Tree Stewards Program
The NC Urban Forest Council and NC State Extension have partnered to develop the North Carolina Volunteer Tree Steward Program, which is a statewide program to train citizen volunteers on basic tree care management in order to assist local cities and towns in managing their publicy owned trees. Citizens participate in a 6-week training course learning about tree biology and how trees grow, how to properly plant trees, water trees, and early tree care practices.
The Alliance for Cape Fear Trees is partnering with the City of Wilmington to pilot the first training program in North Carolina. This first group of citizen volunteers will help the community complete tree work such as: mulching, tree planting, young tree pruning, invastive species removal, and community engagement.
(Signups have closed for the Fall of 2023 classes but we hope to offer additional classes in the future).

Fall of 2023 Class Schedule (with materials)
6 total classes: 3 in-person sessions and 3 pre-recorded videos taught by NCSU’s Barbara Fair.
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Preparation before first session
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Handouts
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Video: Tree Biology and Anatomy (with accompanying slideshow handout Tree Biology and Anatomy)
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Saturday, September 23
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This in-person session was cancelled due to inclement weather and will be made up with an extended in-person class on Oct 14.
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Saturday, September 30 (pre-recorded video)
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Here is the video: Soil and Other Environmental Factors (with the accompanying slideshow handout Soil and Other Environmental Factors)
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This video may be watched anytime your schedule allows during this week.
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Saturday, October 7th (pre-recorded video)
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Here is the the video: Planting & Watering (with the accompanying slideshow handout Planting for Success)
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This video may be watched anytime your schedule allows during this week.
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Saturday, October 14th (first in-person session)
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From 9:00am. - 1:00 pm. (this session is extended to include information from the first cancelled session)
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Location: Martin Luther King Center Classroom - 401 S 8th St, Wilmington, NC 28401
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Please make sure you've read and watched all the preceding materials and videos.
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Saturday, October 21st (pre-recorded video)
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Here is the video: Tree Disorders (with the accompanying slideshow handout Ornamental Plant Problems).
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This video may be watched anytime your schedule allows during this week.
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Saturday, October 28th (second in-person session)
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Final session and graduation ceremony!
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From 9:00 am. -11:00 am.
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Location: Martin Luther King Center Classroom - 401 S 8th St, Wilmington, NC 28401
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Bonus class (pre-recorded video): here is the video which covers a little more about Pruning (with the accompanying slideshow handout Pruning for Healthy Trees).
Quizzes
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Quiz #2 - coming soon
Your participation is crucial to the success of the Tree Stewart Program, and we look forward to working with you to make a positive impact on our newly planted trees. Together, we can make a difference, one tree at a time.
If you have any questions or comments, please email contact@acftrees.org
Here is the link to the old Tree Steward page at NCUFC.