No one can logically deny that the world's climates are changing at a rate never seen before, including our own plant and people communities of Minnesota. We may not all agree on the cause or causes, but everything that scientists have predicted for the past two to three decades is coming true: alternating flooding events and widespread drought, winter and summer extremes, more frequent and more violent storm events, frequent and catastrophic wildfires, migrating hardiness zones and global warming.
While the Minnesota Shade Tree Short Course never claims to have all the answers to nature's wrath, we strive to arm you with the next best thing: information to make the best decisions for your plant and/or people communities. For 2013, our conference theme is Changing Climates and Challenged Communities, with a focus on preparing communities for climate change by prioritizing strategies to keep our urban forests as healthy, resilient and "safe" as possible. Please join us to learn, share experiences and information and consider how we all must change and evolve with the changes our urban forests are being forced to deal with on short notice.
Gary Johnson
Minnesota Shade Tree Short Course, Chairperson
More information and online registration can be found at: www.cce.umn.edu/shadetree
