Urban Silviculture Training Program (Baltimore)

Background Information and History

Photo Credit

USDA Forest Service photo by Morgan Grove

USDA Forest Service research ecologist Nancy Sonti (left), and training program instructor Brandon Wilson Radcliffe at the Stillmeadow PeacePark outdoor classroom.

Forests and forest patches in cities are distinct from street and park trees and need to be managed differently. These sites, which are ecologically similar to rural forests, are often unmanaged or under-managed and skilled labor is needed to care for them. Restoring urban forest habitats also provides opportunities to address social justice, climate change, and economic challenges at the same time.

Based at Stillmeadow Community Fellowship in Baltimore, MD, the Urban Silviculture Training Program lasts 9 weeks and trains young adults (18-25 years old) who have little or no formal training in forestry, environmental science, or urban ecology. The first year of the program (2023) was funded through an Urban & Community Forestry challenge cost-share grant led by the University of Delaware. The program is now funded by an Inflation Reduction Act grant to Stillmeadow Community Projects, Inc. through 2029.

The curriculum aims to develop skills that are in demand at both public agencies and private companies that manage urban forests, including:

• Plant identification and measurement
• Tree planting and maintenance
• Invasive species removal
• Wood utilization
• Safety and first aid
• Teamwork

Training materials have been adapted from traditional silviculture to educate and develop a new generation of urban forest stewards.

See the ‘Curriculum’ tab for more details. 

Photo Credit

USDA Forest Service photo by Morgan Grove

USDA Forest Service social scientist Lenwood Hayman (left) and training program instructor Hannah Vase at the Pisgah National Forest, Asheville, North Carolina.

The Urban Silviculture Training Program uses a combination of approaches, including classroom lessons, field exercises, management activities at Stillmeadow and other Baltimore green spaces, and regular field trips to forest management agencies and sites in the greater Baltimore area.

The curriculum also includes a visit to the Pisgah National Forest in Asheville, North Carolina for training on public lands, and to learn about National Forest partnerships with urban organizations.

The training is tailored to the social and ecological context of urban forest sites. Curriculum topics include basic forest and urban ecology, tree identification, field assessment and monitoring methods, tool safety and maintenance, tree planting and pruning, invasive plant control, trail design and construction, and approaches to community engagement. 

In the summer of 2023, five young adults attended the inaugural program at Stillmeadow PeacePark. After graduation, Baltimore Tree Trust hired three of the participants, one returned to college, and one chose to explore community college opportunities related to their experience. In the summer of 2024, the program grew to seven participants, some of whom have also found employment at Baltimore Tree Trust and elsewhere. The program is currently funded through 2029.

Collaborators

• Turnaround Tuesday

• Yale School of the Environment

• University of Delaware

• Baltimore City Forestry Division

• Baltimore Department of Public Works

• Baltimore Green Space

• TreeBaltimore

• Baltimore Tree Trust

• Maryland Department of Natural Resources

• Stihl USA