Program Guide: Minnesota Shade Tree Short Course 2025 by MN Shade Tree Short Course

Program Guide

62ND ANNUAL MINNESOTA SHADE TREE SHORT COURSE

Ensuring Tree Health Since 1963

The 62nd Annual Shade Tree Short Course is a two-day course for everyone involved in urban forestry, arboriculture, and the green industry. This exceptional experience, featuring general and concurrent sessions as well as exhibits, will keep with the Shade Tree Short Course’s tradition of providing quality education sessions.

Certification and Credits

• ISA Certified Arborist® CEUs are available for most sessions. A QR code will be provided by the moderator at applicable sessions. Simply scan the QR code with your smart phone which will take you to an online form where you will fill out your name, ISA Certification #, and email address in order to receive credit. For more information regarding ISA CEUs, please visit www.isa-arbor.com.

• TCIA’s Certified Treecare

are available for

(CTSP)

provided by moderators at the conclusion of applicable sessions. Fill in the requested form information

in order

receive credit for each session you attend.

• Certified tree inspectors will be recertified by attending the entire short course. New Tree Inspector classes and testing are not available at this workshop. For questions about tree inspector status or training: https://mntreeinspector.umn.edu/

• Recertification for pesticide applicators is not available at this workshop.

GRAND OAK: ACORN:

62ND ANNUAL MINNESOTA SHADE TREE SHORT COURSE

Bethel University, 3900 Bethel Drive, Saint Paul, MN 55112

Bethel University in Arden Hills offers beautiful facilities and free, convenient parking in the East and West Parking Lots. Bethel University is a nonsmoking campus (smoking allowed only in designated outdoor areas).

From the North: Take I-35W south to the County Road E2 exit. Go east to Old Hwy 10, turn right, and take the first left into campus. From the West: Take I-694 east; turn south onto I-35W. Take I-35W to the County Road E2 exit. Go east to Old Hwy 10, turn right, and take the first left into campus.

From the East: Take I-694 west; turn south onto I-35W. Take I-35W to the County Road E2 exit. Go east to Old Hwy 10, turn right, and take the first left into campus.

From the South: Take Snelling Ave. north and exit at County Road E. Turn left, proceed to Old Hwy 10, and turn right. Campus entrance is on the right. Or take I-35W north to the County Road E2 exit. Go east to Old Hwy 10, turn right, and take the first left into campus.

Session Handouts: When provided by the speaker, digital session handouts are available on the Shade Tree Short Course Whova app or at www.mnstsc.org.

Free Wifi: Connect to free Wi-Fi by selecting the Bethel-Guest network (no password). Wifi is available for casual use, such as checking email, browsing the internet or displaying websites. Uploading and/or downloading audio or video files is not considered casual browsing and may cause system issues either for you or for others in the facility.

Minnesota Society of Arboriculture (MSA) Mixer, Tues., Mar. 11 – FREE TO ALL ATTENDEES

The MSA Mixer will take place Tuesday, March 11, 4:30 - 7:30pm, at Urban Growler (Barrel Room), 2325 Endicott St., St. Paul, MN 55114, with drinks and light food provided. Free and open to all Shade Tree Short Course participants, the MSA Mixer is a great opportunity to network with speakers, participants, and exhibitors.

TRADE SHOW HOURS

Commercial and agency exhibits will be available each day. Everyone is invited to stop by and exchange information at booths located in the Gymnasium and the East Parking Lot.

• Tues., Mar. 11, 2025 from 10:30am - 3:45pm

• Wed., Mar. 12, 2025 from 10:30am - 3:00pm

EXHIBITOR LIST (Current as of Feb. 3, 2025)

INDOOR EXHIBITS – GYM, RC LEVEL 3 RAFFLE

OUTDOOR EXHIBITS – EAST LOT

exhibits and Commercial Vehicle Inspection Demo are in the East Lot, and indoor exhibits are in the Gym on RC Level 3.

For the most up to date listings, visit www.mnstsc.org or download the Shade Tree Short Course app from Whova. The event code is ShadeTree25.

62ND ANNUAL MINNESOTA SHADE TREE SHORT COURSE

Minnesota Shade Tree Short Course Steering Committee

Chair: Ryan L Murphy, University of Minnesota, Department of Forest Resources

Jacob Busiahn, Tettegouche Tree Care

Dustin Ellis, Hennepin County

Kent Honl, Rainbow Tree Care / Hennepin Technical College

Manuel Jordan, Heritage Shade Tree Consultants

Tina Markeson, MnDOT

Maddy Masucci, Minnesota DNR, Division of Forestry

Valerie McClannahan, Minnesota DNR, Division of Forestry

Jonathan Osthus, Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Philip Potyondy, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Forestry Division

Michael Van Dyken, Bartlett Tree Care / MSA Liaison

Bradley Weidenfeller, XCEL Energy

Karen Zumach, Tree Trust

Support Staff

Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association

Cassie Larson, Executive Director

Jon Horsman, Associate Director

Sarah Laulunen, Education Manager

Brianna Burns, Registration Coordinator

Paulette Sorenson, Exhibit and Sponsorship Sales

Louise Nemmers, Administrative Assistant

University of Minnesota

Alicia Coleman, Department of Forest Resources

Marissa Endres, MN Certified Tree Inspector Program

Daniel Gjertson, Arboriculture Program

Coordinator and Educator

Sonja Tosteson, Volunteer Coordinator, MN Tree Care Advocate Programs

Questions? For questions or more information, please contact us at 651-633-4987 or info@mnstsc.org.

ATTENDEE CODE OF CONDUCT

The Shade Tree Short Course is committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all meeting participants and staff. All participants, including, but not limited to, attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, staff members, service providers, and all others are expected to abide by this Event Code of Conduct. This Policy applies to all Shade Tree Short Course meetingrelated events.

Expected Behavior:

• Be considerate of others.

• Be respectful of others and viewpoints that may be different from your own.

• Be mindful of your words and actions.

Unacceptable Behavior:

• Harassment, intimidation, or discrimination in any form.

• Verbal abuse of any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, staff member, service provider, or other meeting guest. Examples of verbal abuse include, but are not limited to, verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, national origin, inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces or in presentations, or threatening or stalking any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, staff member, service provider, or other meeting guest.

• Disruption of presentations during sessions or at other events organized by the Shade Tree Short Course throughout the event. All participants must comply with the instructions of the moderator and any event staff.

• Presentations, postings, and messages should not contain promotional materials, special offers, job offers, product announcements, or solicitation for services unless expressly approved by the Shade Tree Short Course. The Shade Tree Short Course reserves the right to remove such messages and potentially ban sources of those solicitations. The Shade Tree Short Course reserves the right to deny or revoke admission to anyone who engages in or is reputed to engage in unethical or noncompliant marketing practices.

• Participants may not copy, record, or broadcast the Shade Tree Short Course event content. This includes, but is not limited to, content shared via sessions, exhibitors, Q&A, chat room activity, or personal contact details without permission.

Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior

The Shade Tree Short Course reserves the right to take any action deemed necessary and appropriate, including immediate removal from the event without warning or refund, in response to any incident of unacceptable behavior, and the Shade Tree Short Course reserves the right to prohibit attendance at any future meeting, virtually or in person.

Reporting Behavior

The Shade Tree Short Course has zero-tolerance for any form of discrimination, harassment, or other behavior deemed unacceptable. If you experience harassment or hear of any incidents of unacceptable behavior, the Shade Tree Short Course asks that you inform us at info@mnstsc.org so that we can take the appropriate action.

BC (Brushaber Commons)

LEVEL 2

• The Underground

LEVEL 3

• Dining Center

LEVEL 4

• BC 411 (Olson Board Room)

• BC 468 RC (Robertson Center)

LEVEL 3

• Gym, Indoor Exhibits

LEVEL 4

• Gym Balcony

• RC 417

• RC 422

(Lundquist Community Life Center) LEVEL 1

• Registration

• Breakfast

• Benson Hall

• Eastlund Room

Outdoor exhibits and Commercial Vehicle Inspection Demo are in the East Lot.

(Hagstrom Center) LEVEL 4 • HC 413

MINNESOTA SHADE TREE SHORT COURSE

Schedule Overview

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2025

6:30am Registration Opens CLC Lobby

6:30am Continental Breakfast Available CLC Lobby

7:30am Welcome and Opening Remarks

7:45am – 10:30am General Sessions

10:30am – 3:45pm Exhibits Open

10:40am, 10:50am, 11:00am, 11:10am, 11:20am, 11:30am Lunch Times

Benson Hall

Gymnasium and East Parking Lot

Dining Center (Check lunch ticket received with your name badge for your assigned time.)

12:30pm – 1:15pm Concurrent Sessions See page 7 for session room assignments.

1:30pm – 2:15pm Concurrent Sessions See page 7 for session room assignments.

3:00pm – 3:45pm Concurrent Sessions See page 7 for session room assignments.

4:30pm

Minnesota Society of Arboriculture (MSA) Mixer

Urban Growler, 2325 Endicott St., St. Paul, MN 55114 in the Barrel Room (food and drink compliments of MSA)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2025

6:30am Registration Opens CLC Lobby

6:30am Continental Breakfast Available CLC Lobby

7:45am – 10:30am General Sessions

10:30am – 10:40am Mark Stennes Award Presentation

Benson Hall

10:30am – 3:00pm Exhibits Open Gymnasium and East Parking Lot

10:40am, 10:50am, 11:00am, 11:10am, 11:20am, 11:30am Lunch Times

Dining Center (Check lunch ticket received with your name badge for your assigned time.)

12:30pm – 1:15pm Concurrent Sessions See page 8 for session room assignments.

1:30pm – 2:15pm Concurrent Sessions See page 8 for session room assignments.

2:15pm – 3:00pm Door Prize Drawings (must be present to win)

Gymnasium (Raffle tickets can be dropped off at the designated location in the gym starting at 10:30am on Wednesday.)

3:00pm – 3:45pm Concurrent Sessions See page 8 for session room assignments.

TUESDAY SESSIONS for March 11, 2025

Some session titles and other details subject to change.

CA = Certified Arborist BCMA-M = Board Certified Master Arborist-Management

Mulch Volcanoes, An Urban Tree's Best Friend (TUE. ONLY!)

Urban Foresters: Stories from the Front Lines

Tree Protection Ordinances

Bur Oak Dendrochronology in Minnesota

Oak Wilt Management: Strategies and a PractitionerCentered Model for Disease Containment

Site Factors, Soil Properties, and Urban Tree Resilience

Foraging/Plant Identification

Growing Community Through Gardening

Early Detection: Invasive Insects and Worms

Tapping into Old and New Ways to Reach Communities

Introduction to Needle Diseases of Conifers

The Ground Worker's "One Thing" (TUE. ONLY!)

Artificial Intelligence in Urban Forestry (TUE. ONLY!)

We are ALL in Sales (TUE. ONLY!)

Registered Apprenticeship: Does It Make Sense for Me?

Urban Canopy Effects on Rainfall Chemistry and Implications for Stormwater

Urban Wood Utilization in Minnesota

Using the Miyawaki Method to Rewild our Communities for Climate Resilience

Common Bark Beetles of Minnesota

From Coal Tar to Canopy, Environmental Justice and Municipal/Utility Cooperation (TUE. ONLY!)

Early Detection: Invasive Insects and Worms

Youth Engagement in Arboriculture

Wildland Fire in Urban Interface

Disentangling the Effects of Forest Biodiversity and Composition on Community-Level Responses to Drought in Urban Forest Patches Using Multispectral Satellite Imagery

Reducing Repetitive Motion Injuries (TUE. ONLY!)

Can Too Much Communication on a Jobsite Be Dangerous? (TUE. ONLY!)

Schmitz

Gupta, Gary Wyatt, Jennifer Burington

Spence

White Hat Hacking the TRAQ Methodology (TUE. ONLY!) James Komen

TCIA Membership Benefits

Identification of Trees by Their Roots – Workshop

Low Salt Design: Snow Gardens

Climate-Ready Woodlands: Rewilding Your Backyard Woods

Woody Plant Identification: Looking for Clues!

Montplaisir

Moldestad

Fortin

Improving Schoolyard Air Quality with Vegetative Buffers Michelle Catania

From Farm Field to Forest: An Ongoing Reforestation Project

TREE TEAM: K-12 Urban Forestry Grant Program Andrew Hillman, Jean Zimmerman

Non-Native Trees, Shrubs, and Herbaceous Plants Sascha Lodge, Christina Basch, Jen Larson

Grassroots Community Forestry: How to Engage Neighborhood Residents with Their Urban Forest Chris Stevens, Xiem Busch-Vuong

Biocontrol of the Emerald Ash Borer Using Entomopathogenic Fungi

Planting and Maintaining a Bee Lawn

“Verifying” Unverifiable Anchors (TUE. ONLY!)

WEDNESDAY SESSIONS for March 12, 2025

Some session titles and other details subject to

The Sidewalks of New York (Urban Tree Preservation) (WED. ONLY!)

Urban Foresters: Stories from the Front Lines

Tree Protection Ordinances

Bur Oak Dendrochronology in Minnesota

Oak Wilt Management: Strategies and a PractitionerCentered Model for Disease Containment

Site Factors, Soil Properties, and Urban Tree Resilience

Foraging/Plant Identification

Growing Community Through Gardening

Early Detection: Invasive Insects and Worms

Teri Speight

Angela Gupta, Gary Wyatt, Jennifer Burington

Tapping into Old and New Ways to Reach Communities Leslie Alcantar Mejia, Monica Randazzo

Introduction to Needle Diseases of Conifers

Part 1 Utility Storm Work - Unloading Wires Under Tension a Teaspoon at a Time (WED. ONLY!)

Rehabilitating Urban Soils with Wood Chip Therapy and Physical Manipulation (WED. ONLY!)

– 2:15 PM

Lowering Insurance Cost through Risk Management (WED. ONLY!)

Registered Apprenticeship: Does It Make Sense for Me?

Urban Canopy Effects on Rainfall Chemistry and Implications for Stormwater

Urban Wood Utilization in Minnesota

Using the Miyawaki Method to Rewild our Communities for Climate Resilience

Common Bark Beetles of Minnesota

Can’t We All Just Get Along?!...Resolving Conﬂict at Work (WED. ONLY!)

Early Detection: Invasive Insects and Worms

Youth Engagement in Arboriculture

Wildland Fire in Urban Interface

Disentangling the Effects of Forest Biodiversity and Composition on Community-Level Responses to Drought in Urban Forest Patches Using Multispectral Satellite Imagery

Emergency Action Plans & Why You Need One (WED. ONLY!)

Part 2 Utility Storm Work - Unloading Wires Under Tension a Teaspoon at a Time (WED. ONLY!)

Advances in Eastern Ninebark and Smooth Hydrangea (WED. ONLY!)

TCIA Membership Benefits

Identification of Trees by Their Roots – Workshop

Low Salt Design: Snow Gardens

Climate-Ready Woodlands: Rewilding Your Backyard Woods

Improving Schoolyard Air Quality with Vegetative Buffers

From Farm Field to Forest: An Ongoing Reforestation Project

TREE TEAM: K-12 Urban Forestry Grant Program

Non-Native Trees, Shrubs, and Herbaceous Plants

Gupta, Gary Wyatt,

David Zlesak

Fortin

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Session Descriptions

(Some session titles and other details subject to change.)

7:45am – 8:40am

Minnesota Forest Health Update (TUE. ONLY!)

Room: Benson Hall

Speaker: Rachael Dube, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

The DNR Forest Health Program monitors broad-scale trends in forest canopy health across the state. In this session, you’ll learn about the issues we surveyed in 2024, including spread of oak wilt and emerald ash borer, fungal leaf diseases promoted by abundant rain, and spruce budworm.

8:40am – 9:35am

Shining Light on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (TUE. ONLY!)

Room: Benson Hall

Speaker: Cal Beyer, SAFE Project

Mental health and substance abuse is an invisible crisis in the tree care industry. Nationally, in high risk trades, more workers die annually by suicide than by all occupational injuries combined. Identify what your company can do to help promote mental wellbeing and reduce risk of suicide in our industry. These efforts will contribute to healthier workers and improve safety of tree crews.

9:35am – 10:30am

Crane Assisted Tree Removal (TUE. ONLY!)

Room: Benson Hall

Speaker: Todd Kramer, Kramer Tree Specialists, Inc.

This course will train workers on proper use of a mobile crane while performing arborists tasks. It will include all applicable standards that apply, i.e.; ANSIZ133.1 and OSHA standards. We will review job site setup and proper crane setup. We will review reading crane charts and capabilities. Rigging gear and techniques will be explored focusing on “center of gravity rigging”. We will also look at different cutting techniques for best outcome. Work Positioning will also be a focus whether climbing or using an aerial platform. This course will give students the knowledge and confidence to safely work with a mobile crane.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Mulch Volcanoes, An Urban Trees Best Friend (TUE. ONLY!)

Room: Benson Hall

Speaker: Andy Schmitz, Brenton Arboretum

Lets take a closer look at mulch volcanoes in this satirical presentation on how mulch volcanoes may be doing more good than harm to newly planted urban trees. Join Andy to take a closer look at what he has been observing in the urban landscape when it comes to tree mortality and/or tree survivability, when conventional wisdom says, over-mulching is detrimental to trees.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Urban Foresters: Stories from the Front Lines Room: BC 411

Speaker: Leslie Berckes, Executive Director, Urban and Community Forestry Society

reached out to members to gain perspective and context from the front lines of urban forestry. These case studies reveal stories of challenges and triumphs as urban and community foresters continue to engage novel partners and innovate practice. Session participants will learn about how the urban forestry profession is evolving, the “urban forestry multiverse,” hear highlights from case studies across many perspectives within the community of practice, and see how the UCFS and the industry partners can better support practitioners and the profession through the current “urban forestry inflection point.”

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Tree Protection Ordinances Room: BC 468

Speaker: Maryellen Bell, Bartlett Tree Experts

Come explore the importance of tree protection ordinances. This session will discuss how to navigate through ordinance requirements and discuss what constitutes a well-written document. We’ll clarify terminology and review definitions. Details include how arborist use the ordinance for generating proposals, field data collection, and report writing.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Bur Oak Dendrochronology in Minnesota Room: CC 125

Speakers: Theresa Garrison and Daniel Griffin, University of Minnesota

This session will explain how dendrochronological methods are helping land managers understand the role of bur oaks in the forest community. Many bur oaks are several hundred years old and offer a glimpse into the climate of the region.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Oak Wilt Management: Strategies and a PractitionerCentered Model for Disease Containment Room: CC 312

Speaker: Anna Yang, University of Minnesota

Oak wilt management has been ongoing since the 1950’s, but management options aren’t one-size-fits-all. This session with provide an overview of strategies and tools for oak wilt containment and will introduce a new, practitioner-based model for disease control.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Site Factors, Soil Properties, and Urban Tree Resilience Room: CC 313

Speaker: Susanna Kerio, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Urban trees provide numerous benefits that affect the quality of life for 277 million Americans who live in cities. However, urban tree planting site conditions are often suboptimal for tree health, and it is estimated that in the U.S. 6-15% of newly planted trees die within five years of planting. The session will provide cost estimates for low tree resilience, and will overview the urban site factors that affect the health of young and mature urban trees. The talk will synthesize the most recent research on how site conditions, environmental factors, and soil quality amplify tree stress, and will share results from a research project that looked at the association of these factors with street tree health in New Haven Connecticut. The session will conclude by summarizing how various tree health data and site metrics could be applied to guide planting decisions and tree health management.

