AUBURN – Seven regional experts in the areas of house and landscape design, installation and maintenance of residential trees and shrubs and Maine urban landscaping challenges will provide leadership for Saturday, Oct. 1, workshops on “The Urban Forest in Your Yard.”

Seminar sessions and field hands-on demonstrations are planned to maximize opportunities for sharing practical information on how to enhance the quality of residential yards. The workshop, sponsored by the Lewiston/Auburn Community Forest Board, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Auburn Land Lab.

The initial session on “Our Yards and Our Houses: Landscape and Architecture” will be led by Michel Giasson, AIA, an architect with more than 15 years of experience in designing ways to coordinate landscaping with house architecture. Giasson, practicing in Auburn since 2003, previously worked in Massachusetts after design study in Europe.

Mike DeBonis, director of the Maine Forest Service’s program to support urban “green” development, and Dave Griswold, an Auburn member of the Society of American Foresters, will discuss the best choices of trees and shrubs for local climates, soil and light conditions.

DeBonis and Griswold are licensed foresters with extensive work throughout New England. DeBonis is a graduate of Johnson State College in Vermont and of Yale. Griswold, who is also chairman of the Education Committee of Maine’s “Sustainable Forestry Initiative,” was educated at Bowdoin and the University of Maine.

Two of the field workshops available will be conducted by Susan Hayward and Steve Murch. Hayward, long-time steward of the Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary and a professional environmental educator, will demonstrate expertise in landscaping under large trees where shade and root systems often challenge other plantings.

Lewiston city arborist for the past seven years, Murch will demonstrate how to plant and prune residential trees and shrubs.

Tish Carr, Augusta city arborist, and Mike Cormier, founder of Cormier Landscaping Co. in Gray, will also lead informative sessions on selecting uncommon plants and on solving problems of planting in difficult sites such as slopes, wet conditions, close proximity to neighbors.

Information about registration for the workshop is available on the Auburn Web site, www.Auburnmaine.org, or by calling the Auburn Recreation Department, 786-2829, ext. 2. Registration forms are also available at the office where Lewiston water bills are paid.