Futures in Applied Arboriculture Conference

2025 Futures in Applied Arboriculture Conference

(in-person)

Wednesday, September 17, 2025
8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (PST)

In-person reception to follow 3:00 p.m – 4:00 p.m.

Center for Urban Horticulture
3501 NE 41st St., Seattle, WA

$95 for in-person registration

Financial aid rates available; scholarships & student rates available for students & service corps members.

REGISTER ONLINE HERE

PlantAmnesty and the University of Washington Botanic Gardens are teaming up once again to bring a new symposium to the PNW’s arborist and tree worker community. We polled some of the city’s most respected tree companies – and municipal tree workers – and discovered the demand for continued learning opportunities, ISA-credited education, and solutions and research around new and evolving work challenges. The first symposium’s theme will revolve around climate change and tree selection, pest and disease evolution and treatment, and the changing impacts of tree work on urban wildlife and habitat. The priority will be practical, on the ground (or out on the limb) information and techniques with immediately implementable guidance.

Co-hosted by: University of Washington Botanic Gardens and PlantAmnesty

Please note that this symposium is in-person only and will not be recorded or available for virtual attendance.

Professional Credits Available (full day attendance only): LA CES – 4.75, ISA – 4, APLD – 4.75, CPH – 5, ecoPRO – 5, NALP/WALP – 5

2025 Speaker List

Speaker Names & Titles	Talk Title
Ray Johnston – FAIA, Founding Partner, Johnston Architects LLC	Working with Trees in the Built Environment
Craig Chatburn – Seattle Parks & Recreation, Senior Planning and Development Specialist	Adapting Seattle Park Landscapes to Protect Trees and People
Hailey Mak Mackay – Program Lead, WSDOT Northwest Region Landscape Architecture Office, Plant Establishment Program and Arborist Services	WSDOT Northwest Region Arborist Services: Preservation, Restoration and Habitat Creation
Nolan Rundquist – City Arborist, City of Seattle	Tree Selection….A Journey
Gabriella Golzarian – Interim Urban Forestry Manager, City of Renton Daniel Howland – Arborist Representative, Bartlett Tree Experts Joe Sutton-Holcomb – WSDOT Northwest Region Arborist Services, ISA PN-8397BM Sara Shores – Urban Forest Specialist Campus Grounds Management, University of Washington	Panel Discussion: Emergent Pest Management Strategies
Allen Taylor – Conservation Tree Care Connor McDermott – Tree Solutions	Are Dynamic Cables the Best Solution to Providing Tree Support?
Marlee Theil – Integrated Pest Management and Sustainability Coordinator, UW Grounds Management Amelia Keyser-Gibson – PhD Student, UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences	UW Grounds Management: Integrated Pest Management for Resilient LandscapesUW Climate Ready Plants

FULL AGENDA HERE

Steering Committee Members

Drue Epping	Director, Pacific Northwest & West Coast, American Forests
Kristin Jackson	Executive Director, PlantAmnesty
Jamie Lim	Urban Forestry Manager, Seattle Parks and Recreation
Sloane Palmer	Graduate Student, Landscape Architecture, University of Washington
Olivia Price	Adult Education Programs Supervisor, University of Washington Botanic Gardens

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorship is an opportunity for individuals and organizations to support continuing education, ensure the success of this event, and enable us to offer students, service corps members, and those facing financial hardship reduced or waived registration fees.

University of Washington Botanic Gardens