Tuesday Session Descriptions, continued

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Foraging/Plant Identification Room: CC 430

Speaker: Shane Alden, The Wild Dryad

This session will discuss some beginner plant families, introductory plants, and understanding of plant identification. In addition, foraging safety and regulations will be discussed.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Growing Community Through Gardening Room: Eastlund

Speaker: Terri Speight

Building a strong community can be challenging when various barriers exist, such as differing skill levels, language differences, or limited resources. By addressing and minimizing these obstacles, you can create a more inclusive and thriving environment. This seminar will explore proven strategies for fostering cohesive communities, empowering participants to actively engage and inviting others to join the experience.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Early Detection: Invasive Insects and Worms Room: Gym Balcony

Speakers: Angela Gupta and Gary Wyatt, UMN Extension; Jennifer Burington, Minnesota Department of Agriculture

This session will include invasive Asian longhorn beetle, spongy moth, oak wilt, spotted lanternfly, elm zigzag sawfly, and jumping worms. It will be a series of hands-on identification and common look-alike displays each with a content expert to help participants solidify clear and definitive identification traits for each species and its common look-alikes.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Tapping into Old and New Ways to Reach Communities Room: HC 413

Speakers: Leslie Alcantar Mejia and Monica Randazzo, Hennepin County Forestry

This session will cover methods and techniques for engaging communities drawing from our experience working in a variety of settings and developing close partnerships and relationships with communities and organizations across Minnesota. Throughout this presentation we will share examples of how language, art, storytelling, and co-creation shape different experiences with education, forging unique relationships to develop a broader awareness of and sense of stewardship for the urban forest. Join us to learn tools for creating long-lasting impacts within communities.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Introduction to Needle Diseases of Conifers Room: HC 414

Speaker: Eric Otto, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Some of the most common diseases of conifers are needle diseases. These diseases are typically referred to as needle casts and needle blights. This talk will be an introduction to common needle diseases of conifers, including Stigmina, Rhizosphaera, Lophodermium, Lirula, and more. Identification, biology, and management will be discussed.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

The Ground Worker’s “One Thing” (TUE. ONLY!)

Room: Underground

Speaker: Jeff Jepson, Author/Speaker

The beginning ground worker has a lot to learn. But there is one concept, one skill, one great thing that rules them all. Learning the “One Thing” is the secret to success (and survival) in tree work, as well as in life.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

MN State Patrol Commercial Vehicle

Inspection Demo (TUE. ONLY!)

Room: East Parking Lot

Speaker: MN State Patrol

A truck and trailer will be set up for the demo and a Minnesota State Patrol officer will be on hand to discuss the most frequent types of commercial vehicle citations and how to satisfy state and federal requirements. Bring your questions!

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Artificial Intelligence in Urban Forestry (TUE. ONLY!)

Room: Benson Hall

Speaker: Lee Mueller, Davey Resource Group, Inc.

New technologies, using massive datasets and machine-learning algorithms, are increasingly common in urban forestry. Yet, there remains some trepidation about artificial intelligence. This presentation explores applications of emerging tools (e.g. ChatGPT, object detection, sensors) and how these technologies may be used to improve urban tree monitoring and management.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

We are ALL in Sales (TUE. ONLY!)

Room: BC 411 (Olson Board Room)

Speaker: Eric Petersen, ArboRisk Insurance

Everyone within your organization plays a part in selling your services/products. Eric will teach the dynamics of a sales call and how to properly close a sale in this session, and how each team member can contribute to selling the right type of work for your company.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Registered Apprenticeship: Does it Make Sense for Me?

Room: BC 468

Speaker: Joe Hoffman, Mid-State Technical College

Curious if state-registered apprenticeship is an approach to employee recruitment, development, and retention that’ll work for you and the industry’s future? This talk will provide insights to training approaches and the culture of learning at Mid-State. Bring your questions and concerns as well...they’ll help us grow apprenticeship together.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Urban Canopy Effects on Rainfall Chemistry and Implications for Stormwater

Room: CC 125

Speaker: Lucy Rose, Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota

Urban trees filter pollutants and reduce stormwater fluxes. Rainfall transiting the canopy mobilizes nutrients and pollutants to belowcanopy soils and impervious surfaces (e.g., sidewalks and roadways). This presentation discusses canopy nutrient and pollutant mobilization to soils and stormwater via throughfall, with special consideration of rainfall characteristics, seasonality, and inter-tree variability.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Urban Wood Utilization in Minnesota Room: CC 312

Speaker: Jon Klapperich, MN Pollution Control Agency

This session will cover the current landscape of urban wood utilization as the emerald ash borer infestation, urban expansion, and increased extreme weather events continue to put stress on the existing markets for this material. Jon will discuss current efforts among wood waste utilization stakeholders as well as upcoming initiatives and emerging utilization technologies.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Using the Miyawaki Method to Rewild our Communities for Climate Resilience Room: CC 313

Speaker: Hannah Lewis, Renewing the Countryside

What holds hundreds of species, sequesters 500 pounds of CO2 a year, is several degrees cooler than its surroundings, soaks up lots of rainwater, and is co-created by children and their elders in spaces no bigger than a tennis court? A “mini-forest” planted using the Miyawaki Method, of course. After a couple of years of weeding and watering as needed, these nascent forests form a canopy and - like any other healthy ecosystembecome self-sufficient. We’ll discuss what a mini-forest is, what it can do for your neighborhood, what goes into planting one, and why people all over the world are organizing their communities to plant mini-forests in the small spaces around where they live and work.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Common Bark Beetles of Minnesota Room: CC 430

Speaker: August Kramer, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

This session is dedicated to introducing the bark beetles that are most commonly found in Minnesota’s forests; information presented will include identification, general ecology, and typical management strategies.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

From Coal Tar to Canopy, Environmental Justice and Municipal/Utility Cooperation (TUE. ONLY!)

Room: Eastlund

Speaker: Andrew Hillman, Davey Resource Group, Inc.

Sometimes a city public works department proves nimbler than the private sector in preserving urban trees. This is an inspiring and instructive case history that details a cooperative effort to mitigate the sudden loss of tree canopy due to a mandated toxic waste cleanup in a low to moderate income neighborhood in Ithaca, NY. A wooden coal tar duct ran under the tree lawn for several blocks necessitating the removal and subsequent replacement of all the trees over the duct. For reasons that will be explained New York State Electric and Gas paid the City of Ithaca to perform the tree removals and replanting.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Early Detection: Invasive Insects and Worms

Room: Gym Balcony

Speakers: Angela Gupta and Gary Wyatt, UMN Extension; Jennifer Burington, Minnesota Department of Agriculture

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Youth Engagement in Arboriculture

Room: HC 413

Speaker: Brian Luedtke, Holistic Tree and Forestry

Youth Engagement In Arboriculture (YEA) is an experience-based educational program hosted by the UFOR Lab and Nursery. Students learn about trees and the natural world while they safely learn modern professional tree-climbing skills. In this session we will witness the evolution of the YEA process, curriculum, and climbing stations.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Wildland Fire in Urban Interface

Room: HC 414

Speaker: Joe Meyer, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Come and learn how wildland fires are responded to in urban communities. We will cover who the responders are and the roles they play including the local fire department, Department of Natural Resources, police, and other agencies.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Disentangling the Effects of Forest Biodiversity and Composition on Community-Level Responses to Drought in Urban Forest Patches Using Multispectral Satellite Imagery Room: RC 417

Speaker: Sally Donovan, University of Minnesota

We will discuss the use of satellite imagery to examine how tree species and species mixtures influence ecosystem responses to recent precipitation extremes in forest patches across the Twin Cities. We will also share methods for satellite-based monitoring of forest phenology and compare the performance of tree species to recent precipitation extremes in the Twin Cities.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Reducing Repetitive Motion Injuries (TUE. ONLY!)

Room: Underground

Speaker: Nels Spence, Bartlett Tree Experts

This session will cover what can lead to a repetitive motion injury, how to prepare the body for a day’s work as a production arborist, how to work efficiently, and how to rectify the negative impacts from production arboriculture.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Can Too Much Communication on a Jobsite be Dangerous? (TUE. ONLY!)

Room: Benson Hall

Speaker: Dennis Fallon, Utility Arborist Association

Wireless communication antennae are often placed aloft where tree crews may be working and the exact impacts of variable exposure to radio radiation to the human body are not clear. Arborists can learn to identify antenna and how to look for assistance with learning more about the risks on or near a worksite.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

White Hat Hacking the TRAQ Methodology (TUE. ONLY!)

Room: BC 411 (Olson Board Room)

Speaker: James Komen, Class One Arboriculture Inc.

An advanced look at TRAQ risk assessments, with a focus on ethical considerations. This presentation demonstrates several ways that the outcome of a risk assessment can become distorted either accidentally or intentionally: separating targets, separating tree parts, and changing time frame. The goal is to help readers of risk assessment reports and users of this methodology to look at risk assessments with a critical eye.

Tuesday Session Descriptions, continued

3:00pm – 3:45pm

TCIA Membership Benefits Room: BC 468

Speaker: Jeff Montplaisir, TCIA

Jeff will have a detailed presentation covering TCIA Member Benefits, programs and opportunities.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Identification of Trees by Their Roots – Workshop Room: CC 120

Speaker: Kristin Moldestad, Trekontoret AS

The workshop aims to provide participants with increased understanding of roots’ appearance, the ability to differentiate between roots, awareness that roots are older than they appear, and perhaps foster greater respect for subterranean life.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Low Salt Design: Snow Gardens Room: CC 125

Speaker: Connie Fortin, Bolton & Menk

Snow Gardens are the crossroads between stormwater management and snow storage. Chloride from deicing salt is a top pollutant of concern in cold climates. Snow gardens improve winter safety by reducing the meltwater sprawl, refreeze, and resalting cycles. Snow gardens may also improve the 4-season performance of rain gardens and other stormwater management features. We are up to “Snow Good” with Snow Gardens!

