( May 21 is a Georgia primary election day. Please make plans to vote early or before or after you attend this program.)

At our second quarter educational program, we'll be taking a look at "Current and Emerging Threats to the Urban Forest." The first half of this program will cover the Wildland-Urban Interface, the threat of wildfire and how to prepare for it. Mark Wiles, Wildfire Prevention Specialist with the Georgia Forestry Commission, will speak on the Firewise program and how to protect your home and community from the threat of wildfire. Seth Hawkins will explain what the wildland-urban interface is and report on the new Wildfire Risk Reduction Qualification module of the International Society of Arboriculture.

Next, Dr. Scott Merkle, Professor of Biology with the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia, will talk to us about the research he and his colleagues are conducting at the Merkle Lab, such as in-vitro propagation approaches for conservation and restoration of threatened North American trees, like the American chestnut, eastern and Carolina hemlocks, and green ash and white ash, all under attack by exotic pests and pathogens.

Lunch will be provided.

CEUs: Certified Arborist, Municipal Specialist and BCMA Science: 3 ISA CEUs
Forester CFEs: 3 hours, category 1
Landscape architects and others will receive a certificate of attendance for their CEU records.

Photo: Gatrees.org.

This popular annual educational event, hosted this year by Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, is for tree keepers on any type of campus setting - colleges and universities, corporate campuses, botanical gardens, etc. Attendees include directors and staff of landscaping departments, as well as grounds crews, administrators, sustainability leaders, arborists, and others who care for campus trees. We'll talk about tree issues common to campuses such as safety and risk, soil compaction, campus growth and trees, and many other topics.

Lunch is included.
CEUs will be available.
Registration details will be posted soon.

We're thrilled to be presenting the Annual Georgia Tree Conference this year at the Jekyll Island Club Resort. Our conference title this year is "Supporting Urban Forest Resiliency in a Changing World." Attendees will enjoy general and breakout sessions with fantastic speakers and urban forestry experts to help you gain the knowledge you need to care for your urban forest. Full agenda to be posted soon. CEUs will be available.

This event also features our Excellence in Urban Forestry Awards Luncheon, a tour of Jekyll Island's trees, and an evening reception with food, drink, and a silent auction benefitting the Georgia Tree Council's work.

Registration:
Early-bird ticket, Georgia Tree Council Member (by Oct. 6): $205
Early-bird ticket, Non-member (by Oct. 6): $235
Regular ticket, Georgia Tree Council Member (after Oct. 6): $235
Regular ticket, Non-member (after Oct. 6): $260

TO REGISTER TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE, CLICK ON THE GREEN "REGISTER NOW" BUTTON AT THE TOP RIGHT OR ON THE LINK BELOW.

LODGING IS SEPARATE. A BLOCK ROOMS AT THE DISCOUNTED CONFERENCE RATE OF $159 HAS BEEN SET UP FOR ATTENDEES for the 2 contracted nights of 11.5 and 11.6.24.
Click on this link (or the link below) to make your hotel room reservation: https://be.synxis.com/?adult=1&arrive=2024-11-05&chain=11910&child=0¤cy=USD&depart=2024-11-07&group=11052024TREE&hotel=73&level=hotel&locale=en-US&rooms=1

Guests that would like to arrive or depart outside of those dates call Peggy Donkel, Group Rooms Coordinator, directly at 912-635-5191, x1091 for their sleeping room reservation.

Make sure you are on our email list to receive announcements about this GTC signature educational event as details emerge.