Marcell Jones turned a childhood joy into a job this summer.
“I used to climb trees when I was a little boy,” said Jones. “Now I can get paid to climb.”
Jones is one of nine St. Louis residents who participate in a City-sponsored job training program this summer that teaches city residents about urban forestry.
A Green Tree Academy is a City job training/internship program for inner-city adults interested in urban forestry, which is the care of trees in urban areas such as city parks and neighborhoods. The program, which includes classes and hands-on training, also offers life skills training and job placement assistance.
The academy was started in 2007 when Comptroller Darlene Green was contacted by a local tree care company owner about the need for creating opportunities in the field of Urban Forestry for inner-city adults. In a matter of weeks, the Academy pilot program was underway.
The curriculum was developed by certified arborists, the City forestry division and St. Louis Community College. The goal was to teach urban forestry and also reinforce the life skills the students need to be successful.
To date, 28 students have graduated the program. Graduates have gone on to college, started their own businesses, earned scholarships to St. Louis Community College, and gotten jobs in urban forestry for the City.
The City also created jobs especially for students who graduate from the program, said John Farrell, public information officer for the Comptroller’s Office.
Since the 10-week program began this summer, the interns have worked at Forest Park, near the Muny and at O’Fallon Park. They have pruned trees and applied their classroom lessons, such as recognizing tree types and knowing the trees’ proper care. The interns are paid $7.25 with federal funding from the Recovery Act that was awarded to the SLATE program. They work three hours a day, five days a week.
Intern Michael Raymond said he has enjoyed everything about his job and looks forward to obtaining a job in the “green industry.”
Deidra Johnson said she enjoys every aspect of the program except “getting up in the bucket.” The interns are raised in a bucket to reach higher limbs. Currently, Johnson is working to complete a degree in criminal justice at Forest Park Community College.
Jones looks forward to a job in urban forestry. “I love it and it is lucrative,” Jones said as he finished cutting limbs at O’Fallon Park.
Unlike construction, Jones said urban forestry is not seasonal. Tree limbs fall during rainstorms and snowstorms, said Jones, who currently is a football coach for Pagedale.
He also understands the importance of preserving trees and wants to assist with that, he said. “They are home for the birds and squirrels,” he said. “They help with oxygen.”
Participants Steve Mann and Greg Hookes said the skills they learn have caused them to view their communities differently. For Mann who plans to pursue urban forestry, he notices a lot of “hangers,” which are dead limbs. And Greg Hookes, who plans to open a landscaping business, has noticed “girdling roots,” which are tree roots that can be seen above ground. “You find yourself finding things wrong with trees,” he said.
And that signals success for Bruce Vawter, an adjunct horticulture professor at St. Louis Community College who works with the students. He also owns Forestry Consultant Services.
“It’s always fun,” he said.
