Sunday, SEPTEMBER 17
6:00 am Vendor Area Setup (HURON/ONTARIO/MICHIGAN)
10:00 am-6:00 pm Registration Desk Open (Grand Ballroom Foyer)
12:00-1:10 pm Opening General Session: A Lifetime in Urban Tree Research: Key Findings, Nina Bassuk, Urban Horticulture Institute, Cornell University. Nina’s 40 - odd years of research has focused on the establishment of new trees in difficult sites. This is a process- from understanding site constraints or opportunities, modifiying the soil, selecting the right tree, and transplanting it with the best chance of success. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Science – .75, BCMA Management – .5, Municipal Specialist – 1.25. (HURON/ONTARIO/MICHIGAN)
1:20-2:30 pm DEC Session: Emerald Ash Borer Research in Syracuse, Melissa Fierke and Tim Morris, SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry. This presentation focuses on several recent and ongoing studies regarding emerald ash borer biological control. We will discuss the integration of insecticide treatments and parasitoid releases in urban environments, the dispersal of parasitoids throughout Syracuse, NY and the wider distribution of parasitoids across New York State. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Science – .75, BCMA Management – .5, Municipal Specialist – 1.25. DEC credits (2, 3a) – 1. (NIAGARA/SEAWAY)
1:20-2:30 pm Tree Academy: Don’t Fall… Into Becoming a Victim, Part 1, Jeremy Arnold, Arnold Tree Service. Part one will include proper techniques of gear inspection along with documentation within a company to keep track of company issued or privately owned gear used on company time. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Management – 1.25, TW Climber Specialist – 1.25, TW Aerial Specialist – 1.25. (SUPERIOR/ERIE)
2:30-3:00 pm Refreshment Break with Vendors (HURON/ONTARIO/MICHIGAN)
3:00-4:10 pm DEC Session: Test, Don’t Guess; Begin with a Diagnostic Analysis Plants, Karen Snover-Clift, Cornell Plant Diagnostic Lab. The presentation will cover important woody ornamental plant diseases and disorders. It will include how stressful situations such as flooding, drought, temperature extremes and poor site selection, can damage plants and how stresses can sometimes mimic plant disease. The speaker will show various damage patterns and explain how to determine if an abiotic or biotic factor is most likely the cause. The speaker will review common diseases seen regularly in the Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic and highlight significant pathogens we hope to keep out of our area. The discussion will include an in-depth review of infection mechanisms, symptom development, pathogen life cycles, appropriate response plans and stress importance of a quality, representative sample. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Science – 1.25. DEC credits (3a) – 1. (NIAGARA/SEAWAY)
3:00-4:10 pm Tree Academy: Tree Canopy Assessment - Why, What, and How, Mike Galvin, SavATree. Tree canopy assessments are increasingly common for assisting urban foresters and planners in planning for a sustainable tree canopy. The methods often used to develop such an assessment can be highly technical and outside of the background or experience of the professionals that use them. There are a variety of approaches to assessing tree canopy. The approach selected should match the information need and budget. We’ll discuss the various methods, explain some of the technology involved, and also discuss what a tree canopy assessment is not. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Management – 1.25, Municipal Specialist – 1.25. (SUPERIOR/ERIE)
4:15-4:55 pm Business-Care Session: A Proactive Approach to Navigating a Hard Insurance Market, Kevin Moteyunas and Mike Festa, Reagena Companies. The insurance industry is currently experiencing a challenging phase known as a hard market, resulting in rate increases for all types of businesses. We will explain what a hard insurance market is and discuss several proactive risk management strategies and approaches that will best position organizations to navigate the hard market. We will also review a crash course in benefits and health insurance. What are the driving factors behind the increases? What are the 3 group rating blocks and how does this affect you as a business owner? And finally, what cost containment measures can a business owner put in place to flatten the trend and create a sustainable program that assists in the recruitment and retention of top talent. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – .75, BCMA Management – .75, Municipal Specialist – .75. (NIAGARA/SEAWAY)
4:15-4:55 pm Business-Care Session: Legal Strategies and Pitfalls to Avoid in the Tree Business, Michael Kenny, attorney. Michael will address risk assessment vs tree maintenance, employee training and supervision, insurance and possible exclusions with your policy, equipment and the liability associated with its use. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – .75, BCMA Management – .75, Municipal Specialist – .75. (SUPERIOR/ERIE)
5:05-6:15 pm DEC Session: Beech Leaf Disease: Management Efforts and Lessons Learned, Dr. Matthew Borden, DPM, Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories. Beech Leaf Disease, caused by a mysterious nematode, is a hot topic these days. Beech are important both in American beech forest communities and as iconic European beech cultivars in urban landscapes, offering strong ecosystem services and aesthetic value. Bartlett staff have been at the forefront of BLD management trials for several years, learning from both impressive failures and the first exciting successes. We will discuss the biology and life cycle of the nematode pest, as well as how to approach possible management strategies. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Science – .75, BCMA Management – .5, Municipal Specialist – 1.25. DEC credits (3a) – 1. (NIAGARA/SEAWAY)