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Climate-Ready Woodlands: Rewilding Your Backyard Woods Room: CC 312

Speaker: Angela Gupta, University of Minnesota

As Minnesota’s climate changes, forests will face increasing pressure from tree diseases and pests, heavier and more frequent rainfalls, warmer temperatures, and prolonged drought. New research in forest management, especially around climate change and invasive species, has highlighted the need for updated recommendations for tree selection. Using modeled climate response data from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the USDA Forest Service Climate Change Tree Atlas, University of Minnesota Extension created a suite of regionallyspecific recommendation lists of climate-resilient trees and plants and through iterative feedback updated that work in the fall of 2024 (z.umn. edu/climateready). These lists also incorporate the benefits of trees and understory plants for charismatic microfauna, such as insects, which are often overlooked during planting decisions despite fulfilling critical roles in forest ecosystems. Through adoption of these recommendation lists, managers and stewards can holistically improve forest health by enhancing the resilience of Minnesota’s woods to climate change.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Woody Plant Identification: Looking for Clues! Room: CC 313

Speaker: Dave Hanson, Minnesota Department of Transportation

We’ll take a journey through Minnesota and beyond looking at native and nonnative plants, and focus on how to identify a woody plant that maybe you have not encountered before. Leaves, twigs, buds, bark and fruit - any or all of these items might be present to provide the necessary clues leading you to a new discovery.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Improving Schoolyard Air Quality with Vegetative Buffers Room: CC 331

Speaker: Michelle Catania, The Morton Arboretum

Poor air quality is a leading cause of diminished health for half the world’s population, especially in urban settings along major transportation corridors. The Morton Arboretum, along with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Environmental Law and Policy Center, have been working together to develop a program and toolkit for the installation of vegetative buffers along school properties within 500 feet of highways. Our focus is on improving the health and well-being of communities that have experienced historic environmental injustices while promoting the benefits of trees. We developed a toolkit designed to take a community group step-by-step through the process of planning, creating, and caring for a vegetation barrier as part of their school’s science curriculum. This talk will introduce a few pilot sites in the Chicago area, while highlighting the realities of the challenges and opportunities involved with this project.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

From Farm Field to Forest: An Ongoing Reforestation Project Room: CC 430

Speaker: Daniel Gjertson, University of Minnesota

In fall 2021, a 10-acre former agriculture parcel in Stillwater, MN was acquired by private landowners with the goal of reforesting the land. After three seasons of work, hundreds of trees and shrubs, and 10 acres worth of native prairie seed mixes, the project is off to a great start. No shortage of challenges arose throughout the process. Hear about lessons learned in reconstructing prairie, savanna, and woodland zones on the site.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

TREE TEAM: K-12 Urban Forestry Grant Program Room: Eastlund

Speakers: Jean Zimmerman, Consulting Arborist/Author and Andrew Hillman

TREE TEAM is a new grant created by the New York State Urban Forestry Council as a planting award for schools in disadvantaged school districts to teach about trees’ benefits and to move the school closer to becoming a Tree Campus USA. We assign each school a seasoned mentor to help select and plant the tree. It’s been a success, with over a dozen awardees so far. As Cochairs of NYSUFC’s EJI Working Group, we’ll share stories of implementation and successes.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Non-Native Trees, Shrubs, and Herbaceous Plants Room: Gym Balcony

Speakers: Sascha Lodge, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Christina Basch, Minnesota Department of Transportation; Jen Larson, USDA Forest Service

This session will include non-native porcelain berry, round leaf bittersweet, stiltgrass, autumn olive, tree-of-heaven (and spotted lanternfly), European mountain ash, black and pale swallow-worts, rough potato, Callery pear and Malus spp. (apple).

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Grassroots Community Forestry: How to Engage

Neighborhood Residents with Their Urban Forest Room: HC 413

Speakers: Chris Stevens and Xiem Busch-Vuong, Frogtown Green

Frogtown Green is an environmental initiative in the Frogtown neighborhood of Saint Paul and has had a resident-led, volunteerdriven free tree program since 2013. Find out about the successes and challenges of helping Saint Paul’s most diverse neighborhood increase their tree canopy and build a more resilient community.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Biocontrol of the Emerald Ash Borer

Using Entomopathogenic Fungi Room: HC 414

Speaker: Colin Peters, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota

The emerald ash borer is a destructive forest pest which has killed tens of millions of ash trees across North America in the past two decades. Management for this insect has largely relied on the removal of ash trees or application of chemical insecticides to high-value landscape trees. Minnesota houses an estimated one billion ash trees, many of which reside in natural forest settings where conventional management strategies are less feasible to implement. Biological control leveraging local isolates of entomopathogenic fungi is one potential strategy for managing EAB populations in natural settings. EAB-associated entomopathogenic fungi were collected from larval galleries across infested regions in Minnesota, and included important genera such as Purpureocillium, Beauveria, Akanthomyces, Cordyceps, Clonostachys, and Lecanicillium (Held et al., 2021). This fungal collection is being screened for virulence against EAB in the context of potential field application methods - i.e.,

autodissemination devices and fungal injections. Promising isolates are being tested along the advancing front of EAB across the state. Preliminary results from laboratory screening and initial field trials will be discussed.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Planting and Maintaining a Bee Lawn

Room: RC 417

Speaker: Jon Trappe, University of Minnesota Extension

In this session, we will discuss what bee lawns are, why they are becoming popular, and what we have learned from almost 10 years of research. We will also cover how to plant and maintain a bee lawn.

3:00pm – 3:45pm “Verifying” Unverifiable Anchors (TUE. ONLY!)

Room: Underground

Speaker: Wesley Full, Rainbow Treecare

Over the past decade we have seen more incidents involving arborists falling out of trees due to anchor point failure. In this session you will learn how to take the common knowledge we as climbing arborists use to make an educated guess on what will hold us and put it into a checklist and peer verification system in hopes of having more “verified” tie in points.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

MN State Patrol Commercial Vehicle

Inspection Demo (TUE. ONLY!)

Room: East Parking Lot

Speaker: MN State Patrol

Disclaimer

Although every reasonable effort is made to provide the speakers, topics, and sessions listed, some changes or substitutions may occur. Speakers and sessions are subject to cancellation or changes up to and including the day the session(s) are scheduled to be held. Changes or cancellations are made at the discretion of event management and may be done without notifying attendees. If sessions are changed or cancelled, no refunds should be expected. Submission of the registration form acknowledges acceptance of this provision.

To get our event app, download the Whova app on your mobile device. The event code is ShadeTree25

DOWNLOAD THE EVENT APP!

Use the app to access the event agenda and build a personal schedule, post on and browse the online job board, explore the professional profiles of event speakers and attendees, send in-app messages and exchange contact info, and receive update notifications from event organizers.

Wednesday, March 12,

2025

Session Descriptions

(Some session titles and other details subject to change.)

7:45am – 8:40am

Twenty Minutes in the Life OR Death of a Tree - PART II: A Revolutionary Platform Based Tree Production & Transplanting System (WED. ONLY!)

Room: Benson Hall

Speaker: Ronald Zillmer, Legacy-Trees LLC

Chestnut blight, Dutch elm disease, and emerald ash borer devastated our urban forests but these pathogens were specific to individual tree species. Deep planting and compromised root systems cause early mortality for all species of trees long before they should have departed. Legacy-Trees has created a patent-pending, platform-based process of root development that mimics how trees grow in the forest. This exceptionally large horizontal root system radiates from the tree trunk like spokes of a wheel and is positioned to immediately colonize the site following planting. The unique transplanting system that is utilized to transport and plant Legacy-Trees facilitates the installation of two inch caliper trees in less than ten minutes with the root system undamaged and at the same depth as the trees in the forest every single time.

8:40am – 9:35am

A Field Guide to Identification of Tree Roots (WED. ONLY!)

Room: Benson Hall

Speaker: Kristin Moldestad, Trekontoret AS

Construction and existing trees is a common and complex combination. The responsibility to oversee the protection and the well-being of trees involved in a construction project often falls on the arborist. When it comes to tree trunks and crowns, methods of identification and assessment are plenty and well known. This has not been the case for tree roots. The aim of our project has been to create a field guide for arborists to the identification of roots. My colleagues and I are often on construction sites to oversee that the correct procedures are followed on site to protect existing trees. When digging has revealed tree roots, it is not always obvious which tree the roots belong to. Roots can expand far beyond the tree crown, and they are covered in soil and dirt. This reoccurring challenge, and our arborist inclination to save trees sparked my colleague, Olve Lundetræ, and I to study roots we came across through our work more closely. We began to assess roots as they appeared in ditches and on building sites more systematically. Through the studies we learned that the roots are almost as different as the branches and the leaves. We found roots with beautiful colors, amazing patterns, strange bark, and structure, and some with a distinct smell. So far, we have identified roots from around fifty different tree species. The roots are described with words and photographed. We hope that this information can help other arborists on-site, and maybe give them the evidence they need to change the direction of a ditch or move a building. The aim of this project is to present all our findings in a field guide.

9:35am – 10:30am

Restatement of Torts §929 – A Legal Perspective on Valuing Tree Loss (WED. ONLY!)

Room: Benson Hall

Speaker: James Komen, Class One Arboriculture Inc.

How have courts approached the problem of how to measure the value of a loss when a tree is damaged or destroyed? One of the many sources of authority in measuring damages to real property is the American Law Institute’s “Restatement of the Law.” Though the Restatement has no legal authority of its own, it represents general principles of American common law, and its provisions have been

adopted to varying degrees in many states’ case law. One of the often cited sections of the Restatement of Torts is §929, discussing the measurement of damages when real property is damaged but not destroyed. Different courts have adopted and applied §929 in the context of valuing tree-related losses and have come to widely varying conclusions. This talk reviews the framework of §929: the measurement of harm generally, the “personal reasons” exception, and the “reasonableness” cap on damages. It presents several cases where §929 was used to determine the amount of damages to be awarded in a case of harm to trees.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

The Sidewalks of New York (Urban Tree Preservation) (WED. ONLY!)

Room: Benson Hall

Speaker: Jean Zimmerman, Consulting Arborist/Author

As a tree inspector on sidewalk installation jobs, water main replacements, and street renovations my focus is on planting, tree pits/guards, and restoring major thoroughfares. This talk will focus on infrastructure as well as critical stakeholders (foremen, machine operators, laborers, flaggers, engineers, neighborhood denizens).

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Urban Foresters: Stories from the Front Lines

Room: BC 411

Speaker: Leslie Berckes, Executive Director, Urban and Community Forestry Society

Urban foresters face unique challenges and celebrate equally extraordinary achievements in communities large and small. This spectrum of professionals, places, and stakeholders can be difficult to generalize, so the Urban and Community Forestry Society stays in close touch with members to better serve the industry. Building on membership surveys and networking events in 2023, the UCFS reached out to members to gain perspective and context from the front lines of urban forestry. These case studies reveal stories of challenges and triumphs as urban and community foresters continue to engage novel partners and innovate practice. Session participants will learn about how the urban forestry profession is evolving, the “urban forestry multiverse,” hear highlights from case studies across many perspectives within the community of practice, and see how the UCFS and the industry partners can better support practitioners and the profession through the current “urban forestry inflection point.”

