This summer the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation partnered on a tree maintenance program designed to spruce up the trees in Philadelphia’s parks and provide green job training for a group of lucky Philadelphians. The Seasonal Tree Maintenance Attendant (STMA) Program consisted of 10 crew members and 2 team leaders who traveled around the City to different parks, pruning, mulching and weeding trees by hand. They also participated in training workshops focusing on tree identification, tree care and job readiness skills. Crew members who finished the training gained the type of knowledge that landscaping and tree care companies value when hiring new employees.

The tree crews also made a big impression on some of the community groups they came in contact with. Here’s a testimonial from one of these happy groups: “Friends of Kemble Park . . . would like to Thank the [Seasonal Tree Maintenance Attendants] for a magnificent job of revitalizing our park. Words are inadequate to describe the overwhleming appearance that Kemble Park took as a result of the indepth pruning of trees and clearing of old logs removed from the interior and exterior of the park.”

The STMA Program will continue next year, so please watch out for information on how to apply.