course -Growing Trees for Land Management
- Learn to grow trees to reduce problems like erosion, desertification, carbon pollution and other forms of environmental degradation
Everyone knows the world has environmental problems. The scientists know that a major response should be to plant more trees (on a very large scale).
Sooner or later, political will is going to catch up with reality; and there will be a massive demand for people who know how to propagate and establish large scale tree planting. Unfortunately, too few people know these skills or are learning them.
Studying today may just put you in a very enviable position for work opportunities in the future.
COURSE STRUCTURE
There are ten lessons are as follows...
1. Approaches To Land Rehabilitation
2. Ecology Of Soils And Plant Health
3. Introduction To Seed Propagation Techniques
4. Propagation And Nursery Stock.
5. Dealing With Chemical Problems
6. Physical Plant Effects On Degraded Sites
7. Plant Establishment Programs
8. Hostile Environments
9. Plant Establishment Care
10. Rehabilitating Degraded Sites
AIMS
- Compare different approaches to land regeneration, to determine strengths and weaknesses of alternative options on a site to be rehabilitated.
- Determine techniques to maximise plant development in land rehabilitation situations.
- Explain the different ways of producing seedling trees for land rehabilitation purposes.
- Determine appropriate plant establishment programs.
- Develop procedures to care for plants, during establishment in an hostile environment.
- Manage the rehabilitation of degraded soil.
- Explain the effect of plants on improving a degraded site, both physically and chemically.
Course Duration: 100 hours
WHAT THE COURSE COVERS
Here are just some of the things you will be doing:
- Determine different examples of land degradation on sites visited by you.
- Explain different reasons for land requiring rehabilitation, including: * Salination *Erosion * Mining * Grazing * Vegetation harvesting * Pests * Reduction of biodiversity * Soil contamination * Urbanisation.
- Compare the effectiveness of different policy approaches to land rehabilitation by different agencies and organisation, including: * Different levels of government. Mining companies * Developers * Conservation groups (i.e. tree planting bodies, landcare groups).
- Develop a risk analysis for a specified site to be rehabilitated, by determining a variety of plant health problems which may impact on the success of plant establishment.
- Analyse the failure of plants to grow successfully on a visited land rehabilitation site.
- Develop a procedure to enhance the success rate of land rehabilitation plantings on a degraded site.
- Describe the use of mulches, to maximise plant condition in a specified land rehabilitation tree planting project.
- Explain different processes of establishing seedlings on land rehabilitation sites, including: * tubestock nursery production * direct seeding * pre-germinated bare rooted seedlings.
- Determine factors which affect the viability of establishing five different species of plant seedlings, from five different plant families; on a specific degraded site.
- Compare the benefits of acquiring plants for a project by buying tubestock, with propagating and growing on, or close to, the planting site, with reference to: * costs *plant quality * local suitability * management.
- Prepare production schedules for a plant species, using different propagation techniques, summarising all important tasks from collection of seed to planting out of the tubestock.
- Calculate the cost of production for a tubestock plant, according to the production schedule developed by you.
- Estimate the differences in per plant establishment costs, for tubestock, compared with direct seeding methods, for planting on a degraded site.
- Describe different methods of planting trees for rehabilitation purposes.
- Describe plant establishment techniques, including: * wind protection * frost protection *pest control *water management *weed management.
- Describe an appropriate method for preparing soil for planting, at a proposed land rehabilitation site.
- Evaluate plant establishment techniques used by different land rehabilitation programs.
- Determine the needs of plants after planting, on different proposed land rehabilitation sites.
- Describe different, efficient ways, of catering to the needs of large numbers of plants after planting.
- Collect pressed specimens or photographs of twenty trees for a herbarium of suitable trees for rehabilitation, and including information on the culture and care of each tree.
- Describe different types of soil degradation.
- Determine the risk factors involved in soil degradation, relevant to your locality.
- Compare different alternative methods of treating each of three different soil degradation problems you inspect.
- Develop an assessment form to use for evaluating the sensitivity of a site to land degradation.
- Evaluate a site showing signs of degradation, selected by you, using an assessment form you develop.