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Tree Protection Ordinances

Room: BC 468

Speaker: Maryellen Bell, Bartlett Tree Experts

Come explore the importance of tree-protection ordinances. This session will discuss how to navigate through ordinance requirements and discuss what constitutes a well written document. We’ll clarify terminology and review definitions. Details include how arborist use the ordinance for generating proposals, field data collection, and report writing.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Bur Oak Dendrochronology in Minnesota

Room: CC 125

Speakers: Theresa Garrison and Daniel Griffin, University of Minnesota

This session will explain how dendrochronological methods are helping land managers understand the role of bur oaks in the forest

community. Many bur oaks are several hundred years old and offer a glimpse into the climate of the region.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Oak Wilt Management: Strategies and a PractitionerCentered Model for Disease Containment Room: CC 312

Speaker: Anna Yang, University of Minnesota

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Site Factors, Soil Properties, and Urban Tree Resilience Room: CC 313

Speaker: Susanna Kerio, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Foraging/Plant Identification Room: CC 430

Speaker: Shane Alden, The Wild Dryad

This session will discuss some beginner plant families, introductory plants, and understanding of plant identification. In addition, foraging safety and regulations will be discussed.

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Growing Community Through Gardening Room: Eastlund

Speaker: Terri Speight

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Early Detection: Invasive Insects and Worms Room: Gym Balcony

Speakers: Angela Gupta and Gary Wyatt, UMN Extension; Jennifer Burington, Minnesota Department of Agriculture

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Tapping into Old and New Ways to Reach Communities Room: HC 413

Speakers: Leslie Alcantar Mejia and Monica Randazzo, Hennepin County Forestry

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Introduction to Needle Diseases of Conifers

Room: HC 414

Speaker: Eric Otto, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Part 1 Utility Storm Work - Unloading Wires Under Tension a Teaspoon at a Time (WED. ONLY!)

Room: Underground

Speaker: Wesley Tregilgas, Manager of Safety/ Education/Training, Wright Tree Service

This session will show the injury disaster potential and lack of control from approaching wires under tension in storm conditions the traditional way and why the practice of "tying the wires down" doesn't provide safety to the extent needed. New industry approaches to solving these hazards will be shown with methods that are predictable and controlled and proven successful during Hurricane Helene.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Rehabilitating Urban Soils with Wood Chip Therapy and Physical Manipulation (WED. ONLY!)

Room: Benson Hall

Speaker: Matthew Morrison, Urban Forester-National Mall, Department of the Interior/National Park Service

This session will cover several topics including: How we are amending our urban soils with compost, biochar, and wood chips using hundreds of yards at a time; increasing biodiversity; tried and true tree and soil protection methods; the value of wood chips in the urban forest; the reduction of our carbon footprint and waste going to landfills; physical soil manipulation including pneumatic excavation, biostimulant injections, and wood chip cover; and finally electronic soil monitors.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Lowering Insurance Cost through Risk Management (WED. ONLY!)

Room: BC 411 (Olson Board Room)

Speaker: Doug Peterson, ArboRisk Insurance

Ready to take control of your insurance cost? Learn how practicing simple risk management fundamentals can directly reduce your insurance premiums. Also, uncover what insurance companies look for when setting insurance rates and how a tree care company can position itself to receive the best possible premium.

Wednesday Session Descriptions, continued

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Registered Apprenticeship: Does it Make Sense for Me? Room: BC 468

Speaker: Joe Hoffman, Mid-State Technical College

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Urban Canopy Effects on Rainfall Chemistry and Implications for Stormwater Room: CC 125

Speaker: Lucy Rose, Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Urban Wood Utilization in Minnesota Room: CC 312

Speaker: Jon Klapperich, MN Pollution Control Agency

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Using the Miyawaki Method to Rewild our Communities for Climate Resilience Room: CC 313

Speaker: Hannah Lewis, Renewing the Countryside

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Common Bark Beetles of Minnesota Room: CC 430

Speaker: August Kramer, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Can’t We All Just Get Along?!...Resolving Conflict at Work (WED. ONLY!)

Room: Eastlund

Speaker: Jean Morrison, Morrison & Associates, Inc.

Begin to get comfortable with the discomfort of conflict. The field of arboriculture and urban forestry often comes with navigating conflicts with residents, customers, co-workers, and trees. Many of our habitual patterns of handling conflict were developed early in life and are too limiting for the variety of situations we face today. We need to learn more proactive ways to approach conflict that lead to more productive outcomes. Attendees of this session will learn the five different conflict approaches and when to use them with a focus on collaboration; anticipate and work with our natural responses to conflict; understand the constructive behaviors that help resolve conflict; and recognize the destructive behaviors that block creative solutions to conflict.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Early Detection: Invasive Insects and Worms

Room: Gym Balcony

Speakers: Angela Gupta and Gary Wyatt, UMN Extension; Jennifer Burington, Minnesota Department of Agriculture

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Youth Engagement in Arboriculture

Room: HC 413

Speaker: Brian Luedtke, Holistic Tree and Forestry

Youth Engagement In Arboriculture (YEA) is an experience based educational program hosted by the UFOR Lab and Nursery. Students learn about trees and the natural world while they safely learn modern professional tree climbing skills. In this session we will witness the evolution of the YEA process, curriculum, and climbing stations.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Wildland Fire in Urban Interface

Room: HC 414

Speaker: Joe Meyer, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Disentangling the Effects of Forest Biodiversity and Composition on Community-Level Responses to Drought in Urban Forest Patches Using Multispectral Satellite Imagery Room: RC 417

Speaker: Sally Donovan, University of Minnesota

We use satellite imagery to examine how tree species and species mixtures influence ecosystem responses to recent precipitation extremes in forest patches across the Twin Cities. We share methods for satellitebased monitoring of forest phenology and compare the performance of tree species to recent precipitation extremes in the Twin Cities.

1:30pm – 2:15pm

Emergency Action Plans & Why You Need One (WED. ONLY!)

Room: Underground

Speaker: Shelly Wollerman, Soteria Training Solutions

We will briefly discuss job briefings and then go into detail about what should be included in an emergency action plan.

1:30pm - 2:15pm

Part 2 Utility Storm Work - Unloading Wires Under Tension a Teaspoon at a Time (WED. ONLY!)

Room: Outdoors

Speaker: Wesley Tregilgas, Manager of Safety/ Education/Training, Wright Tree Service

This session will be presented outdoors and demonstrate the different emerging successful methods discussed in part 1 with real tree material and rigging. This will show exactly how it is set up and executed with several variations. (Note: Part 1 of this session is from 12:30pm - 1:15pm in the Underground.)

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Advances in Eastern Ninebark and Smooth Hydrangea (WED. ONLY!)

Room: BC 411

Speaker: David Zlesak, University of Wisconsin – River Falls

Over the past couple of decades significant advances have been made in improved cultivars (“nativars”) of eastern ninebark and smooth hydrangea, two beloved US species. David will highlight the use and care of these species, newer cultivars, and what advances to look forward to on the horizon.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

TCIA Membership Benefits

Room: BC 468

Speaker: Jeff Montplaisir, TCIA

Detailed presentation going over TCIA Member Benefits, programs and opportunities.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Identification of Trees by Their Roots – Workshop Room: CC 120

Speaker: Kristin Moldestad, Trekontoret AS The workshop aims to provide participants with increased understanding of roots’ appearance, the ability to differentiate between roots, awareness that roots are older than they appear, and perhaps foster greater respect for subterranean life.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Low Salt Design: Snow Gardens Room: CC 125

Speaker: Connie Fortin, Bolton & Menk Snow Gardens are the crossroads between stormwater management and snow storage. Chloride from deicing salt is a top pollutant of concern in cold climates. Snow gardens improve winter safety by reducing the meltwater sprawl, refreeze, and resalting cycles. Snow gardens may also improve the 4-season performance of rain gardens and other stormwater management features. We are up to “Snow Good” with Snow Gardens!

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Climate-Ready Woodlands: Rewilding Your Backyard Woods Room: CC 312

Speaker: Angela Gupta, University of Minnesota

As Minnesota’s climate changes, forests will face increasing pressure from tree diseases and pests, heavier and more frequent rainfalls,

warmer temperatures, and prolonged drought. New research in forest management, especially around climate change and invasive species, has highlighted the need for updated recommendations for tree selection. Using modeled climate response data from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the USDA Forest Service Climate Change Tree Atlas, University of Minnesota Extension created a suite of regionallyspecific recommendation lists of climate-resilient trees and plants and through iterative feedback updated that work in the fall of 2024 (z.umn. edu/climateready). These lists also incorporate the benefits of trees and understory plants for charismatic microfauna, such as insects, which are often overlooked during planting decisions despite fulfilling critical roles in forest ecosystems. Through adoption of these recommendation lists, managers and stewards can holistically improve forest health by enhancing the resilience of Minnesota’s woods to climate change.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Woody Plant Identification: Looking for Clues! Room: CC 313

Speaker: Dave Hanson, Minnesota Department of Transportation

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Improving Schoolyard Air Quality with Vegetative Buffers Room: CC 331

Speaker: Michelle Catania, The Morton Arboretum

3:00pm – 3:45pm

From Farm Field to Forest: An Ongoing

Reforestation Project Room: CC 430

Speaker: Daniel Gjertson, University of Minnesota

In Fall 2021, a 10-acre former agriculture parcel in Stillwater, MN was acquired by private landowners with the goal of reforesting the land. After three seasons of work, hundreds of trees and shrubs, and 10 acres worth of native prairie seed mixes, the project is off to a great start. No shortage of challenges arose throughout the process. Hear about lessons learned in reconstructing prairie, savanna, and woodland zones on the site.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

TREE TEAM: K-12 Urban Forestry Grant Program Room: Eastlund

Speaker: Jean Zimmerman, Consulting Arborist/Author; Andrew Hillman TREE TEAM is a new grant created by the New York State Urban Forestry Council as a planting award for schools in disadvantaged school districts to teach about trees’ benefits... (continued next page)

Wednesday Session Descriptions, continued

and to move the school closer to becoming a Tree Campus USA. We assign each school a seasoned mentor to help select and plant the tree. It’s been a success, with over a dozen awardees so far. As Cochairs of NYSUFC’s EJI Working Group, we’ll share stories of implementation and successes.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Non-Native Trees, Shrubs, and Herbaceous Plants

