UMass Updates
University Without Walls
Best wishes , Wes !
After a lifetime of service , Wes Autio , Ph . D . retired from UMass this year . Wes first came to UMass as a graduate student in 1979 , earned his Ph . D . in 1985 , and immediately joined the faculty doing teaching and research in tree fruit production , focusing on pruning and rootstock .
Elected Director of Stockbridge in 2012 , Wes was instrumental in starting the University ’ s Center for Agriculture , and in initiating and leading the renaissance of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture , transforming it from a set of two-year AS programs to a modern Plant and Soil Sciences program , encompassing Associates , Bachelors , and Graduate degree programs , as well as developing an innovative set of online courses .
A popular and passionate instructor , hundreds of students and professional arborists learned much from Dr . Autio . The MAA wishes him all the best in his well-deserved retirement .
In the Spring 2022 , Brian Kane , Ph . D . will be teaching “ Sensible Pruning for Beginners and Experts ”, offered through the UMass ’ University Without Walls program . The focus of the course is pruning trees and shrubs in residential landscapes , including those in private yards , along public rights-of-way , and in maintained public and private settings like parks , cemeteries , golf courses , and campuses . Students will gain a better understanding of why pruning is necessary . They will also learn how to match pruning types with pruning objectives , and more fully comprehend how trees and shrubs respond to pruning . The course is offered in both hybrid and fully online format and counts for two college credits , as well as ISA and MCA credit . For more information , contact Dr . Kane at bkane @ umass . edu .
UMass online class
SENSIBLE PRUNING FOR BEGINNERS AND EXPERTS
( NRC 397X – 2 CREDITS )
Planted along roads or in yards , community trees provide many benefits : for every dollar invested in their care , trees provide up to five dollars in benefits . In this class , we will discuss all aspects of pruning : how-to , timing , tools , types , objectives and how trees respond to pruning . The course is suitable for all levels of experience and does not require previous knowledge of tree biology .
INSTRUCTOR : Brian Kane , Ph . D .
Registration is through UMass Amherst University Without Walls .
Spring courses begin February 1 , 2021 . You don ’ t need to apply for admission to UMass Amherst to take the class . You can enroll as a non-degree student and start taking classes for credit now .
WINTER 2021 MAA NEWS 15