- Plan a rehabilitation program for the degraded site you evaluated, including *a two year schedule of work to be completed; *list of quantity and type of materials required; *approximate cost estimates.
- Explain the effect different plant species may have resisting soil degradation.
- Explain how different plants can have different impacts upon the chemistry of their environment, including both air and soil.
- Evaluate the significance of a group of plants, to the nature of the microclimate in which you find them growing.
- Compare the appropriateness of different plant species for different degraded sites.
- Determine plant varieties suited to different degradation situations.
Timing Can be All Important for Successful Tree Planting
Planting is best timed to allow plants to settle in and establish before facing the harshest time of the year. The harshest time of year will vary from place to place, and may also vary according to the plant species being planted.
In temperate climates, planting may be done at any time of the year providing the plant will receive adequate water. In well maintained gardens, planting may be done when growing conditions are optimal ie: in the southern states planting is best done in autumn or spring when rainfall is high, and there is adequate warmth in the soil to stimulate root growth.
In tropical or sub-tropical climates planting may be better carried out after the hottest part of the year, but while the ground is still moist.
In areas with severe frosts planting may be best carried out in spring after the threat of frost has passed.
This will give the plant time to establish before the following winter.
Always avoid planting on hot or windy days plants are more likely to dry out in these conditions.
Always avoid planting just prior to severe storms which may damage young plants.
REASONS TO STUDY WITH ACS DISTANCE EDUCATION
• Reputation:
-teaching Horticulture since 1979
-exceptional faculty staff (see below)
• Hands on: develop practical as well as theoretical skills
• Uniqueness:
-successful people are always those who can offer a skill or service that others can't
-this course is different; our graduates have different skills to set them apart.
• Relevance -curriculum developed in response to industry needs
• Lots of help: personal, prompt attention from tutors
• Holistic Courses: We teach more than just "facts"
-success is only 20% about intelligence (and what you know)
-you also need to build networking, problem solving & communication skills, and more!
-this course helps you develop all of these things and more
• Value: courses compare very favorably on a cost per study hour basis
• Up to date: courses under constant review
• Student amenities: This school is backed by over one of the most unique and comprehensive private collections of intellectual property in the horticultural industry. The principal and staff have written and published over 50 books and 150 gardening magazines, as well as 20,000 hours horticultural study programs. A team of 5 horticultural writers continue to develop and update new material continually. These resources together with web sites, an online student room, social media etc. provide a unique and comprehensive facility to support students studying with the school.
OUR FACULTY
These are just some of the people involved with developing and updating courses; and tutoring our horticulture students
John Mason Dip.Hort.Sc.
40 years + in horticulture Graduated from Burnley Horticultural College in 1971,Nurseryman, Landscape Designer and Parks Director through the 1970's. One of Australia's most published garden writers, author of books published by Simon and Schuster, Harper Collins, CSIRO and other major publishers; Editor for 4 different national gardening magazines; honored as a fellow of both the Institute of Horticulture in Australia and the Institute of Horticulture in the UK.
Gavin Cole B.Sc., M.Psych.
30 years + in horticulture. Renowned horticulturist and psychologist. Former operations manager for the highly regarded "Chelsea Gardener" landscape firm in London, garden writer and landscaper in both Brisbane and Adelaide in Australia.
Maggi Brown
40 years + in horticulture. Former education manager for "Garden Organic"; England's peak organic gardening and farming body.
Dr Lyn Morgan Phd
25 years + in horticulture. New Zealand based hydroponic consultant and author, with experience working everywhere from Asia to America.
Rosemary Davies Dip.Hort.Sc.
30 years + in horticulture; including Victorian Department of Agriculture Gradening Advisor, Gardening Editor/writer/author for major publishers and newspapers.
Diana Cole B,A., RHS Dip Hort, NTEC Higher Dip in Garden Design
15 years + in horticulture and landscaping
Adriana Fraser Adv.Dip.Hort.
30 years + in horticulture. Consultant, teacher, garden write, manager of plant collections
Bob James B.App.Sc(Hort), M. Env.Sc., Grad.Dip.Mgt.
Yvonne Sharpe Dip.Hort., M.Hort.
Martin Powdrill B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc. PDC
Marie Beerman B.Sc., M.Hort.
