This ISA Prep Course is a program that provides training to prospective arborists, landscape professionals, municipal workers and members of the public who are interested in receiving the International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist credential. Weekly lectures will be taught by guest speakers and will cover the items on the ISA Certification Exam. The cost of the course also includes a copy of the Arborist Certification Guide.

Registration Deadline - Friday, February 20th at 10AM

Program Design

The ISA Prep Course will be a 5-part program and will be available both in person at CCE Onondaga (6505 Collamer Rd, East Syracuse NY 13057) or virtually via zoom.

The interactive lecture schedule is below:

Session 1: Soil Science, Tree Biology and Tree ID

February 25th, 2026 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Tree ID

Time: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Speaker: Vincent Drzewucki

Credentials: Vincent Drzewucki brings a wealth of experience to the field of horticulture and urban forestry. Now working part-time in retirement, he previously served as a dedicated Horticulture and Urban Forestry Educator with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County.

Topics to be discussed:

• Taxonomy and nomenclature
• Characteristics and how they can be used to identify trees
• Leaf arrangement, leaf shape and leaf margins

Tree Biology

Time: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Speaker: Dr. Rebecca Hargrave

Credentials: ISA Certified Arborist and TRAQ, Professor of Dendrology at SUNY Morrisville, MS in Urban Forestry

Topics to be discussed:

• Structure and function of buds, leaves, trunk and roots
• Basic composition of a tree’s vascular system
• Roots and mycorrhizae
• Processes of photosynthesis and respiration
• CODIT

Soil Science

Time: 4:00 pm -5:00 pm

Speaker: Jen Gilbert Jenkins

Credentials: Dr Gilbert Jenkins earned a B.S. degree in Environmental Studies from SUNY Buffalo in 1999. She then taught as an environmental educator at the Mohonk Preserve in New Paltz, NY for two years. In 2003 Dr Gilbert Jenkins completed a M.S. degree in Natural Resource Management and Engineering: Water at UConn in Storrs, CT. She then earned her PhD in Environmental Soil Chemistry from the University of Delaware in 2008. Before coming to SUNY Morrisville in 2015, Dr Gilbert Jenkins taught at Villanova University and the Westtown School. Current Morrisville students note that Dr Gilbert Jenkins’ door is always open and she always has chocolate to share. Dr Gilbert Jenkins diverse research interests include soil health and agricultural sustainability, urban food production, and fertility requirements for grain and fiber hemp production as well as hemp for phytoremediation. Dr Gilbert Jenkins includes components of her research interests in all of her courses, as well as supporting many student led research projects.

Topics to be discussed:

• Soil texture and structure, and how it affects water movement
• Relationship of soil moisture, absorption and root growth
• pH, CEC and buffering capacity