Room: Gym Balcony

Speakers: Sascha Lodge, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Christina Basch, Minnesota Department of Transportation; Jen Larson, USDA Forest Service

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Grassroots Community Forestry: How to Engage Neighborhood Residents with Their Urban Forest Room: HC 413

Speakers: Chris Stevens and Xiem Busch-Vuong, Frogtown Green Frogtown Green is an environmental initiative in the Frogtown neighborhood of Saint Paul and has had a resident-led, volunteerdriven free tree program since 2013. Find out about the successes and challenges of helping Saint Paul’s most diverse neighborhood increase their tree canopy and build a more resilient community.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Biocontrol of the Emerald Ash Borer Using Entomopathogenic Fungi Room: HC 414

Speaker: Colin Peters, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota

The emerald ash borer is a destructive forest pest which has killed tens of millions of ash trees across North America in the past two

decades. Management for this insect has largely relied on the removal of ash trees or application of chemical insecticides to high-value landscape trees. Minnesota houses an estimated one billion ash trees, many of which reside in natural forest settings where conventional management strategies are less feasible to implement. Biological control leveraging local isolates of entomopathogenic fungi is one potential strategy for managing EAB populations in natural settings. EAB-associated entomopathogenic fungi were collected from larval galleries across infested regions in Minnesota, and included important genera such as Purpureocillium, Beauveria, Akanthomyces, Cordyceps, Clonostachys, and Lecanicillium (Held et al., 2021). This fungal collection is being screened for virulence against EAB in the context of potential field application methods - i.e., autodissemination devices and fungal injections. Promising isolates are being tested along the advancing front of EAB across the state. Preliminary results from laboratory screening and initial field trials will be discussed.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Planting and Maintaining a Bee Lawn

Room: RC 417

Speaker: Jon Trappe, University of Minnesota Extension In this session, we will discuss what bee lawns are, why they are becoming popular, and what we have learned from almost 10 years of research. We will also cover how to plant and maintain a bee lawn.

3:00pm – 3:45pm

Feeling Forces in Tree Care (WED. ONLY!)

Room: Underground

Speaker: Christian Feichtinger, Davey Tree Expert Company

Have you ever wondered what the tree is “feeling” when we are doing our work? What forces are we applying to trees with the tools and techniques we use? I have too! These concepts are complex and difficult to explain. Join me as we explore unique rigging and climbing training techniques to these concepts.

Leslie Alcantar Mejia, Forester, Hennepin County Forestry

Leslie works as an urban and community forester for Hennepin County Forestry. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in biology, society, and the environment in 2023 and came into this field after finishing the GreenCorps program in 2024. Her favorite parts of the job are building relationships with community members and participating in engaging outreach efforts where she fosters connections with the natural world.

Shane Alden, The Wild Dryad

Shane Alden is a self-taught illustrator, botanist, and educator who has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, the Wild Edible World: A Foraging Podcast, and more. Shane has recently collaborated with the Conservation Foundation and the Field Museum as an instructor teaching about edible wild plants. Shane has had an interest in the outdoors; and through his passion for botany, he has garnered a following of over 400,000 across his platforms.

Christina Basch, Noxious Weed Specialist, Minnesota Department of Transportation

Christina is a vegetation management specialist for MnDOT’s Office of Environmental Stewardship. She previously worked for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture as a Noxious and Invasive Weed specialist based out of southeast Minnesota. She has a bachelor’s in applied science – biotechnology, and master’s in conservation biology from the University of Wisconsin – Stout. Christina has been managing and teaching about invasive species throughout Minnesota for the last eight years and has extensively worked with high-priority noxious weeds in southeast Minnesota.

Maryellen Bell, Consulting Advisor, Bartlett Tree Experts Company

Maryellen is a consulting advisor and supports consulting arborists and arborist representatives. As a horticulturalist and certified board-master arborist, she is experienced in all phases of landscape, while focusing on creating healthy growing environments for trees and plants through soil and water management. Maryellen has 25 years of experience working in the horticulture industry including landscape management, teaching and grant-writing. Her passion for integrated pest management originated from her Texas-certified organic farmer roots. Maryellen’s diverse background includes teaching high school and college horticulture in both a federal prison and campus settings. She had the opportunity to practice agriculture at Disney’s California Adventure, where farming was highlighted at Bountiful Valley Farm and Golden Vine Winery. Prior to joining Bartlett, Maryellen worked as a consulting arborist for HortScience I Bartlett Consulting, and prior to that was the Nor Cal Landscape Manager for Irvine Company.

Leslie

Berckes,

Executive Director, Urban and Community Forestry Society

Leslie Berckes is the Executive Director of the Urban and Community Forestry Society (UCFS), the professional membership home for people who make daily tree planting and care decisions

Speaker Biographies

in communities across the world. She previously served as the Director of Programs for Trees Forever, a Midwest-based non-profit and has extensive urban forestry experience that includes volunteer management, planting and tree care logistics, and municipal tree contract management. Leslie is an ISA Certified Arborist and holds a master’s degree in Public Policy with an Environmental Policy emphasis from the University of Northern Iowa in addition to a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

Cal Beyer, Senior Director for SAFE Workplaces, SAFE

Project

Cal Beyer, CWP is the Senior Director of SAFE Workplaces for the national nonprofit SAFE Project ( Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic). Cal is a catalyst, advocate, and a force multiplier to educate, equip, and empower leaders and organizations to address root causes of addiction AND to amplify actions to promote successful recovery solutions in workplaces. Cal has 35 years of construction and manufacturing risk/safety management experience. He served in national roles for two national insurance carriers and as director of risk management overseeing safety for an aggregate and hot mix asphalt producer and paving contractor. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and a regular contributor to various publications. He helped launch the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) in 2016. Engineering News-Record named Cal a Top 25 Newsmaker for 2016. The Construction Financial Management Association presented him with its Outstanding Leadership Award in 2016 and the Chairman’s Award in 2017. In 2021, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) presented him with the Mental Health Industry Advocacy Award in 2021. United Suicide Survivors International and CIASP presented him a Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2024.

Jennifer Burington, Outreach Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Jennifer is the Outreach Coordinator for the Plant Protection Division of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). She has worked at the MDA with invasive species for 14 years and now hosts the MDA’s Smarty Plants podcast.

Xiem Busch-Vuong, Outreach Coordinator, Frogtown Green

Xiem Busch-Vuong is a certified Minnesota tree inspector, artist, and community connector based out of Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is interested in equipping underserved communities with the tools to engage with each other through nature and environmental justice.

Michelle Catania, Green Industry Outreach Coordinator, The Morton Arboretum

Michelle provides both technical and non-technical talks and workshops to green industry professionals. Michelle studied plant biology as an undergraduate and forest ecology and pedology as a graduate student, both at Northern Illinois University. She enjoys integrating this formal science training into lectures and workshops directed towards tree care professionals. Her desire to help trees thrive in urban environments guides her work in...

(continued next page)

Speaker Biographies, continued

communicating the best management practices to practitioners. Michelle also provides tree-based, soil-focused expertise for the North Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District of Illinois as an associate director, and is serving a two-year elected term as research director for the Illinois Arborist Association.

Sally Donovan, Researcher, University of Minnesota

Sally is a Ph.D. candidate in ecology at the University of Minnesota with Drs. Sarah Hobbie and Jeannine Cavender-Bares. Her work explores applications of satellite imagery to monitor how climate hazards, such as precipitation extremes, influence the productivity of forests in cities. By studying urban systems, her work incorporates socialecological processes influencing forest composition and resilience, such as forest stewardship networks. Sally received a master’s degree from Yale University and a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College.

Rachael Dube, Forest Health Specialist, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Rachael is a Minnesota DNR forest health specialist, working in northwest Minnesota and at the State Forest Nursery. She previously worked at the Minnesota Forest Resources Council and has an M.S. in forest entomology and a B.S. in forestry from the University of Minnesota.

Dennis Fallon, Executive Director, Utility Arborist Association

Dennis is a utility arborist and Executive Director of the Utility Arborist Association. Prior to his current role he was responsible for leading vegetation management programs across several upper Midwest states on behalf of a large investor-owned utility. He’s also been an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he facilitated the Utility Vegetation Management Certificate Program – a combined effort of the Utility Arborist Association and the Utility Vegetation Management Association. Fallon has an undergraduate degree in urban and community forestry and a master’s in forestry from the University of Minnesota-St. Paul and is currently serving as vice-president on the college’s Alumni Society Board.

freshwater resources. She has worked with over 20,000 winter maintenance professionals helping them reinvent their operations in ways that are both practical and progressive with the goal of protecting our waters. In 2022, Fortin Consulting was acquired by Bolton & Menk which has expanded her chloride reduction efforts to working with engineers, architects, and planners on how to implement better winter performance at the design level resulting in lower salt use.

Wesley Full, Technical Arborist Trainer, Rainbow Treecare

Wesley is a certified arborist and the lead trainer for technical arborists at Rainbow Treecare. He is a passionate advocate for trees and the safety of those who work in them. He has played in trees professionally for 15 years and believes there is something new to learn from them every day.

Theresa Garrison, Master’s Student, University of Minnesota

Theresa is in the Department of Geography as a first-year master’s student. Her thesis work will center on using tree rings to understand the effects of oak savanna restoration on bur oaks in the Minnesota River Valley. These sites have varying levels and time in restoration work with land managed by the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge under the Fish and Wildlife Service as well as the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. She will be looking at the age of these oaks and their response to climate and environmental changes. She is originally from Tampa, FL, but calls Minnesota home. She loves spending time practicing her botany and birding skills, painting acrylic landscapes, and cooking.

Christian Feichtinger, Manager Arborist Skills Trainers,

Davey Tree Expert Company

Christian is a Minnesota arborist who is as passionate about trees and the Minnesota arborist community now as he was when he entered the industry in 2003. He has the privilege to work with many great and talented people over 21 years in the industry, the last 12 with Davey Tree.

