Updated: 01/09/2026
Schedule is subject to change.

Learn more about each presenter by clicking on their name.

Lightning Round Presentations

8:00 am - 9:45 am

Schedule to be announced.

10:00 - 10:45 am
SOIL SOLUTIONS: IMPROVING URBAN TREE VITALITY THROUGH TARGETED AMENDMENTS
Dr. Glynn Percival, Senior Arboricultural Research Manager, Bartlett Tree Experts

Soil amendments have long played a vital role in arboriculture, serving as tools to enhance tree health and resilience in urban landscapes. Recent innovations have expanded the range of available materials, including biochar, synthetic and inorganic compounds, organic fertilizers, mycorrhizal inoculants, seaweed extracts, molasses, humic substances, biostimulants, and protein/fish hydrolysates. These products are widely promoted for their potential to improve soil structure and fertility, stimulate root development, mitigate pest and disease pressures, and bolster tolerance to abiotic stressors such as drought and heat.

Despite their promise, the effectiveness of these amendments varies widely-ranging from significant improvements in tree performance to negligible impact. This presentation will examine the current understanding of soil amendment efficacy, with a focus on four key areas:

• Alleviating Soil-Moisture Stress: A critical concern in unirrigated urban landscapes where tree survival depends on natural precipitation.

• Enhancing Root Systems: Addressing transplant-related root loss, which contributes to water deficits and increased mortality.

• Adapting to Climate Change: Exploring amendment strategies to mitigate the effects of increasingly hot and dry summers.

• Managing Disease Pressure: Evaluating how soil amendments influence pest and pathogen dynamics.

Through a synthesis of research findings and field observations, this talk aims to provide practical insights into the strategic use of soil amendments for improving urban tree health and landscape sustainability.

10:45 - 11:30 am
THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL: THE FLASHY BUT DESTRUCTIVE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY
Dr. Kelly Oten, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist of Forest Health, North Carolina State University

It’s beautiful, it’s bold—and it’s bad news for our plants. The spotted lanternfly, first detected in the U.S. in 2014, may look flashy with its bright wings, but behind the showgirl exterior lies a destructive pest that threatens vineyards, orchards, landscape plants, and forests. It is spreading quickly, leaving behind plant damage, sticky messes, and big headaches for landowners. This presentation will cover the full story of the spotted lanternfly—its life cycle, the damage it causes, and, most importantly, what can be done about it.

11:30 am - 12:00 m
CULTIVATING INNOVATION: AN UPDATE FROM THE TREE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ENDOWMENT FUND (TREE FUND)
Dr. Paul G. Putman, President & CEO, TREE Fund

SESSION 6

10:45 - 11:30 am
UTILITY RIGHT-OF-WAY AS HABITAT
Randall H. Miller, Director of Research and Development, Eocene Environmental Group

Utility rights-of-way have often been misunderstood as sacrifice areas because trees often can’t be allowed in them.  Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) Best Management Practices (BMPs) transform rights-of-way into areas of opportunity, where electrical infrastructure can be protected while providing habitat for pollinators, ground nesting birds and other early successional species. This presentation will characterize IVM BMPs, identify standards that contribute to establishing early successional habitat, explain chemically-facilitated biological control and describe some supporting research.

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1:00 - 1:45 pm
REFRAMING TREES: LEVERAGING THE LESSER-APPRECIATED BENEFITS OF URBAN TREES
Russ Warnock, Sales Manager, PlanITGeo

AI is transforming urban forestry -- but not always in the ways vendors promise. This session cuts through the hype to explain what AI can actually do today with street-level LiDAR and canopy data, where it reliably breaks down, and what’s coming in the next wave of innovation. You’ll walk away with RFP language that protects your city, sets realistic deliverables, and positions your projects for the next generation of canopy intelligence. We’ll also cover how platforms like PlanIT Geo's are embedding AI into canopy and LiDAR workflows to give cities faster, more defensible insights.

