About FNGLA

Great Southern Tree Conference

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Schedule of Events

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

12:30 p.m. — 4:30 p.m.
Bonus Session #1
Grades and Standards Workshop: From Roots to Shoots
It's a hands-on Grades and Standards in-depth session taking you to the top of your profession. Come here details and strategies before anyone else! Learn the latest about producing and accepting the best quality trees in the country; pruning strategies, planting techniques, quality roots, grading, and more. The afternoon hands-on session will focus on the up-to-the-minute innovations in your profession that will set you apart from your competition. Group tree grading and pruning exercises will sharpen your skills and leave you with a greater understanding of how to grow and maintain trees Florida's Grades and Standards.
The workshop is limited to the first 40 attendees. Box lunch included.


1:30 p.m. — 4:30 p.m.
Bonus Session #2
Marketing Workshop: Outrageous Marketing
Ron Rosenberg, QualityTalk, Inc., Raleigh, NC
Has economy challenged your business in ways like never before? Why Wait...When You Can Start Making Change That Will Make You Money? Interested yet? In this highly interactive and entertaining workshop, you'll learn how to apply Ron Rosenberg's outrageous marketing strategies to improve the effectiveness of your own marketing communications. Marketing and customer service expert, Ron Rosenberg, will share his proven strategies for unprecedented business growth. You will take away five keys to understanding your business; Learn how to dominate your market with your "Unique Selling Proposition" and understand the 4 "M's" of outrageous marketing. Ignore them at your peril!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

7:30 a.m.
Check-in and registration

8:00 a.m. — 8:15 a.m.
Welcome —Ben Bolusky, FNGLA, Orlando, FL


8:15 a.m. — 9:15 a.m.
Today's Challenging Marketplace — What Does the Future Hold?
Dr. Charlie Hall, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX
Dr. Charlie Hall has built a national reputation for providing a down to earth understanding of today's challenges and tomorrow's opportunities. Today, he will share with attendees a snapshot of the tree market this year and projections for 2012. What has been the impact on green industry firms and where do we stand in terms of the recovery? Are we sliding back into a recession or can we see light at the end of the tunnel?

9:15 a.m. — 10:30 a.m.
Business Survival Kit — 7 Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business
Ron Rosenberg, QualityTalk, Inc., Raleigh, NC
When the dust clears, and things begin to pick back up again, is it going to be "business as usual"? Chances are there is going to be a whole new industry and a new economy where the old rules no longer apply. Those who insist on maintaining the status quo are going to be in for a rude awakening. In this highly interactive program you will discover proven, in-the-trenches, easy-to-implement strategies that will help you open doors to greater success.


10:30 a.m. — 11:00 a.m.
Partner Break
Conference partners support the research and education that takes place at the demonstration site. Take time to visit the partner displays in the lobby and adjacent rooms.


11:00 a.m. — 11:45 a.m.
Demographic Trends and the Green Industry
John Thomas, Sustainable Design Consultants Inc., Bluffton, SC
From growth projections and storm water issues, trees are an important part of the dynamic because of their ability to take up water and clean the air. As a landscape architect and president of Sustainable Design Consultants, John promotes trees as a means of creating better environments for people while integrating trees into their bio-filtration stormwater systems.  John will talk about growth projections and how the new projections will affect real estate and the green industry in the future.

11:45 a.m. — 12:15 p.m.
Fact or Fiction About Trees
Dr. Ed Gilman, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Florida is leading the nation in the amount of industry-driven applied research being done on roots, production techniques and installation methods. The science of producing and planting stronger, better-anchored container and field-grown trees is a direct result of research being done right here on the UF campus. While the industry has certainly changed in the last ten years, and it is currently being reshaped by the economy, Dr. Gilman remains committed to seeking out the science that will provide the tree industry with key information for producing quality trees. Find out what is fact and what is fiction!

12:15 p.m. — 1:15 p.m.
Lunch at the Hilton


1:15 p.m. — 2:00 p.m.
Affordable And Effective IPM Programs
Dr. Mike Raupp, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Recognized by his weekly "Bug of the Week" articles, Dr. Raupp is a respected entomologist, with more than 25 years of research to his credit and major studies underway in his university lab and landscape. He is here to provide more information about current pest issues facing the tree industry along with effective IPM programs that will help you properly manage pests at the farm and in the landscape.




2:00 p.m. — 2:45 p.m.
Plants to the People: 35 Years of Collecting, Evaluating and Distributing Trees at the JC Raulston Arboretum
Mark Weathington ,JC Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, NC
The JC Raulston Arboretum has a history of searching out the new and unusual and evaluating them under real conditions in an effort to diversify the American landscape. The strength of the North Carolina green industry and the diversity of the plant palette is in part a testimony to the legacy of J. C. and the arboretum he started. Mark Weathington provides information on their tree evaluation programs.


2:45 p.m. — 3:15 p.m.
Partner Break
Missed some of the displays...take time to go back and visit with the partners.


3:15 p.m. — 4:15 p.m.
Industry Forum
Dr. Ed Gilman, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Over the past 11 years, Dr. Gilman has been providing industry research on production, planting and irrigation strategies to help Florida's tree industry produce better quality trees. This session will set the framework for Friday's program at the demonstration site and provide an overview of the current research taking place at the site.



5:30 p.m. — 6:30 p.m.
Partner Reception — All attendees are invited

Friday, December 2, 2011

8:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast at The Farm

9:00 a.m. — 11:30 a.m.
Morning Outdoor Demonstration Sessions
5 Stations: 25 minute stations with a 5 minute rotation with close-up one-on-one interaction with instructors.

• Current Project Review
  Dr. Ed Gilman, University of Florida
  Seeds and cuttings to finished tree: Producing high-quality root systems for optimum tree health and stability
  
  
• Long Term Impact of Cutting Large Roots
  Jake Miesbauer, University of Florida - Ph.D. candidate
  Implication on Root Decay and Generation of New Roots At Construction Sites or Following Hurricanes.
  
  
• Cold Hardy Palms
  John Conroy, Fish Branch Tree Farm, Zolfo Springs, FL
  Many palms new to the profession will be showcased live
  
  
• Pest Session
  Dr. Mike Raupp, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
  Up Close and Personal With Pest Management in the nursery and landscape
  
  
• Fertilizer Leaching
  Leaching in the Landscape…What's the Real Story? and What is Coming?
  

11:30 a.m. — 1:00 p.m.
Barbecue Lunch at The Demonstration Site


1:00 p.m. — 3:30 p.m.
Afternoon Outdoor Demonstration Sessions
5 Stations: 25 minute stations with a 5 minute rotation with close-up one-on-one interaction with instructors

• Container Type and Size Impacts Establishment
  Container type trees harvested and examined
  
  
• Purchasing Too Large
  Mike Marshall, Marshall Tree Farm, Morriston, FL and Chris Medico, SMR, Bradenton, FLPurchasing trees too large for the root ball…why it doesn't work for a field grown or container grown tree
  
  
• Dominant and Co-Dominant
  Are Trees With Dominant Leaders More Stable Than Trees with Co-Dominant Stems?
  
  
• I-trees Software
  State-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite from the USDA Forest Service that provides urban forestry analysis and benefits assessment tools
  
  
• Mulch Type and Depth impacts tree health
  Dr. Mike Arnold, Texas A&M, College Station, TX
  What Are the Effects of Type and Placement on Root Systems