Connie Fortin, Low Salt Strategist, Bolton & Menk

Connie is a Low Salt Strategist at Bolton & Menk. She is recognized as a national expert on salt reduction strategies. With 40 years of experience, she began her career in the software design industry before leaving to put her energy into protecting the environment and our waters. In 1996, she founded Fortin Consulting with the goal of uniting citizens, environmental organizations, and industry leaders in protecting

Daniel Gjertson, Arboriculture Program Coordinator and Educator,

University of Minnesota

Daniel is the Arboriculture Program Coordinator and Educator for the Urban Forestry Outreach & Research (UFOR) Lab within the Department of Forest Resources at the University of Minnesota. His professional experiences include caring for trees in the private sector and at public gardens in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Colorado. He recently completed a graduate degree from the University of Minnesota that explored ecological restoration and reforestation efforts on a former agricultural site. Outside of work and education he enjoys woodworking, fly-fishing, nordic skiing, and gardening at home with his partner.

Daniel Griffin, University of Minnesota

Daniel is an associate professor in geography and affiliated faculty at the Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory. He specializes in developing tree-ring records from old-growth forests and using this data to study climate process and environmental history.

Angela Gupta, Extension Forester, UMN Extension

Angela is a University of Minnesota Extension Professor of Forestry who specializes in terrestrial invasive species. She’s done invasive species early detection education and outreach including

participatory science, from crowdsourcing to community science, since about 2008. Angie’s been a key leader of the UMN Extension’s Invasive Species Community of Practice since its inception in 2016. Angie co-created the EmpowerU course to engage decision makers about invasive species. Angie earned an M.A. in organizational management from Spring Arbor University and a B.S. in forestry from the University of Kentucky. Prior to joining Extension, Angie was an industrial forester working with private landowners in Michigan and a US Peace Corps Agroforestry Extensionist in Kenya, East Africa.

Dave Hanson, Roadside Vegetation Manager, Minnesota Department of Transportation

Dave works in MnDOT’s Office of Environmental Stewardship. He completed a Bachelor of Science from the University of Minnesota, in Assessment and Modeling of Natural Resources followed by a Master’s focusing on Urban and Community Forestry. As an ISA certified arborist and urban forester at the University of Minnesota, Dave taught plant identification skills to ISA certified arborists, master gardeners, municipal employees and anyone else listening, including CCM crews and a classroom full of dendrology students. As a Vegetation Management Specialist with MnDOT, he continues to teach identification and management techniques while sharpening his own skills every day, addressing questions from all across Minnesota.

Andrew Hillman, Consultant

Andy has been a leader in urban forestry for 35 years. He is a past president, award of merit recipient, and honorary life member of the Urban and Community Forestry Society (formerly SMA). Andy is a founding member of the Municipal Forestry Institute and served for many years as a voting member of the ANSI A300 committee. Andy is a past president of the New York State Urban Forestry Council and currently serves on the council’s board of directors.

Joe Hoffman, Instructor, Arborist Technician & Arborist Apprenticeship, Mid-State Technical College

A native of the prairies of southwest Minnesota, Joe began a life of tree stuff in the early 90s... graduating from Univeristy of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a degree in urban forestry, and then a handful of years learning commercial arboriculture in the Twin Cities and southwest Wisconsin. Joe has been an instructor and trainer of arboriculture at Mid-State Technical College (central Wisconsin) for nearly a quarter century. Over that time, he worked several summers for tree companies across the country, took a year off from teaching to get a master’s of forestry degree from Virginia Tech, and had another bonus year away from teaching when he worked as a line clearance arborist. In addition to the benefit of being at one place long enough to watch how the trees grow and respond to various events, Joe has had the good fortune of watching former students’ careers and lives blossom from former saplings to mighty trees in the industry!

Jeff Jepson, Arborist/Author

Jeff and his wife Bonnie began Beaver Tree Service in Longville, MN in 1989. Along with being a climber, groundie, and certified arborist since 1999, Jeff has written several books for the tree care profession, including The Tree Climber’s Companion, To Fell a Tree, Knots at Work, and Groundie.

Susanna Kerio, Assistant Agricultural Scientist, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Dr. Susanna Keriö is an Assistant Scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), with a Ph.D. in forest ecology and forest pathology. Her research in Connecticut focuses on tree stress responses, and the applications of these stress signals in tree health management. Susanna’s current research focuses on how site factors and mycorrhizal inoculation affect tree health, and if carbohydrate levels and foliar pigments can be used to evaluate tree condition. She is also on the Connecticut Tree Protection Examining Board and the Connecticut Urban Forest Council.

Jon Klapperich, Wood Waste Specialist, MN Pollution Control Agency

As wood waste specialist for the MPCA, Jon works to improve markets for utilization of urban wood throughout the state. Jon earned a bachelor’s degree in wood and paper science and a master’s degree in forest biology. When not at work, Jon can be found on a baseball diamond or not found in the woods with his wife and 5-year-old daughter.

James Komen, Consulting Arborist, Class One Arboriculture Inc.

James is a consulting arborist in California specializing in risk assessment and tree appraisal. He helps clients make informed management decisions for individual trees and for tree inventories. His work has been published in Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, Arboricultural Consultant, Palms, Ontario Arborist, and Western Arborist. He is an ISA TRAQ instructor and has taught workshops on tree appraisal around the U.S. and Canada.

August Kramer, Forest Health Specialist, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

August is a forest health specialist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, serving central and southern Minnesota. August has a B.S. in forestry and a certificate in GIS from the University of Montana and a M.S. from the University of Minnesota’s entomology program, where he studied bark beetle dispersal tendencies.

Todd Kramer, Training and Performance Manager, Kramer Tree Specialists, Inc.

Todd is an ISA Certified Arborist®, ISA Certified Tree Worker®, ISA Climber and Aerial Lift Specialist, TCIA Certified Tree Care Safety Professional and a Certified Crane Operator through the Crane Institute of America. Todd enjoys a refreshing and practical approach to teaching and instructing various arboriculture skill sets. He has been involved in production tree climbing for more than 30 years and has been instructing seminars on rigging, crane assisted tree removals, aerial rescue, emergency response, and industry-related leadership throughout the United States for more than 15 years. He has been very active in competitive tree climbing over his career and is a 10-time Illinois Arborist Association competitive tree climbing champion and competitor in the ISA International Tree Climbing Competition. He is currently the Training and Performance Manager at the family-owned and operated Kramer Tree Specialists in West Chicago, Illinois.

Speaker Biographies,

Jen Larson, Invasive Plant Specialist, USDA Forest Service

Jen is an invasive plant specialist with USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Protection. She provides seven states in the upper Midwest with technical and financial assistance for invasive plants in forest and prairie systems.

Hannah Lewis, Projects and Grants Manager, Renewing the Countryside

Hannahis the author of Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World (Chelsea Green 2022), which was translated into French and Italian, and is the 2023 winner of a Nautilus Book Award. Hannah has an M.S. in sustainable agriculture and sociology from Iowa State University and a B.A. in environmental studies from Middlebury College. She lives in Minneapolis, where she works for the nonprofit Renewing the Countryside to build sustainable local and regional food systems and plant mini-forests.

Sascha Lodge, Terrestrial Invasive Species Program Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Sascha has been the terrestrial invasive species program coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry since 2019. Sascha coordinates invasive plant management on State Forests across Minnesota and is also involved with invasive species policy, prevention, and outreach. She has a doctorate in forest ecology from the University of Minnesota.

Brian Luedtke, Arborist, Holistic Tree and Forestry

Brian is one of those people who enjoys setting up tarp shelters and hammocks more than most people like to Jetski or hot air balloon. He has been a practicing arborist and owner/operator of a small tree and forestry service since 2013 with tree and woodlot preservation being the major focus of his practice. Brian helped found and was the technical arborist for the Conservation Arboriculture research program and regularly makes time in his schedule to help with the Youth Engagement in Arboriculture summer camps. In his spare time Brian preserves trees through woodworking and enjoys spreading his passion for trees and arboriculture to any who will listen.

Joe Meyer, Advance Fire Training Specialist, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

My fire career started in 1995 in the Stacy-Lent Fire Department where I spent 25 years retiring in 2020 as assistant chief of training. That’s where I soon realized that wildland fire work is what I wanted to do. After making contact with the local DNR office I started my wildland fire career in 1999 as a smokechaser for 17 years before becoming full time, working in the fire section of the DNR.

Kristin Moldestad, General Manager, Arborist and Plant Scientist, Trekontoret AS

Kristin holds a Canadian agricultural degree in horticulture, which she earned in 2002. She achieved the ISA arborist certification in 2006. With a career spanning nearly two decades in the arboriculture field, Kristin is a consulting arborist at Trekontoret AS and a teacher at a technical college in Norway.

Jeff Montplaisir, Manager

Membership Engagement, TCIA

Jeff Montplaisir is the Manager of Membership Engagement in the Northeast for TCIA. He credits a close friend for sparking his passion for the tree care industry. His friend, who owned a small tree company, asked Jeff to help on a job one day, and before long, Jeff had been working alongside him for nearly 10 years, enjoying every moment. After moving from California back to New Hampshire to be closer to his family, Jeff knew he wanted to stay involved in tree work. When the opportunity to join the TCIA family arose, it was the perfect fit. Jeff is excited to help TCIA members grow their businesses and serve as a valuable resource for their needs

Jean Morrison, President, Morrison & Associates

Jean is President of Morrison & Associates, Inc. a consulting firm serving the human resource management needs of businesses and organizations for over thirty years. She is a collaboration and leadership coach, consultant, and facilitator who is highly recognized for her insight coaching and conflict resolution. In addition, Jean is a founding partner of RESOLVE, a consulting firm providing conflict management and professional training and development services. Prior to founding Morrison & Associates, Inc., Jean held key management and officer positions with Pillsbury, Green Giant, Michigan National Bank, St. Joseph Bank & Trust, and Norwest Bank. Jean has been an adjunct instructor at the University of Minnesota for over thirty years in the areas of conflict management and communication. She provides presentations, work-shops and keynote talks to hundreds of people each year.

