Most garden plants come from other parts of the world. A fraction of introduced species aggressively escape gardens and overtake natural areas. Those that harm ecological or economic resources are known as “invasive.” Now Fairfax Tree Rescuers PRISM has developed a training program to help small-business landscapers learn best practices to stop the spread of invasives for the benefit of their clients - and our region. So how can this benefit your business?
Build expertise
More customers are seeking knowledgeable landscapers who know best practices for removing harmful invasives while protecting native plants and habitat. Help your clients meet their goals.
There are a seemingly endless variety of invasive plant species - and of advice on how to address them. We offer a curated, bilingual user experience of vetted best practices with a focus on the most common problem plants you’re likely to encounter, and resources for when you come across plants that are less common.
Get training
Good training helps employee retention. Our hybrid online/in-person training program is bilingual, self-paced, flexible enough for late-season hires - and won’t break the bank.
Raising your employees’ skills is also key to become more marketable to designers and commercial clients, who struggle to find conventional landscaping contractors who understand native plants and best practices for managing invasives.
Get ahead
Stay ahead of your competitors - by getting ahead of new state and local laws that take aim at reducing the sale and planting of invasive nursery plants. We will help.
Starting in 2027, plant nurseries in Virginia will be required to warn their customers about invasive plants in their inventory.
Learn now about which plants are going to lose popularity - and attractive native plant alternatives.
Work year-round
Winter may be “off” season for planting, but it’s “on” season for removing invasive plants most efficently and cost-effectively. Increase your value to your customers while stabilizing your business.
HOAs and commercial properties are required to keep their rights-of-way clear of invasives. They are more likely to do so if their contractor understands invasives and offers competitive prices and maintenance packages in the “slow” season.
program to fit any
schedule
Take the training. Then share our free online modules with your employees anytime/anywhere. Top it off with our hands-on, affordable field experience to earn the certificate. Once your key employees are trained, we’ll add your business to our online list of referrals for prospective customers seeking our graduates.
Feedback from landscaping professionals
This is just the type of training I’ve been waiting for. I got on the natives ‘bandwagon’ long ago, and it’s about time there’s a way to on-board my seasonal
hires and keep everyone’s skills up.
- Jaspreet Lamba
I so appreciate the flexibility of this program. Perfect combination of in-person, local (!) field training, online modules and optional extra content. Rainy days are great for sharing the video content with crews.
- Amrita Chopra
There’s a LOT of information on the Internet about all kinds of invasive plants, and no time to sit down and study it all. This ‘curated’ experience helps a new crew member grasp the basics quickly, then gives them a resource to come back to when they have more questions from the field.
- Aman Minhas
It’s hard to find enough information online about local invasive plants in Spanish. Most of my employees are still learning
English. Thank you, PRISM, for making my job easier!
- Waris Bajwa
Frequently Asked Questions
A PRISM is a community partnership that brings together agencies, nonprofits, and residents to tackle invasive species across a region. Our region is Fairfax County and the independent jurisdictions therein including Falls Church. As the invasive plant problem worsens and interest in controlling it grows, residents, businesses and governments will be turning to their landscape companies to do the work. Your crews will need a basic knowledge of invasive plant identification and control methods. Fairfax Tree Rescuers PRISM is offering a hybrid online/in-person training program so that professionals can learn those basics and earn a certificate to show their clients.
PRISM for PROs training is open to all landscaping professionals, in English and Spanish. This includes small business owners and their team leaders, HOA grounds crews/contractors, and seasonal employees.
Two certificates can be earned, one for common invasive vines and shrubs, the other for common invasive trees, forbs, and grasses. All attendees will learn:
- How to distinguish invasive plants from native lookalikes
- Best practices for mechanical control of common invasive plants
- Insights on the growing demand for invasive plant control and native plants
Enrollees will also benefit from:
- 6 hours of in-person field training
- Proof of completion (PRISM for PROs certificate)
- Optional supplemental training resources
- Ongoing access to core training components and supplemental resources after course completion
Note: Herbicide use will be discussed, but this course is not a substitute for the Certified Pesticide Applicator Licensing Process.
This program combines self-guided online training modules that can be completed independently at any time, with in-person field training opportunities at regularly scheduled intervals, to accommodate different planting seasons and participants’ varied work schedules. All required components are offered in both English and Spanish. Once you have registered in PRISM for PROs, there are two main certificate tracks to choose from: Invasive Vines/Shrubs and Invasive Trees/Grasses/Forbs. Each track consists of a set of core requirements including short videos and other curated content followed by a short online quiz; links to additional resources for supplemental learning (optional), and in-person field training sessions. Field training sessions are regularly offered on private properties by experienced trainers and can be completed before, during or after the online modules.
Most core online training modules are short videos or readings. In all, the virtual training experience takes [x to x] hours, not including any supplemental content that the student opts to review. Most field sessions are 3 hours long so the in-person requirement of 6 hours can be achieved in two sessions.
This program was designed to be flexible to fit the different circumstances of sole proprieters, grounds crews (such as for a homeowner association or business) and small-business owners. In the case of a business owner with multiple employees, we recommend taking the course with your core team before enrolling seasonal workers. After you complete the course, you will be able to tailor the use of this program to your workforce training goals. For example, you may opt to send your seasonal employees through the same certificate program, or you can incorporate some of the online components into your existing on-the-job training regimen. You can also deepen the online training program for your employees by requiring some of our optional supplemental modules. In order to earn the PRISM for PROs certificate, however, the individual must enroll in our program to take the quizzes and attend the two field training sessions.
No. As a nonprofit, we are committed to offering our curated online content for free. To qualify for the PRISM for PROs certificate, however, there is a fee of $30 per individual/up to $150 per company due before the first field training session, to cover the administrative costs of the field training and the certificate. If you have more than 5 employees attending field training in a 12-month period, you will only be charged for the first five enrollees, for a max of $150.