ADVANCED CERTIFICATE IN APPLIED MANAGEMENT (ARBORICULTURE) VBS001

Distance Education Course -Learn to be an Arborist.

• Learn the horticultural skills needed to identify and manage trees
• Learn the management skills needed to manage an arboricultural enterprise
• Get a job, start a business or further your career prospects in the Arboricultural Industry

The arboriculture industry is concerned with the culture of trees; from selection and planting to all of the many tasks involved in facilitating growth and good health. This course builds both skills in management and arboriculture, and is designed to provide a sound foundation to support a career at a supervisory or management level in industry sectors including parks and gardens, residential or commercial tree maintenance/management, land rehabilitation, forestry, etc.

Accredited by International Accreditation and Recognition Council

Modules

Note that each module in the ADVANCED CERTIFICATE IN APPLIED MANAGEMENT (ARBORICULTURE) VBS001 is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.

Aims

• Distinguish between plants in order to identify at least 50 trees.
  • Develop a standard tree report form, customised for surveying the condition and use of trees in your locality.
  • Explain how to treat three specified soil related problems that can effect trees.
  • Develop a twelve month program, for managing a health problem detected by you in an established tree.
  • Demonstrate bridge grafting across a bark wound.
  • Distinguish between different methods of pruning including: -Canopy reduction Cleaning out -Topiary -Espaliering
  • Determine the minimum equipment required to commence business as a tree surgeon.
  • Compare three different chainsaws, to determine appropriate applications for each.
  • Determine legislation which is relevant to a specific arborist in a workplace which you visit.
  • Explain how to plant a specified advanced-sized tree on a specific site.
  • Explain tree injection, including the technique and applications.
  • Identify situations where trees require strengthening operations to be carried out.
  • Compare different ways to control roots which invade underground pipes.
  • Calculate the cost of removing a specified tree.
  • Determine appropriate tree species suited to a specific site visited and analysed.
  • Devise a method for removing a tree, including tree felling and stump removal.
  • Analyse specimens of mature trees, each of different genera, to detect any patterns in problems occurring in those trees.
  • Develop criteria for the establishment of a tree plantation on a specific site which addresses; site restrictions, cost and function.
  • Compare different approaches to land rehabilitation, to determine strengths and weaknesses of alternative options on a site to be rehabilitated.
  • Determine techniques to maximise plant development in land rehabilitation situations.
  • Explain the different ways of producing seedling trees for land rehabilitation purposes.
  • Determine appropriate plant establishment programs.
  • Develop procedures to care for plants, during establishment in a hostile environment.
  • Manage the rehabilitation of degraded soil.
  • Explain the effect of plants on improving a degraded site, both physically and chemically.

COURSE STRUCTURE

This course is comprised of:

• Core studies - Four units (400 hours) of compulsory subjects for all students.
• Elective studies - Three stream units for the development of knowledge in arboriculture
• Project - a workplace project of 200 hrs relevant to your field of study. The project specifically aims to provide the student with the opportunity to apply and integrate skills and knowledge developed through various areas of formal study. Contact the school for more information.

CORE UNITS

Totalling 400 hours. All four of these modules must be studied and passed.

1. Office Practices

Develops basic office skills covering use of equipment, communication systems (telephone, fax, etc) and office procedures such as filing, security, workplace organisations, etc.

2. Business Operations

Develops knowledge of basic business operations and procedures (eg. types of businesses, financial management, business analysis, staffing, productivity, etc) and the skills to develop a 12 month business plan.

3. Management

Develops knowledge of management structures, terminology, supervision, recruitment and workplace health and safety.

4. Marketing Foundations

Develops a broad understanding of marketing and specific skills in writing advertisements, undertaking market research, developing an appropriate marketing plan and selling.

STREAM UNITS

1. Arboriculture I

There are eight lessons in this module, as follows:

1. Introduction To Arboriculture
2. Tree Biology
3. Soils In Relation To Trees
4. Diagnosing Tree Problems
5. Tree Surgery
6. Pruning Of Trees
7. Arboricultural Equipment
8. Workplace Health & Safety.

2. Arboriculture II

There are 7 lessons as follows:

1. Planting Techniques
2. Controlling Plant Problems
3. Strengthening Weak Trees
4. Controlling Damage Caused by Plants
5. Tree Felling & Stump Removal
6. Tolerant Plant Species
7. Establishing a Tree Plantation

3. Trees for Rehabilitation

There are ten lessons are as follows...

1. Approaches To Land Rehabilitation
2. Ecology Of Soils And Plant Health
3. Introduction To Seed Propagation Techniques
4. Propagation And Nursery Stock.
5. Dealing With Chemical Problems
6. Physical Plant Effects On Degraded Sites
7. Plant Establishment Programs
8. Hostile Environments
9. Plant Establishment Care
10. Rehabilitating Degraded Sites

WORK PLACE PROJECTS

This is the final requirement that you must satisfy before receiving your award. There are four options available to you to satisfy this requirement:

Alternative 1.

