The pressures of the Anthropocene (new geologic epoch - defined by our massive impact on the planet) threaten the future of humanity: extraction of increasingly limited natural resources; pollution of air and water; loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services; and increasing human populations. Climate change compounds all these pressures. The majority of these impacts will be felt by urban areas; over 50% of people already live in cities, and by 2050, this will be 80%. As estimated, significant factors that provide benefits that significantly improve urban environmental quality and human quality of life - carbon sequestration, storm water management, air pollution reduction, improved human health, social cohesion, etc. are trees and urban forests. As cities has begun to reinvent themselves in the face of climate change and the other challenges of the Anthropocene, arboricultural specialists and urban foresters role has changed significantly; meanwhile, increasing the scope of competences an European Tree Technician (ETT) should master to 1) remain competitive and 2) go ahead of new industry and global urban environmental changes. Erasmus + Strategical partnership project PROMOTION AND ALIGNMENT OF EUROPEAN TREE TECHNICIANS (ETT) QUALIFICATION IN EUROPE is planned to be realized by 8 European countries Germany, Latvia, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Estonia and Denmark, and is aimed to support whole arboricultural industry development by aligning and promoting European Tree Technicians (ETT) qualification on European level. Thus, to realize this goal following project outputs are planned to be elaborated in frame of project: 1) Extended ETT Curriculum, 2) Aligned ETT Certification Exam model, 3) ETT training Manual, 4) comprehensive ETT Study Guide. Elaboration of above mentioned project outputs will result in 1) significantly increased number of European Tree Technicians (ETT) training and certification centers in each particular country and in common in Europe, 2) significantly increased number of Certified European Tree Technicians right after project conclusion, 3) increased number of arboricultural specialists who master all the ETT competences starting from “tree knowledge” to ability manage urban ecosystems development process on local and European level and able to give his input and overtake the leading role here, 4) closer collaboration in training and certification between different educational institutions, promoting common aligned Tree programs, and leading to increased teachers and students’ mobility between industry stakeholders, 5) arboricultural industry further development, increasing also industry’s financial flow and total turnover in each particular country and on larger scale, 6) finally, taking into account each new ETT specialists potential impact on local urban ecosystem development and being aware of these ecosystems significance in global environmental issues, we predict increased network of developing urban ecosystems that further lead to higher urban environmental quality and human quality of life - carbon sequestration, storm water management, air pollution reduction, improved human health, social cohesion impact on global environmental changes etc. on local and global scale.
Project main goals to achieve by implementing the project: 1) to strengthen European Tree Technicians (ETT) qualification in Europe. Thus, new competencies were defined and included in ETT Curriculum to allow industry remain competitive and increase ETTs role in urban eco-system management; 2) to promote and align European Tree Technicians (ETT) qualification in Europe. This was decided to achieve by elaborating new for industry missing comprehensive educational materials (ETT Study Guide) for potential and existing ETT specialists across Europe as well as prepare guidelines for ETT training and exam organisation for potential and existing ETT training and Certification centers (CC) including tool for aligned and qualitative ETT Exam content elaboration. To secure project tasks fulfillment and project Outputs wide dissemination and promotion, in frame of project elaborated Outputs are prepared in English, and available on European Arboricultural Council (EAC) website for free download and further distribution. Project is expected to have particular impact on current non- ETT countries promotion.
The pressures of the Anthropocene (new geologic epoch - defined by our massive impact on the planet) threaten the future of humanity: extraction of increasingly limited natural resources, pollution of air and water, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, especially in the cities. Climate change compounds all these pressures. As estimated, important factors that provide benefits significantly improving urban environmental quality and human quality of life - carbon sequestration, storm water management, air pollution reduction, improved human health, social cohesion, etc. are trees and urban forests. As cities has begun to reinvent themselves in the face of climate change and the other challenges of the Anthropocene, arboricultural specialists role has changed significantly; meanwhile, increasing the scope of competencies an European Tree Technician (ETT) should master to 1) remain competitive and 2) go ahead of new industry and global urban environmental changes.