FAQs

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.