Matthew Morrison, Urban ForesterNational Mall, Department of the Interior/National Park Service

Matthew began as a professional arborist in 1979. Since then, he has been immersed in the studies of arboriculture at Paul Smith's College, has worked as a climber/rigger on tree crews, spent years logging, and has been the owner/operator of a residential tree care company. Today he is the Urban Forester on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. caring for 20,000 trees. His days are filled with managing 3,700 cherry trees for their international show during the National Cherry Blossom Festival, maintaining the nearly 700 American elm trees on the National Mall, mitigating tree hazards as public safety is paramount, rehabilitating hyper-compacted soils throughout the park, writing policy, writing tree work contract packages, and training and overseeing the in-house tree crew, among a host of other tasks depending on the day.

Lee Mueller, Market Manager, Davey Resource Group, Inc.

For a number of years, Lee has worked to achieve balance at the intersection of vibrant communities and healthy environments. Lee has served as staff, board member, or volunteer for a variety of community initiatives dedicated to parks, forestry, and environmental causes. He is a certified arborist and certified forester, with forestry degrees from Michigan State University. He’s a market manager with Davey Resource Group, Inc. and lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Eric Otto, Forest Health Specialist, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Eric works as a forest health specialist for the Minnesota DNR covering northeast Minnesota. He works on multiple insect and disease issues impacting forest health in that region. He previously volunteered for the Peace Corps in Ghana working in agriculture, and has also worked seasonal forestry positions in Minnesota, Wyoming, and Maine. Eric holds a doctorate in plant pathology and a bachelor’s in forest resources, both from the University of Minnesota.

Colin Peters, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota

Colin grew up in Stillwater, Minnesota, and moved to Minneapolis in 2015 to study at the University of Minnesota. During the summers of his undergrad, he worked as a seasonal tree injection technician at Rainbow Treecare, and after graduating with a bachelor’s in plant science in 2019, he took a position as foreman of tree injections there. He went on to work as an associate consulting arborist for Rainbow, selling emerald ash borer insecticide treatments and providing tree health solutions for clients around the Twin Cities. Colin returned to the University of Minnesota in 2023 to begin his graduate work with Professor Robert Blanchette in the Department of Plant Pathology, where he is now a second year doctoral student.

Eric Petersen, President, ArboRisk Insurance

Eric Petersen has been helping great tree care companies become extraordinary for over 20 years. Using ArboRisk’s exclusive risk management approach, he gets his clients to build a better business while lowering their insurance cost at the same time. Eric is a past president and honorary life member of the Wisconsin Arborist Association and currently sits on the TCIA Board of Directors.

Doug Peterson, ArboRisk Insurance

Doug Peterson has been helping businesses improve by reducing their risk and lowering their insurance premium for over 7 years and has fallen in love with the tree care industry. Doug applies the lessons he learned early in his career as a General Manager of a dealership to his tree care clients by helping them understand potential exposures to their business and guiding them through a simple process to reduce the risk they face every day.

Monica Randazzo, Senior Environmentalist, Hennepin County Forestry

Monica works as the Inflation Reduction Act grant coordinator for Hennepin County Forestry and draws from a decade of experience in education and community outreach in various roles with an emphasis on relational engagement. Speaking English, Spanish, and Irish has influenced how she relates to the land and people around

her. Monica loves her evil cat, Dr. Murffy, her perfect beautiful cat Minnow, and her weird little dog Maybe.

Lucy Rose, Researcher, Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota

Dr. Lucy Rose has over 20 years of management and research experience focusing on hydrology, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem ecology. In addition to her current focus on natural resources-related research in the Department of Forest Resources at the University of Minnesota, she has conducted academic research in the Department of Geology and Planetary Science at the University of Pittsburgh, and Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois and collaborated with the U.S. Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy on research projects related to fire ecology. Dr. Rose’s work spans spatial scales ranging from individual trees to large watersheds and temporal scales ranging from a single hour to decades. She has authored or co-authored peer-reviewed publications on the topics of hydrology, nutrient cycling, fire ecology and management, and anthropogenic nitrogen pollution in the atmosphere and forest ecosystems. Dr. Rose is currently involved in projects examining the function of tree canopies in urban hydrologic and nutrient cycles in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the influence of dissolved organic carbon characteristics on environmental contaminants in Minnesota streams.

Andy Schmitz, Director of Horticulture, Brenton Arboretum

Andy Schmitz is the Director of Horticulture and General Manager at the Brenton Arboretum in Dallas Center, Iowa. For the past 26 years, he has overseen all horticultural aspects of the 148-acre arboretum which was established in 1996, including planting and curating over 6,500 woody accessioned plants. He’s growing almost all the future tree additions to the arboretum from seed he has collected around Iowa and the Midwest. His favorite trees are the Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) and the Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) both of which have been planted extensively at the arboretum. In his spare time, he likes to make predictions on how long newly planted urban trees will live.

Teri Speight, Cottage in the Court

Former Head Gardener for the City of Fredericksburg, and one of the founding farmers of the Eitt CSA, Stafford County’s first Transitional Organic CSA Farm, Teri is currently a garden writer, visionary, and estate gardener. Expanding the vision, Cottage in the Court offers curated garden experiences for small groups and one-on-one garden coaching, specializing in earth-friendly practices. Reconnecting people with the soil is important. When we reconnect with the soil, nature, and our roots, we can begin to respect all that the earth provides.

Nels Spence, Midwest Regional Trainer, Bartlett Tree Experts

Nels has a formal education in horticulture and fitness technology. He worked at the US Adidas headquarters and an athletic training and spinal rehabilitation facility around Portland, Oregon. This is where he developed a personal philosophy around physical health and wellness. In 2011 he began his career in arboriculture and has been working in the field for Bartlett Tree Experts for 13 years. He is an ISA certified arborist, TRAQ, CTSP, and an American Red Cross Instructor. He is a proud father of three boys and one dog.

Speaker Biographies, continued

Chris Stevens, Co-director, Frogtown Green

Chris is the co-director of Frogtown Green, a 15-yearold neighborhood-based environmental initiative in Saint Paul, Minnesota. A resident of Frogtown for over two decades, Chris has experienced both the vibrancy and challenges of living in that diverse urban neighborhood. After earning a bachelor’s in biology from the University of Minnesota, Chris pursued a varied career, including seven years at Metropolitan Mosquito Control and a decade as chef-owner of a farmto-table restaurant in Minneapolis. After retiring from the restaurant industry, Chris joined AmeriCorps’ Community Forestry Corps and has been managing Frogtown Green’s residential free tree program since. Dedicated to educating the community about the importance of trees and their role in environmental sustainability, Frogtown Green has planted over 1,000 trees in residential yards and public spaces. Under Chris’ direction, Frogtown Green will plant another 1,000 in the next three years. Chris is also an avid vegetable gardener and keeps his knives sharp in the kitchen.

Jon Trappe, Turfgrass Extension Educator, University of Minnesota Extension

Dr. Jon Trappe provides Extension support to all Minnesotans within and around the turfgrass industry. His Extension program is focused on educating homeowners and professionals within the industry to maintain or improve turf conditions with fewer resources. Jon is also passionate about educating the general public about the environmental and recreational benefits of turf. Jon joined University of Minnesota as an Extension turf educator in 2022.

Wesley Tregilgas, Manager of Safety/ Education/Training, Wright Tree Service

Wes is the manager of safety, education, and training for Wright Tree Service and has worked for large investor-owned utilities and vegetation management contractors after operating a commercial arboriculture company he started in 1999.

Shelly Wollerman, Owner, Soteria

Training Solutions

Shelly has been in the tree care industry for 12 years, 10 spent working as a production arborist for a small private tree care company, and a year and a half as an instructor for a national training company. She recently started her own company as a trainer offering classes that specialize in emergency preparedness and field first aid.

Gary Wyatt, Extension Educator, University of Minnesota Extension

Gary is an agroforestry Extension educator and Extension professor with the University of Minnesota Extension in the regional office in Mankato. Gary promotes sustainable agroforestry practices that are economical and protect our soil, water, wildlife, and natural resources. Current programs include: climate-ready trees for a warming climate, silvopasture, living snow fences, invasive species, windbreaks, riparian buffers, forest farming, tree and shrub selection, community and school food forests, edible and decorative woody plants, non-timber forest products, bio-energy crops, and eco-system services. Gary has more than 41 years of Extension experience in Minnesota.

Anna Yang, Research Specialist, University of Minnesota

Anna is an ORISE fellow with the US Forest Service Northern Research Station and a Research Specialist with the University of Minnesota. She has conducted research related to the management and detection of forest diseases since 2011, with a particular fondness for oak wilt. In addition to forest diseases, her work also explores methods of characterizing old-growth forests in the northeast United States. Anna holds a master’s in plant pathology and Ph.D. in natural resources science and management from the University of Minnesota.

Ronald Zillmer, Owner and Founder, Legacy-Trees

Ronald spent his career dedicated to training arborists and bringing his unique message of tree and root system physiology to tree care professionals. “Twenty Minutes in the Life OR Death of a Tree” is a seminar that he has presented across the United States as well as internationally for over thirty years. He created LegacyTrees to answer one question that persisted after all those years of training people to find the root flare and reorient the root system in that final moment of planting and that question was “How would you do it Ron?” He enjoys sharing this story across the country.

Jean Zimmerman,

Consulting

Arborist/Author Jean Zimmerman, the author of critically praised commercial fiction and nonfiction, has worked since 2015 as a Certified Arborist, and has broad experience in the tree industry. She has helped municipalities manage their tree populations, and worked to ensure that tree preservation regulations are upheld in New York City. A New York State Urban Forestry Council board member, she edits the nonprofit’s monthly blog Taking Root. A graduate of the Urban and Community Forestry Society’s Municipal Forestry Institute, she has also served as a judge for New York City Park’s Great Tree Search of 2024. She has taught writing to arborists at private tree companies and at conferences in her program Writing for the Trees. An honors graduate of Barnard College, Jean earned an MFA in writing from the Columbia University School of the Arts. She maintains a blog at jeanzimmerman.com. She lives with her husband in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, where for three years she chaired the Tree Preservation Board. She is currently working on a book about her experiences in the tree world.

David Zlesak, University of Wisconsin – River Falls

Dr. David Zlesak is a professor of horticulture at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where he teaches plant ID, propagation, and nursery management courses. Besides breeding hardy landscape roses, he has been breeding ninebark since 2001 (eight cultivars) and smooth hydrangea since 2016 (FlowerFull™ is the first release launching in 2025 and was co-developed with Gail Soens at Bailey Nurseries).