SREF/UGA Warnell Extension Forest Health Program Collaborates on Training Workshops for Professionals in 3 States

SREF/UGA Warnell Extension Forest Health Program Collaborates on Training Workshops for Professionals in 3 States

This summer, Dr. David Coyle, Coordinator of the SREF Forest Health and Invasive Species Outreach and Education Program (FHIS) (southernforesthealth.net) helped organize and participated in 4 workshops on forest health threats and management for forestry and natural resource professionals in 3 states. These workshops included classwork and fieldwork and represented a collaboration between FHIS, SREF, and other Extension programs and state partners.

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Group Shot from the workshop in Clemson, SC 

The Forest Health and Invasive Species Outreach and Education Program (FHIS)'s coordinator, Dr. David Coyle, spent summer 2017 bringing forest health training to forestry, natural resource, and Extension professionals across the southeastern United States. He helped organize and spoke at 5 well-attended workshops in 3 states: South Carolina, Virginia, and Alabama.

Dave Coyle

Dr. David Coyle speaks

On May 9-10 in Clemson, South Carolina, Dr. Coyle led the Forest, Tree Health, and Invasive Species workshop for 35 Clemson Natural Resources and Horticulture Extension Agents. This workshop covered insect, fungal, and invasive plant pests of natural and urban systems and included around 5 hours of classroom work broken up by a 2 hour field trip each day.  For the field trips, participants explored the Clemson Experimental Forest for rural experience and the city of Clemson for urban forestry demonstrations.  Dr. Coyle and Clemson Extension Agents Derrick Phinney and Cory Tanner planned the workshops to include lectures by Dr. Steve Jeffers, Clemson Plant Pathology and Extension; Steve Compton, Clemson University, Dept. of Plant Industry;  and Shannon Alford, Director of the Clemson Agricultural Services Laboratory.   The urban field trip featured talks by Dr. Bob Polomski of the Clemson Extension Horticulture Team) and Tony Tidwell, the City of Clemson Horticulturalist. 

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Lecture at Virginia workshop

Dr. Coyle next led two workshops for 70 Virginia Department of Forestry and Virginia Cooperative Extension employees: one May 2 in Pocahontas State Park and the other May 25 at Sweet Briar College.  Both 1-day workshops covered insect and disease pests and included classroom instruction, a field trip, and a presentation by Eric Day, Manager at Virginia Tech's Entomology Laboratory.  Dr. Coyle planned these workshops with Virginia Department of Forestry's Lori Chamberlin and Katlin Mooneyham.

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Dr. Nancy Loewenstein lectures at an Alabama workshop

In Alabama, Dr. Coyle and Dr. Nancy Loewenstein, Alabama Cooperative Extension Service and Auburn University, planned and conducted workshops at Monte Sano State Park June 27-28 and and Solon Dixon Center July 18-19 for 75 Alabama Forestry Commission, Alabama Cooperative Extension, and Alabama USDA NRCS personnel.  The workshops were 1.5 days and included classroom and field trips. Dana Stone of the Alabama Forestry Commission and Tim Albritton of Alabama NRCS collaborated on the planning stages. 

Please visit southernforesthealth.net for more information about Dr. Coyle's FHIS program and to access abundant resources on forest health and invasive species diagnosis and management in the southeastern United States. FHIS will be hosting 3 live webinars this fall, so be sure to check out southernforesthealth.net/webinars for times, dates, and subjects. 

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