DuPage County: Invasive Issues in Trees

What invasive pests affect the many evergreens in our neighborhoods and woodlands? How much of an invasive threat is the Callery pear, one of the most popular flowering trees in city streets and home landscapes? How can we breed attractive and ornamental trees that will be sterile and therefore not invasive? These and other topics will be addressed at the third annual Morton Arboretum Invasive Species Workshop, "Invasive Issues in Trees,"  May 15 in Lisle, Illinois.

Speakers will include:

• Plant pathologist Dennis Fulbright of Michigan State University on pests and diseases
• Invasive species biologist Theresa Cully of the University of Cincinnati on how horticulture has led to the invasiveness of the Callery pear
• Tree improvement specialist Joseph Rothleutner of The Morton Arboretum on how innovative breeding techniques can produce sterile ornamental plants that will not be invasive     

As an additional educational opportunity, on Friday, May 16, Fulbright will lead a field tour of natural areas at The Morton Arboretum to identify invasive species and continue the discussions of the workshop.

This workshop is aimed at municipal officials, arborists, conservation and restoration professionals and volunteers, landscape contractors, and others who must grapple with invasive species in Northern Illinois and the surrounding region. It is presented by the Community Trees Program of The Morton Arboretum.

It will take place at the beautiful 1,700-acre grounds of the Arboretum, a world-renowned tree museum with more than 900 acres of natural areas including oak woodlands, savannas, prairies, and wetlands.

The Morton Arboretum, Thornhill Education Center

4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, Illinois

(at Interstate Highway 88 and Interstate Highway 355)