MUSCATINE, Iowa–From beautifying a yard, to offering welcome shade, to even helping to reduce summer electric bills, trees provide many benefits on all types of property. However, landowners may feel overwhelmed trying to pick the right type of tree for their property, whether a small in town lot or a large rural acreage. Likewise, not everyone knows how best to treat pests and other ailments experienced by the types of trees they have. Fortunately, Muscatine Branching Out’s annual tree care workshop, Growing Healthy Shade Trees, will help people with all levels of experience improve their tree care knowledge and skills Feb. 4 at 9 a.m. at the Environmental Learning Center, located at 3300 Cedar Street in Muscatine.
Originally founded in 1991, Muscatine Branching Out has worked hard to increase the number of trees in the Muscatine Community for over 30 years. “Muscatine Branching Out is a non-profit group here in town that focuses on getting more trees in town, planting trees, and educating people about the benefits of them,” said Muscatine Branching Out President Hannah Howard.
Open to anyone interested, DNR District Forester Mark Vitosh will give the day’s keynote address. A local expert in growing trees even in more challenging developed areas, Howard felt he represented the perfect speaker for this year’s event. “We selected Mark because he really is the urban tree expert for our region,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to learn from Mark when it comes to learning about caring for trees, especially planting in poor soils and pruning.”
An interactive learning opportunity, attendees can also take part in the ask the expert panel. Featuring Vitosh, a representative from Kellor and Kellor Landscaping, and Bart Howard, owner of Howard Forest and Prairie, the group has extensive knowledge of all types of trees and how to trouble shoot them, giving people the information they need to best care for their own trees.
A fun event all around, people may enjoy a complimentary breakfast before the workshop begins at 8:45 a.m. Additionally, people who stay throughout the event have the chance to win new pruners as a door prize.
Free and open to the public, Howard hopes many will come out to the annual tree care workshop. To help organizers prepare for the right number of attendees, Howard urges people to RSVP online through Muscatine Branching Out’s Facebook page. They may also use the Facebook page to learn about Muscatine Branching Out’s other upcoming events, including their annual tree sale. In partnership with Muscatine Power and Water, Muscatine Branching Out sells a wide variety of shade trees, which when strategically planted can reduce the cost of cooling a house in the summer, for only a $25 donation, a significant savings over the $75 to $100 they would cost in a nursery.
Even before spring arrives and people get to work on their yards and landscaping, Howard looks forward to seeing them at the annual tree care workshop to acquire new knowledge to make previously difficult jobs seem possible. She explained that she believes that people will learn information about tricky tasks like pruning that will then enable them to, “feel like you can tackle it after hearing from an expert and seeing photos.”
