Taking the Edge Off: Pruning for Natural Areas Workshop (in-person)

Cost: $80, pre-registration required
Limited financial aid slots offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Natural area landscapes hold an important place and functions in the urban environment. Managing vegetation along trails, roads, and other edges can pose a variety of challenges for the available stewardship resources. This lecture and hands-on workshop will cover how to manage and prune native vegetation adjacent to trails, drives, and streets for optimal environmental functions, appearance, safety, & visibility. The lecture will include current best pruning practices and how they translate for the specific goals and functions of natural area plantings. Considerations for reducing long-term labor needs and how to lengthen the time between pruning cycles will be covered, along with common pruning techniques that are ineffective and why. After the lunch break, the class will meet at a field site in NE Seattle for hands-on field instruction. Students will get practice using the best pruning techniques for the most effective results, working on a variety of native plants.
This class is open to everyone, but geared towards public works, maintenance, and landscape crew members; community stewardship volunteers; supervisors, field staff.
Professional credits pending.