Thanks to all who attended the 2017 Fall Conference and 12th Annual Meeting of the Illinois Forestry Association! It was a terrific program organized around the broad theme of Healthy Forests on the Edge.
So far, only a few of the speakers have passed along their slide presentations for sharing:
Climate Change Implications for Illinois Forest Management.pdf
Thousand Canker Disease, Bur Oak Blight Updates.pdf
Managing Small Parcels of Forest Land - compressed.pdf
Urban Wood Utilization in Riverside.pdf
We'll continue to post presentations if/as more are shared. We're especially looking forward to posting slides from the keynote address by Ed Collins - a truly remarkable presentation.
Our host site and partner in this endeavor is The Morton Arboretum - a fascinating destination all by itself! We'll layer on a program that does 2 things - 1) gives you a chance to get acquainted with the grounds and some of the programs at the Arboretum, and 2) covers a nice array of topics that are both timely and interesting. Did you know that card-carrying IFA members enjoy free basic admission to the Arboretum grounds throughout the year? You'll learn what that's all about, and get your bearings so you can come back and experience other aspects on your own in the future.
There will be indoor and outdoor sessions, trams that take us to some of our destinations, and at least 10 different speakers leading sessions and tours. Topics will include forest and woodlands management on Arboretum grounds, plenty of information about the latest insect, disease and weed pests threatening our forests, sessions on climate change implications, estate planning, urban wood utilization (a very cool story), management options for small forest parcels, and a session about agroforestry and all that implies. The most difficult part will be deciding among a high quality assortment of concurrent sessions. You'll see four out of eight, and have an opportunity to receive the slide presentations from the ones you missed.
On Saturday, we'll head over to Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve, just off I-55 in DuPage County, to learn about some of the assessment and management efforts underway there. It's a beautiful site - there's a link to learn more about it in the Lodging and Location document in the packet.
There will be plenty of food and refreshments, including receptions on both Thursday and Friday, and a fun Fireside Forestry BBQ Dinner under the Thornhill Shelter nearby. We'll have a cash bar during the receptions with drink tickets available - or you can opt for non-alcoholic options also provided. We'll keep it simple on Saturday with some morning Joe and a nice picnic lunch from Jimmy John's.
You can download a complete packet (first document in the list below), or choose from among the items that are included in that 8-page document. Register and pay online or mail in the completed form with your payment. A third option is to begin online and mail in your payment after you generate the invoice. We'd prefer that everyone pay in advance rather than waiting until you arrive on site. However, if run into issues, we'll work with you as long as we still have space available. We can accommodate up to 100 participants, then we're going to have to start a waiting list.
If you've been chomping at the bit to register, thanks for your patience! We look forward to seeing you later this month.
2017 Healthy Forests on the Edge Conference Registration Packet .pdf
Healthy Forests on the Edge Conference Flier .pdf
Healthy Forests on the Edge Conference Full Agenda .pdf
Healthy Forests on the Edge Conference Lodging, Directions, Links .pdf
Healthy Forests on the Edge Conference Speaker Bios .pdf
Healthy Forests on the Edge Conference Registration Form Only .pdf
