Arboriculture Classes at Rockview State Correctional Institution's Forestry Camp
This Fall, the Pa Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in partnership with the Department of Corrections,
launched a pilot Arborist Short Course at Rockview's Forestry Camp. The Forestry Camp is a minimum security unit where inmates having 4 years or less to serve out can apply to live. The men housed at Forestry Camp carry out community-based projects and/or land-care management on the 2400 acres surrounding Rockview. Several of the men gain tremendous hands-on skills in forestry and tree care.This program seeks to compliment those skills by providing an educational foundation in arboriculture. The program seeks to give participants employable skills as well as empower them to enter into careers in forestry and conservation.
The class curriculum follows along the International Society of Arboriculture's (ISA) Arborist Certification Study Guide. The ISA graciously donated 20 of the Study Guide books (pictured above) to this program. The books allow the men to study and reread material covered in class between lessons, as well as prepare for ISA exams.
Thank you International Society of Arboriculture!
The success of this program depends greatly on the instructors. We have been lucky to have people from Bartlett Tree Experts, Penn State Extension, Penn State University and DCNR Bureau of Forestry. We are excited to see what the future holds for this program.
Thank you to all the instructors!
|