Keynote Speaker – Jared Farmer “Elderflora and Chronodiversity”

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We have some great speakers line up this year with informative topics. This year’s Keynote Speaker is Jared Farmer. Jared Farmer is a geohumanist and place-based historian based in Philadelphia. His latest book is “Elderflora: A Modern History of Ancient Trees” – https://jaredfarmer.net/

Big trees, old trees, and especially big old trees have always been objects of reverence. From Athena’s sacred olive on the Acropolis to the unmistakable ginkgo leaf prevalent in Japanese art and fashion during the Edo period, our profound admiration for slow plants spans time and place as well as cultures and religions. At the same time, the utilization and indeed the desecration of ancient trees is a common feature of history. In the modern period, the American West, more than any other region, witnessed contradictory efforts to destroy and protect ancient conifers. Prize-winning historian Jared Farmer reflects on our long-term relationships with long-lived trees and considers the future of oldness on a rapidly changing planet.

Presentation Proposals are being accepted for the 2023 WCISA Annual Conference.

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Our conference theme is “Digging In: An Exploration of Arboriculture.”  Our focus this year will be on providing an in-depth look at a variety of topics.  But fear not!  “In-depth” does not mean that the topics will all be intended for an expert audience: we welcome presentations at all levels, as long as they provide a comprehensive look at the topic. 

We are especially interested in presentations that include one or more of the following topics that were specifically highlighted by the WCISA members:  Pruning; Tree Preservation; Risk Assessment; Risk Management; Plant Health Care; Diagnostic Process; Abiotic Disorders; Biotic Disorders; Soil Science; Water Relations and Irrigation. But do not feel constrained – you are also invited to “dig in” to any other topic of interest to practicing arborists in the West.

The Committee is especially interested in receiving proposals from all of the professional affiliations in arboriculture: commercial arborists, consulting arborists, municipal foresters, utility arborists, climbing arborists, and others.  We encourage the proposal-writers to explicitly state the professional affiliation(s) to which their proposal is especially relevant, and we welcome proposals that clearly address more than one professional affiliation.

Some ideas you might not have considered:

  • A perennial favorite: preservation of large trees in difficult spaces and sites.
  • A hands-on demonstration of… (see one of the topic areas above)
  • A curated outdoor demonstration of _________
  • A presentation really “digging in” to the interaction of arboriculture with _________ (energy? Utility issues? Health? Water?).
  • Another perennial favorite: “digging in” to some aspect of climate change and arboriculture
  • Of interest to our president, Daniel Goyette, tree planting now for future trees

The conference committee invites you to share your experience, expertise, and professional knowledge by submitting a presentation proposal.  

The deadline for submitting proposals is 5pm, Friday, October 28th, 2022.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

The preferred proposal format is submitting online through this link.  Proposals may also be emailed to Rose Epperson (repperson@wcisa.net) and If necessary, they may be mailed to WCISA 2023 Program Committee, 31910 Country Club Dr. Porterville, CA 93257.

If you have any questions, please contact a member of the 2023 Program Committee (see below) or  Executive Director, Rose Epperson (repperson@wcisa.net).

2023 Program Committee

2023 Fun Fact

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Why is Lake Tahoe so clear? One reason Lake Tahoe is so clear is that 40 percent of the precipitation falling onto the Lake’s watershed falls directly upon the Lake. The remaining precipitation drains through marshes and meadows, which are a good filtering system for water.