If you work in the industry that you have been studying; you may submit a reference from your employer, in an effort to satisfy this industry (ie. workplace project) requirement; on the basis of RPL (ie. recognition for prior learning), achieved through your current and past work experience.

The reference must indicate that you have skills and an awareness of your industry, which is sufficient for you to work in a position of responsibility.


Alternative 2.

A one module credit (100 hrs) can be achieved by verifying attendance at a series of industry meetings, as follows:

Meetings may be seminars, conferences, trade shows, committee meetings, volunteer events (eg. Community working bees), or any other meeting where two or more industry people or people who are knowledgeable about their discipline.
Opportunity must exist for the student to learn through networking, observation and/or interaction with people who know their industry or discipline
A list of events should be submitted together with dates of each attended and times being claimed for each
Documentary evidence must be submitted to the school to indicate support each item on the above list (eg. Receipts from seminars, conference or shows, letters from committee or organisation secretaries or committee members. All such documentation must contain a contact details)

Alternative 3.

Credits can be achieved by completing standard modules Workshop I, II and/or III. Each of these modules comprises a series of "hands on" PBL projects, designed as learning experiences that involve interaction with the horticultural industry. Research shows that PBL gives the learner greater long-term benefits than traditional learning, and many successful and progressive universities around the world use it in their courses. Graduates of PBL courses advance faster and further in their careers.

Other benefits of PBL:

• Develops critical and creative thinking;
• Creates effective problem-solvers;
• Increases motivation;
• Encourages lateral thinking;
• Improves communication and networking skills;

Every PBL project is carefully designed by experts to expose you to the information and skills that we want you to learn. When assigned a project, you are given:

• A statement of the problem (eg. diseased plant; failing business; property case study);
• Questions to consider when solving the problem;
• A framework for the time and effort you should spend on the project;
• Support from the school.

The problems that you will solve in your course will relate to what you are learning. They are problems that you might encounter when working that field, adapted to your level of study .


Alternative 4.

If you do not work in the relevant industry, you may undertake a project as follows.

This project is based on applications in the work place and specifically aims to provide the student with the opportunity to apply and integrate skills and knowledge developed through various areas of formal study.

Students design this project in consultation with a tutor to involve industry based activities in the area of specialized study which they select to follow in the course. The project outcomes may take the form of a written report, folio, visuals or a mixture of forms. Participants with relevant, current or past work experience will be given exemption from this project if they can provide suitable references from employers that show they have already fulfilled the requirements of this project.

For courses that involve more than 100 hours, more than one workplace project topic may be selected. For example, 200 hours may be split into two projects each of 100 hours. This will offer the student better scope to fulfill the needs of their course and to meet the number of hours required. Alternatively, the student may wish to do one large project with a duration of 200 hours.

Students will be assessed on how well they achieve the goals and outcomes they originally set as part of their negotiations with their tutor. During each 100 hours of the project, the students will present three short progress reports. These progress reports will be taken into account when evaluating the final submission. The tutor must be satisfied that the work submitted is original.

If the student wishes to do one large 200 hour report, then only three progressive reports will be needed (however the length of each report will be longer).

HOW TO PROCEED

1. Students are expected to select a suitable project or task to complete that allows the student toapply and integrate the knowledge and skills they have obtained as part of their studies.

2. The student should submit a draft proposal outlining their proposed project, study or task. The expected outcomes of this project should be clearly stated. This will be looked at by a tutor andcomments made. Students are welcome to visit the school or to talk to a tutor to obtain advice on how to draw up their proposal. The proposal should indicate what the student intends to do, how they intend to do it, where they intend to do it, and what they expect to produce (e.g. a written report, a folio, references from an employer) as a means of showing what they have achieved during their project/study/task.

3. A refined proposal will be submitted by the student incorporating changes based on the commentsmade by the tutor. This updated proposal will either be accepted as being suitable or further comments made. The proposal may need to be submitted several times before it is finally accepted.

4. The student will then be expected to carry out the project, study or task.

Progress Reports

The student will be expected to submit three progress reports during the duration of the progress. This is in addition to the final project product (e.g. report, folio). Each progress report should show what you have done so far (e.g. what research you have done, what tasks you have carried out, etc.). It should also cover any problems you have had so far, and if so, what you have done to overcome these problems. Each progress report should be in the vicinity of 300 - 500 words in length.

Progress Report 1. This should be submitted about one quarter of the way through your study/project/task.

Progress Report 2. This should be submitted about one half way through your study/project/task.

