February 16 @ 1:00 pm – February 18 @ 4:00 pm
60+ Years of Enhancing the Urban Forests in Wisconsin
February 16-18, 2025
Hyatt & KI Convention Center • Green Bay, WI
Green Bay can’t wait for the arborists to return for the WAA & WIDNR Annual Winter Conference! The Program Committee outdid themselves again with this year’s line-up. See details below.
Hotel Information
Reservations can now be made for the annual conference. We have blocks in three hotels this year!
Hyatt (host hotel)= Attached to KI Convention Center at 333 Main St. SOLD OUT (Hotels below still available)
Hampton Inn = Attached to KI Convention Center at 201 Main St., SOLD OUT (Hotels below still available)
Hotel Northland – 1 block from KI Convention Center at 302 N. Adams St., $140/night for a standard king, $160/night for a double queen, 920-393-7499. Indicate you are part of the WI Arborist Association Room Block or use this link: https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1732737135839&key=GRP&guestreslink2=true&app=resvlink. Please make hotel reservations before January 31, 2025.
Quality Inn – 0.6 mi. from KI Convention Center at 321 S. Washington St., 920-437-8771, $85/night for a single or double room. Use this link to book a room: https://www.choicehotels.com/reservations/groups/EE59S0. Please make hotel reservations before February 2, 2025.
Alternative Hotels
St. Brendan’s Inn = 0.6 mi. from KI Conv Center at 234 S. Washington St., 920-884-8484
Hawthorn Suites = 2.7 mi. from KI Conv Center at 335 W. Joseph St., 920-435-2222
More can be found at:
http://www.kiconventioncenter.org/explore-green-bay/hotels-and-overflow-facilities/
Registration Information
Download the Conference Brochure for the full agenda.
- Registration available online until February 11th. WALK-UPS WILL BE WELCOME AT THE CONFERENCE AT DELAYED PRICING.
- Early Bird Discount available until February 2nd. Prices will go up on February 3rd.
- Registration Fees:
- Early Bird Registration: WAA Member $300, Non-Member $325, Full-Time Students $70
- Sunday Only: WAA Member $150, Non-Member $175
- Monday Only: WAA Member $160, Non-Member $185
- Tuesday Only: WAA Member $150, Non-Member $175
- Delayed Registration Fee (after February 2nd): add $45 per person (except students)
To become a WAA member or renew your membership, click here. Not sure if you are a member, contact Tina Johnson at the link below for registration questions.
- The Schedule & Location of Events Addendum will be available soon so you can plan out your conference agenda and see how many CEUs/CTSPs are being offered per session.
Speaker Line-up (Click on links for information)- SEE BROCHURE FOR COMPLETE AGENDA
John Ball (Professor, South Dakota State University) 1. Improving Climber Safety and Efficiency 2. The New Z133-From A to Z
Ian Brown, (City Forester for City of Madison) Brian Friedrich – (Regional Forester, Wisconsin Public Service) Dave Scharfenberger – (Retired Owner, Wachtel Tree Science, Inc.) Different Career Paths and How to Succeed
Tim Bull (City Forester, City of Sheboygan) The Ins-and-Outs of Trunk Injections
Christine Carmichael (Founder and Principal,Fair Forests Consulting) 1. Who Doesn’t Want Trees? Barriers to Tree Equity and What We Can Do Better. 2. Advancing Environmental Justice Through Urban and Community Forestry.
Yujuan Chen (Associate Professor of Urban Forestry, Tennessee State University) 1. Fifteen Years of Urban Soil Restoration Work. 2. Urban Forests, Climate Change, and Environmental Justice from an International Perspective.
Casey Clapp (Owner/Principal, Portland Arboriculture) 1. What’s So Curious About This Tree is… 2. Practical Arborist Booths – Stepwise Journey of Tree ID 3. Opportunities When You Follow Your Passion.
David Drake (Professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist, UW-Madison) Creating, Enhancing, and Managing Habitat to Support Urban Wildlife
Erich Ebert, John Kemppainen, Paul Morrison, John Stephenson– (Urban Wood Network) WE NEED YOU! What’s New in 2025 for Urban Wood Network-WI
Dennis Fallon (Executive Director of the Utility Arborist Association) Can too Much Communication on a Job Site be Dangerous?
