The event is for people whose work involves plants, including landscapers, lawn and tree care workers, greenhouse managers, and nursery growers.

Early bird registration for the conference is $80, includes lunch and refreshments, and is due by Thursday (Jan. 26). Registration after Thursday, including at the door, is $90 and doesn’t guarantee lunch or refreshments. Student registration is $45.

The conference is a joint effort by six organizations: Ohio State University Extension, Purdue Extension, the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Cincinnati’s Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum, and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.

29 sessions, a trade show and more

In all, the event will have 29 educational sessions in seven main tracks, a trade show and opportunities to earn continuing education credit. Among the topics:

• “Urban/Suburban Deer Management,” a remote presentation by Bernd Blossey of Cornell University on a new way to evaluate the impact of deer on cities’ woodlands.
• “When Trees Die, People Die” by Geoffrey Donovan of the U.S. Forest Service, on how trees in cities improve people’s health.
• “Emerging Technologies: Adding Drones to Your Toolkit” by John Finkler of Chesterfield, Missouri-based Brownstone Consulting Groupe.
• “Climate Change” by Dan Herms of The Ohio State University, on climate science and the evidence showing that climate change is real.
• “Planting for Pollinators” by Scott Beuerlein of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden and Jordan Holtcamp of Covington, Kentucky-based Eason Horticultural Resources.
• “36 Views of Sustainable Landscaping” by Jim Chatfield and Joe Boggs, both of Ohio State.

Chatfield, who’s an associate professor and OSU Extension specialist, will also give the conference’s keynote talk. Called “What We Know for Sure, But Just Ain’t So,” it’s a discussion of “knowledge, science, limitations, error, research and everyday horticulture,” according to the conference program.

Trees, shrubs, turf among topics

The conference’s seven tracks of sessions, which are grouped by professions and areas of interest, are Annuals and Perennials, Trees and Shrub Care, Turfgrass Management, Garden Center and Greenhouse Innovation, General Pest and Disease Management, Emerging Ideas and Issues, and Sustainable Landscaping.

A complete listing of the tracks and their sessions is at go.osu.edu/2017TriStateProgram.

Participants in some of the sessions will be eligible for pesticide recertification credits for Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana; Ohio Certified Nursery Technician training credit; continuing education units approved by the Ohio Landscape Architects Board; and CEUs for the International Society of Arboriculture’s Certified Arborist program.

For more information, contact Julie Crook in OSU Extension’s Hamilton County office at [email protected] or 513-772-6126.