When it starts warming up in the Pacific Northwest, many of us start spending more time in our gardens. We start working in the garden, taming plants, and calling arborists to check on our trees. Around this time, birds and other wildlife are also exploring our local trees and shrubs looking for places to nest. Tree Care for Birds published Best Management Practices designed to help arborists minimize their impacts to nesting birds. Ryan will share his knowledge about trees, birds, how they come together, and what you can do to care for both. Ryan Gilpin is a consulting arborist and owns Nidus Consulting in Portland, Oregon. When not working with trees, Ryan is often looking for birds. Ryan is Committee Chair of Tree Care for Birds, regularly trains arborists in working responsibly around wildlife, and leads tree and bird walks in the Portland area.  ​​

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• Registration

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Most people rely on leaves to identify trees, but that is just one clue to recognizing a tree. Each tree species has a unique bark, form, bud, and seed that will help you identify them in the same way that you might distinguish a friend by their voice, body shape or characteristic movements. Join Ran Hammock, Certified Oregon Naturalist, Naturalist Guide and Naturalist Writer, as he demonstrates how to use branching patterns and other clues to identify trees in winter. 

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• Registration

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Julie Ratner, Ph.D., is passionate about tree communication and sharing the wisdom of Pacific Northwest forests on guided meditative walks in Olympia, WA. Using a device from Italy called Plants Play, she's been recording trees over 1000 years old since 2017. By listening to trees, plants and mushrooms sing, she has connected deeply with our precious land and experienced a profound healing in nature. Learn more at her website.

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This webinar was not recorded, at Dr. Ratner's request. 

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Click for links to:​

• Dr. Ratner's website

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Brian French drew from his 25 years of experience to speak on the critical role that dead and fallen trees play in supporting wildlife and broader environmental challenges. He discussed how pruning practices have changed and stressed the importance of having your arborist consider wildlife impacts during tree work. Brian described the process he has used to make thousands of chainsaw cavities that support nesting.. And guess what— leaving habitat snags is often cheaper as well as more environmentally beneficial than removing trees entirely!

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• Webinar Video

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Brian French, principal at Arboriculture International, presents “Decade of the Oak”, which describes local Oregon white oaks, their life cycle and traits, and how to care for these special trees. Brian presents some problems that can plague oaks and offers recommendations for managing them. The talk will showcase some champion trees and local places to enjoy oaks.

 

Brian is also a skilled climber with 25 years of a broad range of arboriculture related experience and certifications. He is dedicated to and contributor of cutting-edge research for a better understanding of trees and safer work practices for arborists worldwide. Much of his work focuses on the preservation of significant, old trees and associated flora and fauna. 

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Riparian Specialist Eric Butler discusses how trees relate to the water cycle, protect streams and water quality, support the in-stream environment — and how to use them in restoration.

 

Eric is a landscape ecologist interested in protecting, restoring, and reconnecting ecosystems at the watershed scale. 

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• Webinar Video

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Explore the art of winter pruning with Dustin Marchello from Tillis Tree Care, where 20+ years of arborist expertise meets community service. Learn how strategic pruning can enhance tree health and resilience, insights drawn from Dustin's work on landmarks like the Bellagio and post-Katrina recovery efforts.

 

Dustin Marchello, owner of Tillis Tree Care in Portland, OR, is a certified arborist with over two decades of experience, featured on "America Outdoors." Dedicated to community outreach, Tillis Tree Care offers free advice to promote tree health and sustainability in our neighborhoods.

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• Webinar Video

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Urban trees provide a wide range of benefits from the intuitive—providing shade, for example—to the surprising: improved human health and reduced crime. This talk will summarize these findings and show that trees are an under-appreciated, but essential, part of our public-health and public-safety infrastructure.

 

Dr. Donovan, our speaker, received his PhD is forest economics from Colorado State University in 2001. Since then, he has worked as an economist for the USDA Forest Service in Alaska and Oregon. His primary research focus is quantifying the benefits of urban trees. Currently, he is focusing on how exposure to plant diversity may protect against a range of immune diseases. 

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• Webinar Video

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• Audio file 

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This talk on root problems and soil care for trees facing seasonal stressors such as drought underscores the critical role of soil health in maintaining tree vigor and resilience. Root collar disorders, often exacerbated by environmental stressors, can lead to significant decline or mortality in trees. Supportive soil management practices, including mulching, can help trees better withstand the challenges of fluctuating weather patterns and climate stress. This ultimately enhances their long-term survival and ecological benefits.

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Click for links to:

• Webinar Video

• Transcript

• Audio file 

• Powerpoint slides​​

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This talk on root problems and soil care for trees facing seasonal stressors such as drought underscores the critical role of soil health in maintaining tree vigor and resilience. Root collar disorders, often exacerbated by environmental stressors, can lead to significant decline or mortality in trees. Supportive soil management practices, including mulching, can help trees better withstand the challenges of fluctuating weather patterns and climate stress. This ultimately enhances their long-term survival and ecological benefits.​​

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Click for links to:

• Webinar Video

• Transcript

• Audio file 

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Most insects are native and beneficial, but some types of insects become problems if trees become stressed. Christine Buhl, Phd, is a Forest Entomologist with the Oregon Department of Forestry. She will review some of the major native and exotic insect pests of urban and forest trees that affect our Washington County trees, such as the recently discovered Mediterranean Oak Borer and Emerald Ash Borers. Find out what they are, ways to identify them, and how to prevent them from spreading. Christine comments: “The healthier you can make your trees, the better they are going to be able to resist and tolerate invasive insects.”

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Click for links to:

• Webinar Video

• Transcript

• Audio file ​​​

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This talk on root problems and soil care for trees facing seasonal stressors such as drought underscores the critical role of soil health in maintaining tree vigor and resilience. Root collar disorders, often exacerbated by environmental stressors, can lead to significant decline or mortality in trees. Supportive soil management practices, including mulching, can help trees better withstand the challenges of fluctuating weather patterns and climate stress. This ultimately enhances their long-term survival and ecological benefits.

​

Click for links to:

• Webinar Video

• Transcript

• Audio file 

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This talk on root problems and soil care for trees facing seasonal stressors such as drought underscores the critical role of soil health in maintaining tree vigor and resilience. Root collar disorders, often exacerbated by environmental stressors, can lead to significant decline or mortality in trees. Supportive soil management practices, including mulching, can help trees better withstand the challenges of fluctuating weather patterns and climate stress. This ultimately enhances their long-term survival and ecological benefits.

​

Click for links to:

• Webinar Video

• Transcript

• Audio file 

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This talk on root problems and soil care for trees facing seasonal stressors such as drought underscores the critical role of soil health in maintaining tree vigor and resilience. Root collar disorders, often exacerbated by environmental stressors, can lead to significant decline or mortality in trees. Supportive soil management practices, including mulching, can help trees better withstand the challenges of fluctuating weather patterns and climate stress. This ultimately enhances their long-term survival and ecological benefits.

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Click for links to:

• Webinar Video

• Transcript

• Audio file ​​​