John Wayne Farber (Director of Operations, Hoppe Tree Service) 1. New 2025, ANSI Z133 Update
2. Certified Arborist Exam Review
Sam Finco (Contract Climber, The Arborist LLC), Johanna O’Boyle – (Owner, Ursa Minor Tree Care) Work Positioning: Tree Health, and Efficiency
Andrew Gollnick (Owner, Gollnick and Sons Tree Service), Isabel Krueger – (Certified Arborist, Gollnick and Sons Tree Service) Got Gas? We Don’t! Welcome to the World of Battery Tools – Parts 1 & 2
Joe Hansen (Village Forester/Tree Preservation Officer for the Village of Wilmette) 1. Trees & Construction: Regulations for Preservation 2. Illinois Urban Forest Strike Team
Richard Hauer (Director of Urban Forestry, Eocene Environmental Group) Tree Risk Assessment Intro
Jeff Joutras ( Certified Coach, Step Forward Into Growth Leadership) 1. Principles of Persuasion: How to Increase Your Level of Influence, 2. Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Successful People Do Differently
Laura Jull (UW-Madison) – (Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, UW–Madison) What’s All The Buzz: Planting for Bees, Butterflies And Other Bee-t-ful Friends
Andrew Koeser – (Associate Professor,University of Florida) 1. Restoration Pruning of Storm Damaged Trees 2. Predicting Storm Failure
Gary Kohler – (Owner, GJ Kohler Trees & More LLC) First Aid- Injury Treatments
PJ Liesch – (Extension Entomologist, UW–Madison) Wisconsin’s Trending Insects
Cameron Lundin – (Owner, LundinTree LLC) How’d You Get Your Rope Up There?
Randall Miller – (Director of Research and Development, Eocene Environmental Group)
1) Tree Biology and Utility Pruning 101, 2) Integrated Vegetation Management
Jessika Mitchell – (Project Implementation Manager, Davey Resource Group, Inc.) Taking Tree Data Beyond the Basics
Eric Petersen – (President, ArboRisk Insurance) Trees, Storm Work and Insurance Companies
Hallie Ringhand (Owner, New U, LLC) Strong & Stable for Optimal Health and Longevity
Elton Rogers – (Urban Forestry Coordinator, WI DNR) 1. Statewide Arborist Apprenticeship Program Update 2. Which Street Tree Species are Failing Most Often?
Paul Schwabe – (Wholesale Sales Representative, Johnson’s Nursery LLC) Municipal Tree Bid Flaws: Nursery Perspective
Bob Smail – (Research Scientist, WI DNR) Modeling Urban Forestry Canopy in Wisconsin
Michael Tiller – (Assistant Professor of Forest Ecology, UW–Stevens Point) Exploring the Efficacy of Using Prescribed Fire to Manage Utility Corridors
Jay Weiss – (Executive Director, Cambridge Tree Project) The Case for Longevity in Tree Selection Criteria
Mike Wendt – (Wendtscapes, Retired Instructor, Milwaukee Area Technical College) Species Specific Pruning Suggestions
More details are available on the brochure above. Hope to see you there!
Second Annual Poster Presentations
- We will be hosting poster presentation sessions again in 2025. A poster presentation is a great way to engage with peer professionals in sharing novel ideas and experience in the arboriculture, urban forestry, and landscape horticulture field.
- Posters will be on display all day Monday and Tuesday morning. Presenters will be available for questions during Breaks with the Exhibitors.
- Submit an online abstract (250-350 words, max) before Jan. 17, 2025 at this link: https://www.waa-isa.org/tribe-events/call-for-poster-presentations-at-the-waa-dnr-annual-conference-2/.
- Questions? Ask Tina Johnson for more information.
Ascent Event Climbing Competition
- Monday evening from 5:30-6:30 pm, right before the blue light special, the WAA TCC will be hosting an ascent event to see who is the fastest climber in GB land.
- Climbers of all skill levels encouraged to compete.
- Limited to the first 24 climbers to register.
- Please register separately for this event by Feb. 14, 2025 at this link: https://www.waa-isa.org/tribe-events/ascent-event-climbing-competition-at-the-waa-dnr-annual-conference-2/.
Exhibitor Information
- Click here for more information about the exhibitor booths. SOLD OUT!
- Questions about becoming an exhibitor? Ask Todd Haefke for more information.
Sponsorship Information
- Sponsorships are available! Click here for more information.
- Still available: 2-Day Lunch Sponsor, Breakout Sessions Sponsor, Business Track Sponsor
- Questions about sponsorships? Ask Nate Schuettpelz for more information.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
- Refunds will be made if requested on or before January 31, 2025 with a $25 processing fee.
- There will be no refunds for cancellations made after January 31, 2025, although substitutions may be permitted. Refunds will only be considered in emergency situations at the Wisconsin Arborist Association’s discretion. Refunds will not be provided for registrants who do not attend the event.
- Notice of cancellation and/or substitutions must be made by contacting Tina Johnson through the Contact Us page on our website or by calling Tina Johnson at 262-899-0060. A cancellation acknowledgement will be sent within 3 working days and fees refunded within 10 working days, subject to this Return Policy. We do not issue refunds once the event has occurred.
Registration Questions? – contact WAA Chapter Executive Tina Johnson
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PAYMENT AND RETURN POLICY