To increase customer confidence in the green industry, the Professional Lawn Care Association of America (PLCAA) has developed certification programs for professionals to become more specialized. In addition to the Certified Turfgrass Professional (CTP) certification course the association currently offers, contractors can obtain a Certified Ornamental Landscape Professional (COLP) designation through PLCAA's new program, "Principles of Landscape, Tree & Shrub Maintenance."
"We had a lot of requests for this because of the CTP certification," explained Nora Jones, PLCAA's product marketing and sales coordinator. "More and more companies are getting into trees and shrubs."
The 20-chapter, home-study course authored by Robert E. Partyka, Ph.D, Plants & Me, Dublin, Ohio, emphasizes topics such as plant physiology, woody ornamental identification, plant establishment, soils, fertilizers, property maps and insect identification.
Because the course is designed for home study, Jones said the time it takes to complete varies by individual. "Some people take up to a year to complete, while others will study non-stop and take the test within a month."
PLCAA handles all exams and gradings and keeps materials for the course in stock at all times, Jones said.
In the year the program has been available, about 48 people have obtained the COLP certification.
For more information about PLCAA's certification programs, contact Nora Jones at 800/458-3466 or through e-mail at njones@plcaa.org.