16th Annual Urban Forestry and Horticulture Conference

Mark your calendars for the upcoming conference "Something to Grow On" to be held at the Cross Point Church (Cox Creek Blvd.) on Feb. 22. For the brochure and registration form, click here. 

The speakers include:

Keynote: Roald Hazelhoff: Community EcoScape Program
Director of the Southern Environmental Center, Birmingham-Southern College
The Southern Environmental Center partners with local government, businesses, and community organizations to construct EcoScapes and transform vacant lots into horticultural therapy gardens that serve as community parks and sustainable design showcases

HORTICULTURE PROGRAMS

Paulette Ogard & Sara Bright: Butterflies and Trees: An Intimate Relationship
Authors, Butterflies of Alabama: Glimpses into Their Lives
Participants will learn about fascinating butterfly survival strategies as well as the relationships of several butterfly species with their particular tree associates.

Margo Shaw: A Midlife Bloom: The Blossoming of the Nation’s only Floral Magazine
Editor-in-Chief, “Flower” Magazine
Editor-in-Chief and “Flower”magazine founder will share her floral past, inspiration and photographs and her unique experiences resulting from the magazine she has created.

Troy Marden: A Passion for Plants
Owner, Troy Marden Landscaping
Join Troy on a trip around the world and be introduced to some of the most beautiful and exotic plants that will thrive in your southern garden.

Rachel Mansell: Composting is Nature’s Way of Recycling
Education and Outreach Coordinator, Solid Waste, City of Florence
Recycling and composting have a huge impact on our environment and our future as our natural resources, including land, are becoming less available.

Steve Carpenter: Hydroponics
Owner, Jack-o-Lantern Farms

URBAN FORESTRY PROGRAMS


Arthia “Billy” Rye: Planning to Grow
President, Forest Management Specialist, Inc.
Growing a community tree program requires the fertile soil of science, the sunlight or energy of community support, and life giving water of organization. We will examine the process, format and components
commonly contained in an effective Urban Forest Management Plan.

Tom & Claire Pebworth: Trees and Fungi
Professors of Biology (Ret.), University of North Alabama
High School Biology Teacher (Ret.), Florence School Dist.

Henry Hughes: Regenerating Native Forest Trees in a Public Park in Birmingham Alabama and Urban Trees:Myth and Reality
Director of Education, Birmingham Botanical Gardens
George Ward Park has been collecting and propagating seedlings of Alabama native trees such as Black, Blackjack and Post Oaks, Hickories, Pecans and Blackgum and using non-traditional methods to
improve the quality of the park. Commonly held myths about trees and forests that contribute to the
decline and the basic principal of protection and preservation of the urban forests.
 
Joe McPhail: Look Up! Tree and Shrub Selection for Power Line Planting Zones
Line Clearance Supervisor, City of Florence, Electricity Dept.
Tips for successful selection and placement of trees in power line easements and beyond.

PESTICIDE PROGRAMS

Chris Becker: Pesticide Management
Regional Extension Agent, ACES

Fred Kapp: Federal Law: Pesticide Formulation: Personal Protection Equipment
Education Liaison, Alabama Green Industry Training Center

David Hubbard: Weed Control in Residential Turf
Extension Liaison, Alabama Green Industry Training Center

Doug Chapman: Pesticide Hazards and First Aid
Regional Extension Agent, ACES

Tony Glover: Pesticides and the Environment
Regional Extension Agent, ACES

Endnote
John Shields: Feeding Seven Billon People
Interim Director, Research and Development Division, IFDC


For more information, call 256-760-6400.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy