Educational Materials & Video Series for Young Tree Care
High-quality, accessible training materials are vital to cultivating healthy, resilient trees in our communities. To support this need, The Britton Fund has partnered with the Urban Forest Institute (UFI) and a team of leading urban forestry experts to develop a new suite of bilingual (English and Spanish) educational tools focused on young tree care—from nursery production to early establishment in the landscape.
Program Overview
Urban forestry professionals consistently benefit from clear, practical resources that distill decades of research into easy-to-use formats. This funded project supports the creation of two major educational products:
- Updated Tree Care Cue Cards
- Originally developed in 2010 by Brian Kempf and Dr. Ed Gilman, the cue cards are pocket-sized, quick-reference guides designed for growers, arborists, landscape designers, and field crews.
- The cards cover essential topics such as root management, species selection, planting, structural pruning, and early tree care.
- UFI is updating the text, illustrations, and design to reflect current best practices and reprinting them in both English and Spanish.
- Additional topics may be added as the project progresses.
- Short Instructional Videos
- A companion series of five 10-minute videos will visually demonstrate best practices that are often easiest to learn through live demonstration.
- Hosted on YouTube to ensure free, wide access, these videos will feature respected voices in nursery production and arboriculture, including Ed Gilman, Brian Kempf, Dave Teuschler, Andy Trotter, and other invited experts.
- Topics include developing high-quality nursery stock, selecting the right tree for the right place, early pruning and establishment, and collecting data for effective urban forest management.
Project Partners
The effort is led by UFI’s Brian Kempf, and Drs. Ed Gilman, Matt Ritter, Jenn Yost, working in collaboration with an advisory group of urban forestry and nursery specialists including Cal Fire’s Urban and Community Forestry Program. Tasks include content development, expert coordination, graphic design, videography, filming logistics, printing, and distribution.
Timeline
- Planning and content review: 2024–2025
- Filming: September 2025 through Spring 2026
- Post-production and completion: Summer 2026
- A regional event in San Luis Obispo is planned to debut the updated cue cards and video series, featuring talks by contributors on best practices in young tree care.
Funding
With your donation, this project is supported by The Britton Fund alongside funding from the U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire. Your contribution is an investment in our profession and will bring these essential resources to life – benefiting arborist, tree-care professionals, and communities across the west and beyond.