Daily Archives: October 20, 2019


Tuesday, October 29, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm – Climate Change and Its Effects on Trees and Their Relationship to Insects

After slowly cooling throughout the past millennium, Earth has substantially warmed over the last 40 years, and effects on trees and insects are already apparent. There is a strong scientific consensus that this warming is caused by human emission of greenhouse gases. There also is a substantial discrepancy between this scientific consensus and perceptions of the public regarding climate change.

In this October 29 Ecological Landscape Alliance webinar at 12:30 pm, Dr. Dan Herms will examine the evidence for anthropogenic climate change, including changes in patterns of precipitation; consider current and future impacts; and look at the implications for trees in urban and natural forests, especially their interactions with insects. He will also address the potential for trees to sequester carbon in urban forests as a climate change mitigation strategy. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-climate-change-and-its-effects-on-trees-and-their-relationship-to-insects/

Dr. Dan Herms is Vice President of Research and Development at The Davey Tree Expert Company. Prior to joining Davey in January 2018, Dr. Herms was a professor in the Department of Entomology at The Ohio State University, where he served on the faculty for 21 years. His research has focused on interactions between trees and insects, including effects of climate change, and he was a member of The Ohio State University Climate Change Outreach Team. Dr. Herms received his BS in landscape horticulture from The Ohio State University, his MS in horticulture and entomology from The Ohio State University, and his PhD in forest entomology from Michigan State University. In 2014, he was inducted as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.


Thursday, November 7, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Pruning Basics

Worcester Tree Initiative’s Community Forester, Derek Lirange, will cover the fundamentals of pruning woody plants including what should be cut out of trees and shrubs and how to make cuts for both health and appearance. He will also address common pruning mistakes or misconceptions and simple tool maintenance so you can make sure you’re making the best cut every time. The lecture takes place at Tower Hill Botanic Garden at 10:30 am. $26 for Tower Hill members, $36 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org

Derek Lirange is the Community Forester for the Worcester Tree Initiative (WTI) program at Tower Hill Botanic Garden. He has worked for WTI since 2013 helping to coordinate programs ranging from tree planting and pruning events with volunteers to classes for children and adults on the value of the landscape in cities and towns. Derek has a Bachelors of Science in Community Forestry from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist.