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Continuing Education

The NOFA Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care is the first step in organic training. The program is built on the expectation that land care professionals will continue to grow and develop their knowledge of the field as they continue in their careers. Continuing education is built into the process, with the requirement that AOLCPs attain at least four hours of continuing education credits every year.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) FAQ

Continuing Education Discounts with OLC Partners

The Ecological Landscape Alliance (ELA) and New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL) are partnering with the Organic Land Care Program to support AOLCPs in advancing their learning and continuing their education in sustainable, organic land care practices.

    • ELA offers AOLCPs a 15% discount on ELA conferences.
    • NDAL offers AOLCPs a 10% discount to select NDAL-sponsored events.

Discount codes for these member benefits are available in the AOLCP portal.

CEU Opportunities for AOLCPs

Visit this section for up-to-date information about upcoming CEU opportunities from the Organic Landcare Program, OLC partner organizations, and elsewhere. 

These events are also announced in our monthly OLC News email newsletter, which you can join here..

If you are an expert interested in reaching the OLC audience, or if you are an AOLCP with an idea for a presenter or topic, please contact us!

Pollinator Steward Certification Program

February 1 - February 28
Online
$299

This course contains both ecological foundations and practical applications related to pollinators. It specifically highlights pollinators in and around New England, as well as regional considerations for pollinator habitat. Key takeaways are relevant globally. Students will come away with a well-rounded understanding of pollinator habitat creation and evaluation, as well as tools to educate others on the creation, maintenance, and importance of such habitats.

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Urban Tree Symposium: Beneath the Canopy: Roots, Soil, and City Life

February 27 @ 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill
11 French Dr.
Boylston, MA 01505 United States

New England Botanic Garden’s annual Urban Tree Symposium is dedicated to exploring the importance of urban forests and ways we can improve our green spaces. Each symposium brings together experts in the fields of forestry, horticulture, biology, technology and more. You can expect to hear current and important information that will impact your work in our communities and your own home. The Urban Tree Symposium is geared towards current and aspiring professionals, studentsand tree enthusiasts. 

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2026 CT NOFA Winter Conference

March 7
Wesleyan University
Boger Hall Room 112, 45 Wyllys Ave
Middlefield, CT 06459

CT NOFA’s 44th annual winter conference will be taking place March 7, 2026, at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. It will be proceeded by 3 days of virtual workshops, March 3-5. This year’s conference will include an Organic Land Care workshop track and AOLCPs will earn CEUs by attending the conference.

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The Native Plant Society of New Jersey Annual Meeting

March 7 @ 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
Gateway Building Ocean County College
1 College Drive
Toms River, NJ 08754 United States

Ecological disruption is no longer abstract or remote. It is unfolding daily in our yards, parks, and landscapes, manifesting itself in storms of unprecedented intensity that alter forests overnight and diseases spreading rapidly through degraded habitats. Traditional landscape management methods—rigid, manicured, and heavily dependent on constant intervention—have proven insufficient to respond to the pace and scale of change. This symposium directly engages with these evolving conditions, bringing together three distinct yet complementary perspectives rooted in ecological landscape design, infectious disease ecology, and arboretum management and horticulture.

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2026 Mad Gardeners Symposium

March 7 @ 8:15 am - 3:15 pm
Housatonic Valley Regional High School
246 Warren Turnpike Rd.
Falls Village, CT 06031 United States

The Mad Gardeners 2026 Symposium will feature three terrific speakers: Lee Clippard, Executive Director of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, will speak about the center, its native plant database and their research on wildflower meadows; Cassie Banning, the Director of Farm and Gardens at the Mt. Desert Land & Garden Preserve, will speak about the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden, a 1920s collaborative design between Mrs. Rockefeller and Beatrix Farrand, and the over 160 annual varieties in its ten-thousand-square-foot border; and Madeline Hooper, creator and host of the public broadcasting series GardenFit, will lead a fun, interactive class on how to use your body to garden without causing aches and pains.

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Partner Continuing Education

Partner organizations that offer pre-approved CEUs for their courses and events can be found below. Please visit their websites to see what courses and events are currently being offered. Pre-approved courses and events will generally show CEUs awarded for NOFA, NOFA OLC, or AOLCP.

Many other events and courses that are not pre-approved for CEUs are still suitable for AOLCP CEUs. Look to your local, state and national nursery and landscape professional associations; botanical gardens; community colleges and other institutions of higher learning; master gardener programs; etc.

ecological-landscaping

Ecological Landscape Alliance

Since its founding in 1992, the Ecological Landscape Alliance has been a leader in promoting sustainable approaches to landscape design, construction, and management. ELA's commitment to innovative ideas and evidence-based practices has made the organization both a trusted resource and a vibrant community of landscape professionals and devoted gardeners.

NDAL

New Directions in the American Landscape

New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL) is an educational organization dedicated to the art, culture, and science of ecology-based landscape design and practice. NDAL has been a pioneering influence in this field since 1990, and continues to educate landscape architects, landscape designers, horticulturists, and the gardening public.

MtCuba

Mt. Cuba Center

Mt. Cuba's certificate classes are open to everyone, from beginners to experts. You can choose to complete all classes to earn a certificate, or take only the classes that interest you. Students seeking certification must pass an evaluation after each class.

Places-for-Pollinators-with-Deborah-Perkins-DSC01818-sm-1024x682

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

The mission of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is to inspire meaningful connections among people, plants, and nature through horticulture, education, and research.