2025 Joint Annual Meeting: Northeastern and Southern Forest and Conservation Nursery Associations

4:00-8:00pm Registration

6:00-8:00pm Icebreaker

6:30–8:00am Continental breakfast

8:00–8:30am Welcome and Housekeeping

Wisconsin’s Nursery Program

8:00-8:30am Welcome from Wisconsin, Heather Berkland, State Forester.

8:30-9:00am History of Wisconsin’s Nursery Program, Jeremiah Auer, Regeneration Specialist, Wisconsin DNR

9:00-9:30am Mycorrhizae in the Nursery and Outcomes for Successful Plantings, Dr Richard Lankau, Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison

9:30-10:00am Soils, pH Issues at the Nursery, Dr Nick Balster, Professor of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison

10:00-10:30am Morning break

Regional Bottomland Restoration Efforts

10:30-11:00am Regeneration Challenges in Upper Mississippi River Floodplain Forests, Andy Meier, Lead Forester, US Army Corps of Engineers – St. Paul District, Mississippi River Environmental Section

11:00-11:30am Nursery Products and How They are Integral to the Mission of the Upper Mississippi and Other Wildlife Refuges in the Midwest, Dr Bruce Henry, Forest Ecologist, US Fish and Wildlife Service

11:30-12:00pm Tribal Efforts to Address the Loss of Black Ash Forests. TBD

12:00–1:00pm Lunch

Navigating Forest Health Challenges

1:00-1:30pm Pest Issues Associated with Nursery Stock in Wisconsin. Kyoko Scanlon, Forest Pathologist.

1:30-2:00pm Updates on the American Elm Breeding Program. Dr Leila Wilson, Research Ecologist, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station

2:00-2:30pm Update on Butternut Conservation and Improvement Work. Dr Nick Labonte, Regional Geneticist, USDA Forest Service Eastern Region National Forest System

2:30-3:00pm Afternoon break

SilviCast Panel and Field Trip Prep

3:00-3:30pm Biochar Research Update, Dr Nick Balster

3:30-4:30pm SilviCast: Update from the Conference, Greg Edge, Silviculturist and Brad Hutnik, Forest Ecologist, and panel discussion

4:30–5:00pm Northeastern Nursery Association meeting

6:00–9:00pm Banquet at hotel

7:00–7:45am Breakfast – provided!

8:00–8:15am Drive to white oak

8:15–9:00am Tour white oak planting

9:00–9:30am Drive to Boscobel Nursery

9:30–11:30am Boscobel Nursery tour (walking only)

11:30–12:30pm Field lunch at the nursery (catered).

12:30–2:30pm Bell Center after lunch with tractor/wagons – could see the butternut trial

2:30–3:00pm Drive to Army Corps site

3:00–4:30pm  Army corps sites in/around Prairie du Chien on foot

4:30–5:00pm Drive back to hotel

5:00pm Return to hotel

Dinner on your own