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(18) Tree School…an Educational Model that Makes a Difference!
Michael C. Bondi, Oregon State University Extension Service, Oregon City, OR; Merrily A. Enquist, Oregon State University, Oregon City, OR
Molly A. Engle, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.
Session: Concurrent session A3: Model Teaching Methods
Tree School is a back-to-school, one-day education program targeting family forest owners, professional foresters and natural resource managers, Christmas tree growers, and the public. The program was developed in Oregon more than 15 years ago as a method to provide a broad range of topics to address the information needs of clients with varied interests.
Today, Tree Schools are offered at multiple locations in Oregon. Clackamas County, situated in the Portland metropolitan area, is home to the original Tree School and serves approximately 600 participants every year with its program. Their event includes 50-70 classes arranged across four time blocks during the day. About 15 sessions are offered concurrently. An exhibit area provides another experience for attendees and includes 70 vendors, agencies and information providers.
Over the years, changes have been made to the Tree School program to ensure quality educational delivery, create an economic model of self-sufficiency through cost-recovery, and provide practical information, skills, and assistance that can be put to work by the attendees on the farm when the participants return home.
Tree School in Clackamas County has become an institution and is one of the largest annual educational events for woodland owners in the U.S. Each year attendees are surveyed to provide feedback about the general organization of the event and to solicit comments about the classes they attended and suggestions for the following year. Focus groups are used each year to plan the next event. Two long-term impact surveys (2001 and 2005) have surveyed over 200 participants measuring learning and behavioral changes that respondents attributed to their participation in Tree School.
Tree School is a successful educational model that can be applied across a variety of natural resource program areas.
Michael C. Bondi
Oregon State University
200 Warner Milne Road
Oregon City, OR 97045
Phone: 503-557-5880
FAX: 503-655-8636
Email: michael.bondi@oregonstate.edu
Merrily Enquist
Oregon State University
200 Warner Milne Road
Oregon City, OR 97045
Phone: 503-460-0519
FAX: 503-460-0519
Email: maenquist@usa.net