Principles of Proper Tree Pruning for Parks Professionals
Wednesday, April 22 | 4:05pm - 4:50pm
Session Description: Healthy trees provide many environmental, social, and public health benefits to people and communities. Public parks are often local jurisdictions’ best opportunities to establish diverse populations of trees. Maintenance practices, depending on if and how well they are performed, can greatly influence tree health, structural integrity, and longevity. This session will cover the basics of tree biology and current best practices for tree pruning, while also reviewing common scenarios when parks professionals may be called on to prune trees.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will gain new insights on how trees grow and relate those insights to why certain practices may be either beneficial or detrimental to trees
- Participants will be exposed to common pruning scenarios and best practice techniques that can be applied in those scenarios.
Speakers: Ben Thompson
About the Speakers: Ben Thompson is the Urban Forestry Specialist in the Urban & Community Forestry Program and has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 1999. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Community Forestry from Unity College in Maine and a Master’s in Forest Resources and Conservation from the University of Florida. Despite his east coast roots Ben is a true Northwesterner at heart and has worked extensively with Washington’s trees and communities over an 11-year timeframe. He lives in Olympia, with his wife and two young children. Together they enjoy family excursions to experience the wonderfully diverse landscapes—from national parks to cityscapes—that make Washington such a special place.
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