As a PhD candidate, Kendra joined the Rainbow Ecoscience team in 2022, as a Research Scientist developing new protocols and innovate solutions for the plant health care and landscape maintenance industry. In her role as Research Scientist, she leads research projects with Rainbow's research partners to develop new protocols and the next generation of products for the green industry. Kendra has experience as an emerald ash borer technician, plant health care crew lead, arborist, and forest research technician. She has a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of New Brunswick and a PhD in Forest Entomology from Mississippi State University. In her free time, she enjoys hunting, hiking, and fishing.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tree Appraisal and the Principle of Substitution
June 19, 2024
11:00am to 12:00pm CST
Presented by: James Komen, Class One Arboriculture
1 ISA CEU
One of the foundational concepts in tree appraisal is the Principle of Substitution. A thing cannot appraise for more than a substitute of equivalent utility. Possibly the hardest step in applying this principal is selecting a “functional equivalent” to the subject tree or trees. When selecting the best appraisal technique, an appraiser must ask: “Is there a way the benefits provided by this tree could be replaced at a lower cost?” Depending on the facts of a case, the answer could be very different. This presentation reviews 10 court cases that applied the Principle of Substitution to tree appraisal.
Speaker James Komen, Class One Arboriculture, is a consulting arborist in California specializing in risk assessment and tree appraisal. He helps clients make informed management decisions for individual trees and for tree inventories. His work has been published in Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, Arboricultural Consultant, Palms, Ontario Arborist, and Western Arborist. He is an ISA TRAQ instructor and has taught workshops on tree appraisal around the U.S. and Canada.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Competing Legal Interests in Street Trees
July 10, 2024
11:00am to 12:00pm CST
Presented by: James Komen, Class One Arboriculture
1 ISA CEU
Street trees are ubiquitous in urban areas. Municipalities often – but not always – assume control over the trees growing along public rights-of-way. But what degree of ownership and control do property owners and municipalities each have over the trees? This talk presents a sampling of several cases that illustrate some of the conflicts that arise between landowners, municipalities, and third parties with respect to three key property rights: the right to use, the right to sell, and the right to destroy.
Speaker James Komen, Class One Arboriculture, is a consulting arborist in California specializing in risk assessment and tree appraisal. He helps clients make informed management decisions for individual trees and for tree inventories. His work has been published in Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, Arboricultural Consultant, Palms, Ontario Arborist, and Western Arborist. He is an ISA TRAQ instructor and has taught workshops on tree appraisal around the U.S. and Canada.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Plant Growth Regulators in Tree Care
July 24, 2024
11:00am to 12:00pm CST
Presented by: Blake Thilmony Gillis, Research Scientist, Rainbow Ecoscience
1 ISA CEU
Reducing the amount of top growth a plant puts on in a season can be beneficial from an aesthetic and pruning labor standpoint. Modern growth regulators offer a host of secondary health benefits that improve a plant's chances of surviving in our urbanized ecosystems. By the end of this talk attendees should have a better understanding of how plant growth regulators work, and their application in the landscape.
Blake Thilmony Gillis is a Research Scientist on the R&D team for Rainbow Ecoscience. Blake’s role is to design and manage various research projects and trials to develop new products, protocols, and equipment for the green industry. Blake began working with Rainbow Tree Companies in 2017, after earning her Master’s in Plant Science from North Dakota State University. Blake started as a plant healthcare technician before joining the Vegetation Management division of the company, managing tree growth under powerlines with Cambistat applications. Her background in plant healthcare, experience, and technical expertise launched her into a research role in 2018; she has taken on several research projects, including PGR (plant growth regulator) research, reduced irrigation trials, development of the Quantum tree injector, novel fungicide development and many others. Blake has since become the senior researcher with a commitment to transform way that landscapes are managed in the urban environment, continuously seeking out new innovative technologies and methods to improve plant healthcare.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pruning for Performance and Prevention
July 31, 2024
11:00am to 12:00pm CST
Presented by: Lindsey Purcell, Executive Director Indiana Arborist Association
1 ISA CEU
How do I remedy poor branching structure? What are my options with these codominant stems? Corrective pruning has many implications which includes tree structure, healthy, response to damage, and practice. Pruning to improve performance and preventing failure should be a major consideration for every arborist. This session will provide details on pruning objectives using case study scenarios to help arborists determine the best strategies for promoting sustainable growth consistent with current standards.
Lindsey Purcell has been involved in the community landscape and urban forestry industry for over 35 years. As an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist and ASCA Register Consulting Arborist, he has served communities around the nation as a landscape and tree professional in state and municipal government, non-profit organizations and private enterprise. His educational background includes an A.S. degree from Vincennes University, a B.S. degree from Purdue University, and a Master's degree from Indiana State University. Additionally, Lindsey is an ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification Instructor and serves as the Executive Director of the Indiana Arborist Association, a chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Appraising Tree Losses for Insurance Adjusters
August 20, 2024
11:00am to 12:00pm CST
Presented by: James Komen, Class One Arboriculture
1 ISA CEU
When disaster strikes, consulting arborists are called upon by insurance adjusters to assess and value the damage done to trees. This presentation shows case studies of collaboration between consulting arborists and insurance professionals, focusing on claims from the Napa and Ventura fires, the Santa Barbara mudslides, and the Phoenix monsoonal windstorms.
See what key data an adjuster needs from an arborist to process a claim. Watch application of techniques an arborist can use to inventory trees that have been completely obliterated. And learn how insurance policies and coverage affect the way the consultant arborist should collect data in the field.
Speaker James Komen, Class One Arboriculture, is a consulting arborist in California specializing in risk assessment and tree appraisal. He helps clients make informed management decisions for individual trees and for tree inventories. His work has been published in Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, Arboricultural Consultant, Palms, Ontario Arborist, and Western Arborist. He is an ISA TRAQ instructor and has taught workshops on tree appraisal around the U.S. and Canada.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Spotted Lanternfly: Threats and Management Strategies
August 21, 2024
11:00am to 12:00pm CST
Presented by: Mark Ware, BCMA, Rainbow Ecoscience
1 ISA CEU
Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) has expanded across the country since it was first discovered in 2014 in eastern PA. In 2022, it was found as far west as Iowa and as far south as North Carolina. With this expansion, it has become crucial for communities, tree care, landscape, and pest management professionals to be ready to protect their clients’ and constituents’ plants and property. This webinar will provide an introductory background on Spotted Lanternfly, its life cycle, biology, behavior, and management solutions. We will also discuss existing research and the available tools to protect trees and plants in the urban environment.
Speaker Mark Ware is a Board-Certified Master Arborist on the Rainbow Ecoscience team, covering the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Mark brings over ten years of practical experience in arboriculture, plant health care and ornamental horticulture. Mark is responsible for providing PHC technical and application training to Rainbow’s clients and their crews. This includes providing technical support and training in Rainbow PHC protocols, research and development of new products and protocols and in-field training with applicators.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
