AMES, Iowa -- Sixteen south central Iowa residents recently completed the Iowa Community Tree Steward Program offered in the Jasper, Marion, Mahaska and Poweshiek counties.

This educational program involves 24 hours of intensive community forestry instruction designed specifically for citizen volunteers, community forestry and park staff, tree care professionals, utility company representatives and county conservation board staff.

The course focuses on various aspects of community tree management including tree and shrub identification, basic tree biology, species selection, pest management, value assessment, tree planting, inventory techniques, program planning, funding and implementation.

The Iowa Community Tree Steward Program is sponsored by Iowa State University (ISU) Extension, ISU Forestry Extension, the Forestry Division of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa Community and Urban Forestry Council, and Trees Forever.

Four hundred ninety-nine people have graduated from this program since it started in 1992, and almost 13,200 public service hours have been contributed. For more information, contact Chris Feeley, Extension Forester, Iowa State University, 253 Bessey Hall, Ames, Iowa, 50011, phone (515) 294-6739 or e-mail cfeeley@iastate.edu.

Participants in this year's program included, by hometown:

Ankeny: Erica Ng

Bussey: Carl Stoffer, Sharon  Stoffer

Grinnell: Martha Voyles

Knoxville: Sheri  Postma

New Sharon: Carrie Bond

Newton: David Raymond, Denny Slings

Oskaloosa: Nolen Forsythe, Linda Forsythe, Rick Welch

Pella: Duane Rempe, Nancy M. Carter, Merlyn Carter

Pleasantville: Rory Worthington

Urbandale: John Turner

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