The CTPA is offering this symposium to educate all who would like to learn about drought, it’s impact on trees, interactions with pests, how to manage options for supporting root health, and what trees are drought resilient. The whole canopy will be considered and speakers will offer options for native trees and shrubs that can thrive in drought conditions.  In the afternoon, there will be practical demonstrations as well as a guided walking tour on the grounds of the Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven.

CEU’s – 3D (Arborist), 3A (Ornamentals and Turf), 2 (Forest Pest Control) – 5.00 CEU’s.  Advanced Certified Tree Wardens’ – 4.00 CEU’s.  ISA and Forest Practitioner – Pending.  

COST – $75.00 members (and guests of attending members), $95.00 non-members

Location: 123 Huntington Street, New Haven – CT Agricultural Experiment Station Jones Auditorium

To register click here:  https://ctpa.org/drought-symposium-november-14-2025/

AGENDA

8:00 – 8:30 – Check in, Light continental breakfast.

8:30 – 8:45 – Welcome and Housekeeping

8:45 – 9:45 – Susanna Keriö (Ph.D.):  Drought and Tree Health – Impact on trees, trends in Connecticut, and interaction with pests.  Global drought-induced tree mortality is on the rise, but the impacts vary between regions, tree planting sites, and among tree species. The talk will cover how drought has affected tree and forest health in New England and Connecticut, and which areas and what kind of tree planting sites in Connecticut might be hit hardest by drought. The participants will learn the mechanisms how drought kills trees, and how drought and higher temperatures interact with pests and diseases. 

9:45-10:00 – Break

10:00 – 11:00 – Susanna Keriö (Ph.D.): Mitigation of Drought Stress – Management options for supporting root health and drought resilience in trees.  Soil health is tightly linked to tree health and how trees can tolerate drought. The talk will cover some management options for improving tree resilience against drought stress.

11:00-11:15 – Break

11:15 -11:45- Annie Shutts Mixsell: As Arborists, we are often focused on individual trees or small populations of trees. Annie offers a larger canopy perspective in the face of drought.  Urban forests are critical green infrastructure that provide many environmental, public health, and economic benefits. Street trees, park trees, schoolyard trees, trees in yards, natural areas, and cemeteries are all part of the urban forest. Municipal management of the urban forest is a balance between maintaining healthy tree canopy, replacing lost or missing tree canopy, and reducing risk, all with limited resources. In this talk, Annie will discuss how New Haven is able to plant and water 1,000 trees per year, as well as the considerations that go into siting each of these trees, lessons learned, costs, and strategies to ensure tree survivability and long-term resilience.

11:45-12:30 Lunch:  (A boxed lunch is included)

  12:30 -1:00 – Dr. Gregory T Kramer: Native tree and Shrub options that can thrive in drought and other harsh conditions.  Will cover 8-9 different native tree and shrubs that can grow in various harsh conditions, offer shelter and food to wildlife and are good choices for using in a warming climate.

 1:00-2:00 – Susanna Keriö (Ph.D.): Practical demonstrations and a guided walking tour. The field demonstrations will cover topics like measuring volumetric water content, measuring compaction, measuring soil temperature and soil conductivity, what these readings mean for tree health, and how these metrics vary in different soil environments and tree planting sites. During the walking tour, the participants will also see examples of how the built and landscaped environment can affect tree health.

2:00– CEU’s and Adjourn