Vermont celebrates Arbor Day the first Friday in May, and Vermont Urban & Community Forestry is observing the occasion with an Arbor Day conference. The May 6 conference in Montpelier is open to anyone with a passion for trees."The Vermont Arbor Day Conference is designed for the stewards of Vermont's urban trees and community forests and will provide an opportunity to enhance technical skills, engage in urban forestry hot topics, and network with professionals," a conference description states. "The conference is open to all and intended to support urban tree care professionals, municipal staff, tree wardens, tree board members, citizens, and anyone else caring for canopy at the local level."
Three separate tracks will be offered for:
- Volunteers - tree Wardens, tree board members, conservation commissioners, planning commissioners
- Municipal Staff - planners, town managers, parks or public works department staff, roads crew members
- Tree Care Professionals - Arborist, foresters, landscapers
Storyteller and outdoor enthusiast Willem Lange will be the conference's keynote speaker. The conference will include the presentation of the Vermont Tree Stewards Awards.
In addition, Burlington, Essex Junction, Hartford, Montpelier, Rutland and South Burlington will be recognized as Tree City USA municipalities. Middlebury College and the University of Vermont have earned the Tree Campus USA designation and Vermont Electric Power Company, or VELCO, has earned the Tree Line USA distinction.
The conference will be held at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. The registration deadline is May 2.
