2023 Extension Master Gardeners College highlights advanced tree steward training

The point about the advanced training programs for master gardeners is there's the trees and the water stewards and landcare stewards. Master Gardener College offers one of these every year in rotation. This year it is tree stewards, one of the big functions master gardeners talk to the public, educate the public. Tree stewards have a main mission of educating the public about trees. Good trees to plant, what maybe not to plant, hopefully. How to plant it, where to plant it, what goes wrong with it. Master Gardener College is a place where they can come and network with master gardeners from across the state and really build on some of those skills, share their passions with other people. For someone like our tree steward class, they're able to dive really deep into a topic they're very passionate about. And then be able to bring that knowledge back into their communities. And be able to do programming around trees. And be able to share that knowledge. That is intended for places that do not have the population, the amount of already stewards to run their own training programs. Because the local program gives you benefit of more time, for one thing, and also the ability to tap into your local talent and your local challenges. Our master gardeners are very passionate people. They are so engaged. And this is something that we can do to offer back to them, to thank them for their service, to provide some more continuing education and that space to really come together. I love the sense of how much we can accomplish, taking all these people who have so much to offer, and getting them to channel it towards better soil, better plants, better trees, better environment. The aspect of what this group together accomplishes is huge.