A Training Manual for

Virginia Tree Stewards

Volunteers for the Community Forest

A Training Manual for Virginia Tree Stewards, 3rd Edition

Acknowledgments
Funding for this 2009 Revision of the Tree Steward Training Manual was provided by
the Virginia Urban Forest Council (Trees Virginia)
2009 Manual Revision Team:
Jacki Vawter, Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards
Louise Seals, Richmond Tree Stewards
Herb Rinehart, Front Royal/Warren Country Tree Stewards
John Cannon, Front Royal/Warren County Tree Stewards
Marge Denham, Lynchburg Area Tree Stewards
Nora Palmatier, Arlington/Alexandria Tree Stewards
Barbara White, Virginia Department of Forestry, Charlottesville
Adam Downing, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Madison
2009 Technical Reviewers
Joseph Murray, Assistant Professor of Biology, Blue Ridge Community College
Myron Carlson, Former Municipal Arborist for City of Manassas, Virginia
Administrative Support
Becky Woodson, Virginia Department of Forestry, Charlottesville
Special Thank You to Photographer Robert Llewellyn for tree images from
Remarkable Trees of Virginia by Nancy Ross Hugo and Jeff Kirwan, Photography by
Robert Llewellyn, Albemarle Books, 2008.

Note: This edition is available on CD format for use in tree steward training classes.
Print copies of the manual will be the responsibility of local tree steward groups.
To make this edition current, the use of websites is embedded in the text. An appendix
lists websites related to trees. Because websites or website links occasionally change,
we encourage the reader to search for any Internet site not accessible via this edition.
Copyright Pending
Virginia Urban Forest Council
900 Natural Resources Drive Suite 800
Charlottesville, VA 22903
434-295-6401
www.treesvirginia.org
vufc@ntelos.net

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Virginia Tree Steward Manual

A tree is a wondrous thing.

It runs entirely by solar energy.
It turns water and carbon dioxide into building material.
It is powerful enough to split rocks.
It can contain up to 50,000 cubic feet of wood.
It has a plumbing system that can raise water 100 times as efficiently as the
best suction pump made.
It is the oldest and largest living thing on earth.
It can tell time.
It may grow to 300 feet in height, yet it supports itself entirely through a
network of roots that are finer than a string.
It may pour hundreds of gallons of water into the air in a days time.
It befriends us by taking and using waste products (carbon dioxide) and
returning life-supporting oxygen.
It sometimes grows so large that it contains enough wood to build a
community of 50 six-room houses.
It protects itself with bark against insects, disease and fire.
It does all these things and never moves.

Anonymous

Photo by Maud Henne

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Virginia Tree Steward Manual

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Unit 1 How Trees Grow
Microbiology of Trees ........................................................................................ 1-2
How Trees Grow ............................................................................................... 1-3
Growth Cycles................................................................................................... 1-5
Wounding a Tree............................................................................................... 1-6
Compartmentalization CODIT ........................................................................ 1-7
Unit 2 Tree Roots, Shoots and Leaves
Root System...................................................................................................... 2-1
Shoot System.................................................................................................... 2-4
Leaves............................................................................................................... 2-5
Unit 3 Tree Life Functions
Photosynthesis.................................................................................................. 3-1
Respiration ........................................................................................................ 3-1
Transpiration ..................................................................................................... 3-2
Translocation..................................................................................................... 3-3
Growth Factors.................................................................................................. 3-4
Unit 4 Tree ID and Propagation
Using an Identification Key................................................................................ 4-1
Characteristics of Tree Leaves.......................................................................... 4-4
Scientific Naming .............................................................................................. 4-5
Tree Reproduction............................................................................................. 4-5
Nursery Trees ................................................................................................... 4-7
Unit 5 Trees in the Community
Urban Site Problems ......................................................................................... 5-2
Urban Forestry .................................................................................................. 5-4
Unit 6 Soils and Water
Characteristics of Soil........................................................................................ 6-2
Water Management........................................................................................... 6-4
Unit 7 Tree Selection
The Right Tree for the Right Site....................................................................... 7-1
Buying Quality Trees ......................................................................................... 7-5
Checklist for Site Assessment & Tree Selection ............................................... 7-7

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Unit 8 Planting and Tree Care

The Planting Site ............................................................................................... 8-1
Early Maintenance for a Good Start .................................................................. 8-4
Tree Needs ....................................................................................................... 8-5
Preventive Measures......................................................................................... 8-9
Unit 9 Tree Pruning
Pruning Priorities ............................................................................................... 9-1
Pruning Basics .................................................................................................. 9-5
When to Prune .................................................................................................. 9-8
Correct Tools..................................................................................................... 9-8
Unit 10 Tree Problems
The Evaluation Process .................................................................................. 10-1
Top-to-Bottom ................................................................................................. 10-2
Collecting Samples.......................................................................................... 10-6
Tree Inspection Form ...................................................................................... 10-8
Unit 11 Trees and People
Trees and Construction ................................................................................... 11-1
Trees and Utilities ........................................................................................... 11-3
Trees and the Law .......................................................................................... 11-4
APPENDICES
Glossary ............................................................................................................ A-1
Internet Resources .......................................................................................... A-10
Bibliography .................................................................................................... A-15
Photo Credits .................................................................................................. A-16