2010 Oregon Urban Forestry Conference: June 2-3

By Kris Day

The annual Oregon Urban Forestry Conference, this year titled Seed to City, will be taking place next week in Portland’s nursery-laden hinterlands on June 2 and 3. Covering a broad range of topics, this educational event should appeal to a wide range of associated professionals and interested community members. This year’s focus is on following the journey of an urban tree from its humble origins amongst thousands in a production nursery to its stately tenure as a member of an urban forest in a city near you.

Day one, at the J. Frank Schmidt & Son Nursery in Boring, Oregon, will be held in “the field” and will include nursery tours, demonstrations, and informative discussions on new trends and tree selections. Day two will take place at the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton, Oregon, and will showcase new research on improvements in root development in nursery stock, the induced sterility of especially prolific trees (i.e. potentially invasive trees), and selective root and stem pruning that can lead to the increased health and stability of urban trees. Afternoon sessions will address the management of our urban forests with presentations on planting standards and citywide strategies for increased canopy development.

Events like this help to bring together a wide spectrum of opinion and expertise from different aspects of urban forestry. Here, where new ideas and experiences can be shared, new alliances may be made and existing ones further developed. To join in, visit the Oregon Community Trees website for daily agendas and to register.

Kris Day is a Neighborhood Trees Specialist with Friends of Trees.