Urban forestry courses include a number of classes concerned with dendrology, the formal name for identification of shrubs and trees. Foundation courses focus on plant identification and advance to classes using this basic skill. Quality urban forestry programs include fieldwork in identification. Program participants at the University of California, Davis, for instance, use the campus as an on-site laboratory for identification of 150 common landscape plants.
Coursework teaching skills in managing landscaping turf and trees at parks, gardens, boulevards and golf courses provide students with practical knowledge for future employment, and education degrees in urban forestry require at least one class covering these topics. Class requirements for urban forestry degrees, including the program at Fleming College, mandate students to complete a plant and forest inventory under the guidance of the course instructor.
Coursework for a degree in urban forestry includes arboriculture practices in establishing and pruning trees, forest entomology and pathology, understanding normal tree growth and disease, and plant health care. Related requirements feature classes in urban forest science dealing with tree anatomy and urban practices negatively impacting tree health. The University of California, Davis course requirements mandate work on campus and field sites for evaluations and also local restoration of forest and plant areas. Students must also identify plant disorders linked to insects, soil, chemical agents, climatic conditions, and disease as part of the program requirements.
Required classes in urban forestry degrees also train students in management of urban landscapes and woody plant propagation using greenhouses and bare-root nurseries. As part of this training, students learn quality control, nursery soils, seedling culture, use of fertilizer, and seed processing. The study of water management and hydrology teaches students irrigation practices and proper moisture management. Students must also study how to use the basic equipment required for forest management, including the use of hand tools and chainsaws.
Most urban forestry programs incorporate coursework in human relations. These classes assist students in understanding organizational behavior and the dynamics of groups. Interpersonal communication and fundraising courses prepare graduates for work in real-life forestry positions. Programs also provide students with an opportunity to serve an internship with a working forestry program, community forest, urban landscape group, or park organization. Graduates working as urban foresters must use communication skills in persuading community members and government regulators to fund programs. Skills for working with volunteers must also be learned as part of the basic course curriculum.