As part of our ongoing effort to strengthen partnerships, IFA will be participating in the Illinois Arborist Association’s Annual Fall Conference, October 18-19, 2016, at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Tinley Park. This will be our second appearance at the popular annual event. We’ll have an exhibit booth and offer a special session from 1 to 3 p.m. on October 19th, focused on healthy forests along the rural-urban interface.
Participants will hear from two leading experts: University of Illinois Extension Forester Chris Evans, and Dr. Frederic Miller, Senior Research Scientist in Entomology at The Morton Arboretum. Chris will focus on the impact of invasive plants on forested ecosystems in urban and rural settings. Arborists, landscape designers, municipal foresters, and others working in the urban forest can influence the introduction and spread of invasive plants through choices in species selection and management efforts. Chris will discuss: 1) How invasive plants move between urban and rural forests; 2) How interactions, impacts, and management differ; and 3) Best management practices for minimizing the impact and spread of invasive plants, with a focus on those used as ornamentals.
Dr. Miller’s presentation will look at the history of forest pest impacts in other states as a predictor for what we might expect to see in Illinois, with an emphasis on imminent threats and the implications for oak forests and their restoration. He'll cover how gypsy moth defoliation has affected oak forests, the effects Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) may have on ash regeneration, and the potential interaction with oak regeneration. Participants will learn about some research work done in Ohio and Michigan regarding what happens to woodlands once the ash are gone. He’ll also weave in a little about what the potential impact Thousand Cankers Disease could play with walnut mortality and how that would also affect oak forests. We’ll cap it off with a short pep talk about OAKtober – Illinois’ Oak Awareness Month – and how this special designation can be leveraged to benefit communities, organizations, and business interests.
For more information, visit the IAA website at: http://illinoisarborist.org/agenda