Progress Report 3. This should be submitted about three quarters of the way through your study/project/task.

Final Report

The final report should summarise the objective of the workplace project, and be set out like a professional report. Although content is the most important factor in determining a pass grade for the workplace project, your report should exhibit elements of professional report writing (in regards to spelling, grammar, clarity and presentation).

For 100 hours Workplace Projects: this report should be about 1,500 to 3,000 words.

For a 200 hour Workplace Project: this report should be about 3,000 to 5,000 words.

________________________________________________________

Know Your Plants

Every Tree is Different -Plant Knowledge such as the following is Key to understanding how to manage trees properly.

SELECT THE RIGHT PLANTS
Achieving a successful outcome for your garden will depend a great deal on choosing the right plants. Good plant selection and placement will also have a significant effect on the amount of maintenance you will be required to carry out.

What should you consider when deciding which plants to grow:
• Which plants grow well in your climate? Could you make simple modifications to the garden to improve the conditions (eg. provide shade), increasing the range of plants grown?
• Which plants prefer the types of soil or growing media you have in your garden. Can you improve the soil/growing media or import some into the garden to improve the range of plants that could be grown.
• What use/s do you require plants for?  This could include such things as providing shade, to provide fruit, for attractive foliage or flowers, to attract birds, fragrance, etc.
• How big will a particular plant grow. both height and width? Consider the long term!
• How quickly do particular plants grow? Could they be used to provide a quick “fill”, and then be pulled out and either replaced, or the space left for other established plants to fill in?
• How hardy are the plants you are considering? Are they drought tolerant, frost hardy, tolerant of waterlogged soils, good coastal plants, pollution tolerant, etc.
• What are the maintenance requirements? Do the plants require pruning,  staking, regular watering and feeding? Are they deciduous resulting in lots of leaves that may need clearing?
• Are the plants safe? Some plants cause allergies, some have thorns or spines, others drop branches.
• How invasive are particular plants? Do they have invasive roots, do they sucker, are they rampant creepers, do they self seed freely? Such plants can quickly take over a small garden.
• How prone are the particular plants to pest & diseases?
• How costly are the plants, and are they readily available to buy? Are there cheaper alternatives?

TREES WITH LESS DAMAGING ROOT SYSTEMS
(Fibrous & not too vigorous…unlikely to cause problems)
Acer palmatum cultivars
Evodellia muelleri
Hakea laurina
Hymenosporum flavum
Pittosporum eugenioides cultivars

TREES WITH DAMAGING ROOT SYSTEMS
The following plants have been reported as problems for pipes, drains and foundations:
These plants should be planted well clear of any water features, paved areas, or buildings.
Angophora costata  Apple Gum
Betula spp.   Birches
Brachychiton acerifolium Illawara Flame Tree
Brassaia actinophylla  Umbrella tree (tropical areas)
Casuarina sp.   Sheoaks
Celtis occidentalis  Chinese Elm
Citharexylum fruticosum Fiddle Wood Tree  (tropical areas)
Delonix regia   Poinciana (tropical areas)
Erythrina sp.   Coral Tree
Eucalyptus sp.   Gums
Ficus spp.   Figs
Grevillea robusta  Silky Oak
Hibiscus sinensis  Hibiscus cultivars
Jacaranda mimosifolia  Jacaranda
Lagerstroemia sp.  Crepe Myrtle
Liquidamber sp.  Liquidamber
Lothostemon confertus Brush Box
Melaleuca sp.   Paperbarks
Melia azederach  White Cedar (tropical areas)
Pinus sp.   Pines
Platanus acerifolia  Plane Tree
Populus sp.   Poplars
Salix sp.   Willow
Spathodea campanulata African Tulip Tree
Tipuana sp.   Tipuana (tropical areas)

THE ACS TEAM APPROACH

ACS was founded by John Mason in 1979 as Australian Horticultural Correspondence School.

Right from these very early times, we've always believed that the best education only comes when the student is learning from the experience of a whole range of industry experts (rather than just a single teacher).

Every ACS course is a work in progress, continually evolving, with new information being added and old information being updated by our team of internationally renowned professional horticulturists.

Over the decades more than 100 horticulture experts from across the world have contributed to these courses, bringing their individual knowledge and experiences from as wide afield as England and Spain to Australia and America.

While may colleges and universities focus on providing courses that relate only to the country where they are based, ACS has always strived to make it's courses relevant to all parts of the world; any climate, economic or cultural situation. This has been achieved by involving a large number of professionals in the course development.

When it comes to tutoring, marking papers and mentoring students, the team approach is just as strong as with our writing. ACS students have the ability to obtain advice and support from staff across the world, with horticulture tutors located in the UK, Australia (both the north and south) and New Zealand.