1:45 - 2:30 pm
FROM CLIPBOARD TO CLOUD: BRINGING TREE DATA TO LIFE WITH ArcGIS ONLINE
JP McDonnell, Director, Natural Resources Consulting, SavATree

As more tree owners and managers look for clear and actionable tree information, arborists are increasingly asked not only to collect data, but also to organize, communicate, and share it in ways that support tree management and decision-making. ArcGIS Online offers a practical, accessible platform for achieving this. This presentation will introduce the basic elements of ArcGIS Online, with a focus on how arborists can use this tool in practice to help their clients and improve their own operations. We will walk through the process of developing a field data collection map and survey as well as a client facing web map and web app. The second part of the session will feature case studies and use cases demonstrating how these workflows have been applied in real world examples. The goal is to equip attendees with practical steps to be able to use ArcGIS Online tools in their own work.

2:30 - 3:00 pm
REFRESHMENT BREAK

3:00 - 3:45 pm
ADVANCING DROUGHT RESILIENCE WITH RESEARCH AND PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS
Kendra Wagner, Research Scientist, Rainbow Ecoscience

This presentation examines the science of drought and its profound effects on landscape plants, emphasizing the physiological responses to water stress and the cascading physiological and aesthetic impacts. It will highlight evidence-based management strategies designed to mitigate drought stress, focusing on proactive and practical approaches for arborists and landscape professionals. By integrating recent research findings, including collaborative studies on drought tolerance with the University of Florida, this talk bridges scientific insight with real-world application. Attendees will gain actionable knowledge to enhance plant health and build resilient landscapes in an era of increasing water scarcity.

3:45 - 4:30 pm
SPEAKING TREES TO THE LAYPERSON. BUILDING TRUST AND A LIFELONG CLIENT
Christie Bryant, Owner, Speaking for Trees

This talk is designed to equip arborists with the communication tools necessary to effectively "talk trees" with clients, transforming everyday interactions into opportunities for education, trust-building, and long-term care. Arborists often carry deep technical knowledge, but translating that into meaningful, accessible language for the average property owner is both an art and a skill. This course explores strategies to demystify arboriculture for clients—breaking down complex concepts like risk assessments into clear, engaging explanations that empower informed decision-making. We’ll examine how to reframe a risk assessment not just as a report of liabilities, but as a chance to educate clients about tree biology, structural integrity, and proactive care. Additionally, the class will clarify the vital difference between a consultation and an estimate, helping arborists define their roles as both service providers and professional advisors. Through real-world scenarios and guided discussion, attendees will leave with practical approaches to elevate client conversations—turning each site visit into an opportunity to grow both trees and trust.

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SESSION 8

1:00 - 1:45 pm
A GROWING QUESTION FOR TREES: IMPLICATIONS FOR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT
Dr. Richard Hauer, Director of Urban Forestry at Eocene Environmental Group; Professor Emeritus of Urban Forestry, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point

Lets’ take a journey and explore how biology is a basis for how trees grow. Trees have limits and learn the limits that make trees thrive and how growth responds to changes. Learn how cultural treatments, site changes, and site limitations can affect growth rates. Estimating elongation rates for vertical and horizontal twigs based on site conditions, tree attributes, past maintenance, and other factors is covered. In summary, learn about tree growth and how to make management decisions based on biology and how sites and maintenance affect tree growth.

3:00 - 3:45 pm
The Perfect Storm - Human Performance & Safety during Emergency Storm Response
James Wendt, National Training Coordinator, Xylem Kendall Infrastructure Group (XKIG)

Utility mutual assistance response during storm emergencies puts our crews and arborists in the way of the "perfect storm" of stressors, complexity, and hazard mitigation under the very worst conditions. Planning, preparation, and training can help mitigate the risks while assisting our crews to work at their safest and most efficient. Join the conversation as we share experiences, best management practices for emergency mutual assistance call outs, and lessons learned to help you prepare your crews for their next storm call.

3:45 - 4:30 pm
UTILITY WILDFIRE SAFETY
Frank Archuleta, Fire Mitigation Manager, Wright Tree Service

This talk will provide resources that help us understand when fires are most likely to occur. How to prevent work place fire, and fire behavior.

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