Webinars explore role of trees in climate change resilience, May 14-16

Janet Hartin and the UC Master Gardeners of Riverside County gave away trees at the "Trees for Tomorrow" event at the Salton Sea through a partnership with Alianza Coachella Valley and other local organizations.

A free webinar series titled “Trees to the Rescue: Solutions for Climate Change” will be held on May 14-16, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day. The webinars are sponsored by the University of California Thelma Hansen Fund.

“The webinars aim to increase our understanding of the role of trees in mitigating climate change, how to plant the right trees and keep them healthy in urban environments, and the challenges of increasing the number of trees at the local level,” said AnnemiekSchilder, director of Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center, who is organizing the series. Hansen REC is operated by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The agendas for each 90-minute webinar are listed below. To register, visit https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=42636.

Tuesday, May 14: Trees as a Tool for Climate Change Mitigation and Resilience

4 pm Welcome—Annemiek Schilder, Director of Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center

4:05 pm Opening Remarks—Matt LaVere, Ventura County Supervisor District 1

4:10 pm Improving Outcomes of Tree Growing and Forest Restoration Efforts—Karen Holl, Professor of Environmental Studies, UC Santa Cruz

4:50 pm Climate Resilience through Urban Greening—Edith de Guzman, UC Cooperative Extension Specialist, Water Equity and Adaptation Policy, UCLA

5:30 pm Closing—Annemiek Schilder

Wednesday, May 15: Optimizing Tree Survival in a Changing Climate

4 pm Welcome—Emma Volk, Production Horticulture Advisor, UCCE Ventura and Santa Barbara counties

4:05 pm Cooling Urban Heat Islands with Climate-Resilient Trees—Janet Hartin, Environmental Horticulture Advisor, UCCE Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties

4:30 pm Keeping Trees Healthy from Sapling to Maturity—James Downer, Environmental Horticulture & Plant Pathology Advisor Emeritus, UCCE Ventura County

5:05 pm Dealing with the Inevitable Threat of Exotic and Invasive Pests—John Kabashima, Environmental Horticulture Advisor Emeritus, UCCE Orange County

5:30 pm Closing— Emma Volk

Thursday, May 16: Tree Advocacy and Planning at the Local Level

4 pm Welcome—Julie Clark, Natural Resources Community Education Specialist, UCCE Ventura County

4:05 pm Native Tree Restoration with Partners and the Public—Joey Algiers, Restoration Ecologist, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

4:30 pm Panel Discussion (Joey Algiers, moderator):

• Joey Algiers, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
• Mireille Vargas, County of Ventura Sustainability Division
• Mikaela Randolph, Green Schoolyards America
• Jan Scow, Registered Consulting Arborist, Ojai Valley
• Max Young, Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council

5:30 pm Closing— Julie Clark

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