Spring is a great time to assess woody shrubs for shape, structure, and winter damage. Ron Yaple, owner of Race Mountain Tree Services will demonstrate how to renovate, rejuvenate, and shape shrubs and small ornamental trees for structure, health, and optimal growth on Saturday, March 30, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Plants covered will include viburnums, lilacs, witch hazels, deciduous azaleas, sweetshrubs, crabapples, and ornamental cherries. Participants should dress for the weather, and bring pruners, work gloves, and a bag lunch. There will be some pruners available, provided by BBG.

Ron Yaple, the owner of Race Mountain Tree Services in Sheffield, MA, who self-identifies as ​​”a pretty darn good arborist,” has developed a regional reputation as a premier arborist. He is a dedicated and knowledgeable arboriculture teacher, a Certified and Licensed Arborist, a Registered Consulting Arborist and a Qualified Tree Risk Assessor.

Kieran Yaple has been connected with arboriculture since birth. He grew up in a household surrounded by trees and began climbing early. At age twelve, he and his father attended a two-day workshop with Dr. Alex Shigo, the father of Modern Arboriculture, learning about trees’ vascular systems in both stems and roots, as well as the extensive list of creatures living in soil, through the lens of microscopes. Kieran became a Massachusetts Certified Arborist in 2013 and an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist in 2012. Kieran is a Board Member for the MA Arborists Associations and began working in his family’s business in 2010.