Registration open for PCSWCD fruit tree pruning workshop

PARKMAN — The Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District is excited to host CJ Walke, orchard program manager at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, for another installment in the orchard series.

PCSWCD has been working with Walke for 14 years, bringing his knowledge and expertise to Piscataquis County. Walke will teach a hands-on workshop on pruning fruit trees on Saturday, March 14, with a weather date on Sunday, March 15. The workshop will be held at a private orchard in Parkman.

Mainers love having their own orchards! Whether you are starting a small orchard, have a few older trees growing in the front yard or would like to plant fruit trees, this workshop will give you the skills to prune any age or sized tree. This workshop is all about hands-on learning and participants will be out in an orchard actively pruning with Walke offering guidance and instruction. Participants will leave feeling confident and ready to tackle their trees at home. Additionally, Walke will talk about techniques to help increase fruit yield, protect trees from disease and pests and ways to help your trees flourish.

Walke has years of experience teaching and mastering organic orcharding practices, and has worked alongside many orcharding experts such as John Bunker of FEDCO Trees and Michael Phillips, author of “The Holistic Orchard”, among others. Walke has taught orchard workshops covering topics such as grafting, pruning, pest management, restoring and revitalizing old trees and much more.

Registration is required to attend this workshop and spaces are limited to 20 participants. Each year, the PCSWCD has seen these popular workshops fill to capacity quickly, so we encourage folks who are interested in attending to be sure to register soon. We have received numerous requests for Walke to teach a pruning course, so we are happy to fill that demand and provide this workshop in 2026! To register, please visit our website at  www.piscataquisswcd.org. To stay up to date with all the wonderful programs PCSWCD offers, be sure to like and follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/www.piscataquisswcd.org and Instagram – www.instagram.com/piscataquiscountyswcd.