5:05-6:15 pm Tree Academy: The Arc: Lifecycle Planning for Trees, Mike Galvin, SavATree. This presentation starts with planning for places where trees can be planted and where existing trees can grow, using various tree canopy assessments projects as case studies. We then look at maximizing tree service life at the site level with tools like the AirSpade and TreeRadar and concepts like critical root zone (CRZ) and structural root zone (SRZ) in tree preservation planning. Finally, we look at opportunities to sequester carbon and reuse and recycle wood in trees and buildings that are removed, and how the resulting goods can support planting efforts to complete the cycle. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Management – 1.25, Municipal Specialist – 1.25. (SUPERIOR/ERIE)
6:15-7:45 pm Meet & Greet Reception with Vendors & 50/50 Raffle (HURON/ONTARIO/MICHIGAN)
Monday, SEPTEMBER 18
6:30 am-3:00 pm Registration Desk Open (GRAND BALLROOM FOYER)
7:00-8:30 am Tree and Plant Appraisal Committee Meeting (SACKETTS BASIN)
7:00-8:30 am Networking Breakfast – Peer-to-Peer Discussions on Current Arboriculture Trends and Issues Join the conversation with our speakers and industry leaders discussing current issues and trends affecting the arboriculture industry. (HURON/ONTARIO/MICHIGAN)
7:00-8:30 am Breakfast with the Vendors (HURON/ONTARIO/MICHIGAN)
8:30-9:40 am DEC Session: New and Emerging Pests of Trees and Shrubs, Brian Eshenaur, NYS IPM Program. There are some new and familiar pests that should be on our radar. The new ones include box tree moth, zigzag sawfly, beech leaf disease and of course spotted lanternfly. In addition, there’s been a resurgence of gypsy spongy moth in some locations. We’ll talk about these and others, all of which have their own unique habitats and timing from spring through fall. The symptoms, the pest’s life cycle will be examined as well as damage they can cause. Particular attention will be focused on IPM approaches along with pesticide treatments so these pests can be managed with environmentally friendly techniques. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Science – .75, BCMA Management – .5. DEC credits (3a, 25) – 1. (NIAGARA/SEAWAY)
8:30-9:40 am Tree Academy: The Diagnostic Process, David Olson, The Davey Tree Expert Company. Trees are challenged by many stress factors both abiotic and biotic. Descriptions of some of those factors along with associated symptoms will be presented. In addition, an interactive session with the audience will provide an opportunity to diagnose problems shown and allow them to apply the knowledge gained from the first half of the presentation. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Science – 1.25. (SUPERIOR/ERIE)
9:40-10:10 am Refreshment Break with Vendors (GRAND BALLROOM FOYER)
10:10-11:20 am DEC Session: Action Thresholds in IPM for Ornamental and Shade Trees, David Olson, The Davey Tree Expert Company. IPM is a well understood concept in environmental fields that has been around for decades. A key aspect of a successful program is determining the action threshold for when various treatments or interventions should be undertaken. While in agriculture these tend to be clearly defined, ornamental and arboricultural settings are often much less clear. Client expectations, plant health, and ethical concerns all factor in to deciding when to treat or not. Further complicating things are historical practices still fresh in many minds that may interfere with IPM. Oftentimes, deciding when to treat may be the most difficult part of a successful plant health care program. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Practice – .5, BCMA Management – .75, Municipal Specialist – 1.25. DEC credits (3a, 25) – 1. (NIAGARA/SEAWAY)
10:10-11:20 am Tree Academy: Safety Culture Assessments/Indicators: what good are they? Paul Hurysz, Manager, Davey Resource Group. When it comes to a culture of safety, you cannot rely on historical lagging indicators (e.g. TRIR, DART) to get clear answers about where you are culturally, let alone where you need to be. If you use them as a primary measure of your culture, your guess is as good as mine when it comes to predicting future success within your organization's culture of safety. These lagging indicators are a measure of what happened (injuries mainly), but not what didn’t or could have happened, (which is where true safety lies). Paul will challenge the audience with the past while exploring the future with a new pathway to human and organizational performance (HOP) success. Paul will also share several HOP tools with you that will allow you to produce organizational leading indicators that will help you visualize and predict your culture of safety's growth and maturity path. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Management – 1.25, Municipal Specialist – 1.25. (SUPERIOR/ERIE)
11:30 am-1:00 pm Association Luncheon with 50/50 Raffle (HURON/ONTARIO/MICHIGAN)
1:00 pm Vendor Tear Down and Move Out (HURON/ONTARIO/MICHIGAN)
1:00-2:10 pm DEC Session: Barstool Session – Q&A, Don Nelson, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Don will sit down with you to provide updates and answer your questions about, “What’s new from the New York State DEC?” and provide information about regulations. You may submit your questions at registration in advance of the session. Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Management – 1.25, Municipal Specialist – 1.25. DEC credits (CORE) – 1. (NIAGARA/SEAWAY)
1:00-2:10 pm Tree Academy: Performing a Compliance Assessment on a Truck and Chipper, Robert Bink, National Grid. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Management – 1.25, Municipal Specialist – 1.25. (OUTDOOR)
2:20-3:30 pm DEC Session: Rig Sprayer Mock Inspection, Don Nelson, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Don will walk through a complete inspection of a rig sprayer and answer your questions about the process. Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Management – 1.25, Municipal Specialist – 1.25. DEC credits (CORE) – 1. (OUTDOOR)
2:20-3:30 pm Tree Academy: Don’t Fall… Into Becoming a Victim, Part 2, Jeremy Arnold, Arnold Tree Service. Part 2 will emphasize gear inspection prior to, during and for future reference in conjunction to an aerial rescue. ISA credits: Certified Arborist – 1.25, BCMA Management – 1.25, TW Climber Specialist – 1.25, TW Aerial Specialist – 1.25. (SUPERIOR/ERIE)
