Teaching + Workshops

Merritt College

I currently teach at Merritt College as a part of the Urban Arboriculture Program in the Landscape Horticulture Department. The Urban Arboriculture Program was founded in Fall 2018 to train workers for the blossoming tree care industry. With the renewed focus many municipalities are placing on growing our urban forests in the face of climate change, there are more jobs than ever before in our industry. In the fall I teach Arborist Equipment Fundamentals and in the spring I teach Urban and Community Forestry. I am proud to educate tomorrow’s arborists!

I show a new recruit how to properly use a pair of hand-pruners to make the most effective cut on a young flowering cherry tree.

Pruning Workshops

I conduct pruning workshops throughout the Bay Area to help homeowners, gardeners, and plant enthusiasts improve their knowledge and skills in tree maintenance. I have lead workshops for various organizations including Friends of the Urban Forest, Canopy, and Civicorps. As a part of the services I provide, I also work alongside my clients if they are interested in learning how to care for their own trees.

Interns and volunteers learn about the importance of a strong central stem and street-side clearance during a Friends of the Urban Forest Pruning Workshop.

Climbing Workshops

I have been lucky enough to be a part of the annual Women in Arboriculture Tree Climbing Workshop put on by the Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture since the workshop’s inception in 2016. I have progressed from being a participant to working as a teaching assistant. I now support other women as they take their arboricultural careers to new heights. I have also facilitated climbing demos for the Green Teens and Green Crew, job training programs run by Friends of the Urban Forest in San Francisco.

I teach an arborist how to quickly tie a clove hitch to send up materials to a climber aloft. [Photo credit: Sara Toney Photography]

Tree Tours

I have over a decade of formal learning about trees including species identification and the natural history of ornamental and native tree species alike. I lead tree tours where you can learn about plant identification, environmental history, tree trivia, and species-specific care and maintenance techniques.

Tree tours are a great outdoor activity in these days of social-distancing. Invite your friends for a birthday tree tour or bring the family for an educational adventure to learn about the world around us! I have even done Valentine’s day tree tours which highlight the beautiful flowering trees and plants of early spring here in San Francisco ❤ I heave lead tours in neighborhood streets or botanical gardens and am happy to accommodate any accessibility needs.