certified

After years of being at the top of my to-do list, here's an item I can now proudly check off: I successfully passed the International Society of Arboriculture's certification exam last month. So what does this mean anyway? Well, from ISA's standpoint it means that, "A professional arborist has a minimum of three years experience in some aspect of tree care and has passed an exam developed by an international panel of experts. The exam extensively covers every aspect of tree care and the individual must have an acceptable level of knowledge in all areas of arboriculture." On a more day-to-day level, this means that all the seminars and classes I've been haunting over the years, along with the gurus I've been keenly observing(hi Guy!)are now formally acknowledged. Why would this matter to a garden designer? For one thing, it makes me all the more capable of recommending educated solutions to landscape problems. It also makes me a better designer because I now know--quite intimately, in fact--the numerous facets of tree care and proper tree selection. Believe it or not, there are countless factors that influence a designer's choices in every single corner of the landscape design process...understanding these giants in our landscape is just one more piece of the puzzle solved.

camouflage

quiet

urban greening