Saturday April 19th we’ll be hosting the annual meeting of the CT Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation at Bowers Auditorium, Sage Hall, Yale University in New Haven, CT. We have interesting presenters and a fantastic venue – and hope you’ll mark you calendar and join us. Should you decide to join, Please RSVP by calling Kendra Gurney at 802.999.8706 or sending her an e-mail at gro.fca@ardnek.
We have been approved by CT-DEEP to offer qualified attendees two CEU hours of credit in the following licensing categories: Forest Pest Management (category 2), Arborist (category 3D) and Demonstration and Research (category 10). Submission forms and sign-up will be available at the meeting. For further information please contact gro.fca@ardnek.
Simply looking for directions? See the campus map in easily printable format with venue annotations for directions on how to get to the venue. Or, download the poster which can be printed on a regular letter-sized paper and which provides details on the presenters and presentations as well as the map for parking and other contact information. If you’re a member of the Chapter you should have received a postcard announcing the meeting.
[click for larger photo]Dr. Fred Paillet – photo: Sara Fitzsimmons
Topic: Bio-Geography of American chestnut
The author will provide an overview of thirty years of his chestnut research starting from unfunded investigations in Connecticut and Massachusetts in the late 1970’s – unfunded because nobody cared about a species considered dead and gone. Persistence and a chance encounter with Phil Rutter then lead to a lifetime of exciting chestnut missions to exotic locations on behalf of TACF.
These include the baseline study of the naturalized American chestnut stand in West Salem, Wisconsin, documentation of naturally occurring hypovirulent blight in Virginia, the virgin European chestnut forests of a wilderness preserve in the Caucasus of Russia, and an investigation into the ecology of chestnut blight in its native Chinese homeland. The latest phase of this work is with the long neglected Ozark chinquapin, documenting the immense size of this former forest tree and reconstructing the ecology of Ozark chinquapin when it once was an integral part of the Arkansas landscape.
About Our Speaker: Dr. Fred Paillet is Adjunct Professor of Geosciences at the University of Arkansas and Emeritus Research Scientist with the U. S. Geological Survey. He was briefly located at the University of Maine after retiring from the USGS in 2002, with temporary faculty appointments at the University of Rennes (France) and the University of Queensland (Australia). Although he professes an abiding interest in chestnut, it’s all about having an plausible excuse to spend a lot of time tromping around in the woods.
For more information about our speaker, visit the University of Arkansas staff web-page. Dr. Paillet has been a regular contributor to the American Chestnut Foundation efforts and some of his CT based exploits are captured in articles on our web-site such as this article or this article or for a more complete set of his drawings.
[click for larger photo]Katherine Dugas – photo: Marika Godwin
Topic: Regional Spread of Emerald Ash Borer and Asian Long Horned Beetle
Katherine Dugas received her Bachelors degree in Biology at Connecticut College in 2005. She attended the University of Rhode Island and received her Masters in Plant Sciences and Entomology in 2008. Katherine has worked on several studies, including monitoring the effects of Phragmites control on the lower Connecticut River and the effect of relative humidity on black-legged tick abundance in Rhode Island. She is currently working at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) as the State Survey Coordinator for the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) and as an assistant in the CAES’s Insect Inquiry Office.
About Our Speaker: Katherine will be speaking about he Emerald Ash Borer(EAB) and Asian Longhorned Beetle(ALB), two invasive forest pests that threaten Connecticut’s urban and rural forests. While Asian longhorned beetle has not yet been found in CT, it is in Worcester MA (35 miles from CT border). The emerald ash borer was first detected in CT in July 2012, and has since been found in 15 towns spanning the four westernmost counties of CT. The rapid spread of both of these forest pests can be prevented by limiting the long-distance movement of firewood. This talk will provide an overview of the history and biology of ALB and EAB, current survey, control and eradication efforts for both insects, and ways that the public can help to detect and prevent the spread of these and other destructive forest pests.
For more information about our speaker, visit the Entomology Section of CAES
[click for larger photo]Bowers Auditorium, Sage Hall, Yale University
The presentations will be followed by operational meetings attended by those of you with an interest or business in attending. You are welcome to attend just those sections of the meeting that interest you as outlined in the agenda below.
Agenda
9:30am Opening Reception
10:00am Introduction and speakers
12:00pm CT-TACF Annual Meeting followed by Lunch
1:00pm CT-TACF Board Meeting – Open to All!
2:30pm Expected close of Chapter business
The program is free to both members and non-members, as is lunch for those who advance register. To advance register e-mail to indicate your interest in attending. Details on logistics, parking and presentation venues, will be provided well in advance of the meeting.
We thank Yale University for their partnership in planning this meeting and providing the venue for the presentations.
