Watauga County Professional Landscape Day 2018

Time

Class

Pesticide Cert. Hours

Contractors License  Credits

ISA Cert. Hours

8:15-8:30

Registration:  $10 includes lunch

8:30-9:30

Personal Protection and Safety for Professional Landscape Contractors:  Cynthia Smith, NC Agromedicine Institute

1 Hour Business

9:35-10:35

How to Manage Difficult Situations with Employees, Keep Your Sanity, and Still Remain Profitable:  Paige Moody, Arbor Enterprises Inc. 

1 Hour Business

10:40-11:40

Turf Fertility and Disease Management:  Dr. Jim Kearns, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist N.C. State University

1 Hour LNDX

1 Hour 

11:40-12:40

Lunch and visit with vendors

12:40-1:40

Battery Powered Landscape Equipment:  Green Works, Scott Lumadue 

1 Hour 

1:45-2:45

Update on Current Diseases/ Using Growth Regulators in the Landscape:  Patrick Anderson, Rainbow Tree Care

1 Hour LNDX

1 Hour

1 Hour

2:50-4:50 

Proper Pruning and Tree Felling Techniques: Rob Reynolds, Green Valley Arborist

2 Hours

2 Hours

 Class and Presenter Details 

Personal Protection and Safety for Professional Landscape Contractors:  Cynthia Smith, NC Agromedicine Institute

     North Carolina Agromedicine Institute, a University of North Carolina inter-institutional institute whose partners are East Carolina University, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina A&T University. Our goal is to reduce injury and illness by conducting research that leads to practical solutions and developing effective educational approaches that can be of benefit daily to the end user. Ultimately we want farming, and other agriculture related workplaces to be safe and healthy for all.

     Cynthia Smith, will cover all personal safety equipment including respirators and other breathing protection.  Will include current information on respirator fit testing and physicals required when using chemicals that require respirators.  Will address selecting proper gloves and eye protection for labeled chemicals. Information on hearing loss caused by activities in the landscape industry such as use of weed eaters, blowers, and mowing equipment. Preventing heart disease and diabetes in order to be able to perform physical job duties will be addressed.  In addition, N.C. Agromedicine Institute nurses will be available to give free blood pressure tests and test blood sugar for those that are interested.

How to Manage Difficult Situations with Employees, Keep Your Sanity, and Still Remain Profitable:  Paige Moody, Arbor Enterprises Inc.

     Paige Moody earned a BS Horticulture from Virginia Tech and MA Agriculture NC State.  She is President of Arbor Enterprises, a company she founded which has been in operation for 28 years.  She is NC registered irrigation and landscape contractor, is Certified Plantsman, Certified Pesticide Applicator, and Certified in stormwater BMP's.  She attended Harvard graduate school of design short courses.  Paige served on the NCNLA Board of Directors 2013-2017 and in 2016 received the NCNLA Oakland award for outstanding service to the landscape industry.  In her spare time she loves reading, hanging with the family, going to the beach, and of course gardening!

     The presentation will encourage audience participation to understand creative ways to manage all the things that employees do that drive us crazy.   From being late, missing work, and excuses, to poor productivity and bad attitudes.  Employees must be effectively, and efficiently managed in order to remain a profitable company with happy employees as well as a stress free manager.

 Turf Fertility and Disease Management:  Dr. Jim Kearns, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist N.C. State University

      Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, NC State University, Department of Plant Pathology, He earned his BS from NC State University, MS Texas A&M University and PhD at NC State University  Dr. Kearns focuses on etiology, epidemiology and management of diseases of both warm- and cool-season grasses. His research program focuses on understanding the biology of ultradwarf bermudagrass diseases, large patch of zoysiagrass, plant parasitic nematodes in turf and diseases of creeping bentgrass. The mission of the program is to provide efficacious and cost effective management strategies to turfgrass managers in NC and beyond. His program also houses the Turfgrass Diagnostic Lab, which is managed by Lee Butler.

     Dr. Kearns presentation will discuss changing information on handling fertility of cool season turf relative to disease management. Disease management for turfgrasses in the landscape is ever changing and evolving.  NC State currently recommends not applying nitrogen during the summer months as it could increase brown patch severity.  However, a recent study conducted by NC State, demonstrates that nitrogen applied during the summer did not increase brown patch severity.  In this talk we will cover the effects on nitrogen on turfgrass disease, and review new products for managing brown patch in the landscape.  

Battery Powered Landscape Equipment:  Green Works, Scott Lumadue

   Scott Lumadue, representative, Greenworks Tools Commercial, An intenational company whose North American Headquarters are located in a 40,000 square ft. historic Mooresville Mills complex located in downtown Mooresville, NC.  They are the industry leaders in battery-powered outdoor power tools for the DIY consumers and landscaping professionals.  The company distributes Greenworks-branded and private label products as well as products for an extensive network of Original Equipment Manufacturers.

    In recent years, development of technology in battery powered landscape tools has undergone considerable advancements, allowing battery powered tools to be a viable option for landscape professionals.  Equipment with up to 84 volts of power is now available in tools including lawnmowers, chainsaws, weed eaters, blowers, hedge trimmers, pressure washers, and snow blowers.   Advantages of landscape tools include that they deliver the power and performance of comparable gas powered tools without the mess, noxious fumes and stamina reducing vibration and noise associated with gas powered equipment

Update on Current Diseases/ Using Growth Regulators in the Landscape:  Patrick Anderson, Rainbow Tree Care

      Patrick Anderson is an Arborlogist with Rainbow Treecare Scientific Advancements, where he provides plant healthcare protocol training for Rainbow’s clients nationwide. He has years of practical tree care experience, and conducts field research trials throughout the U.S., with emphasis on plant growth regulators and landscape scale management.  Patrick has a B.S. in Forest Science from Penn State University, is an ISA Board-Certified Master Arborist and Municipal Specialist, ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified, an ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist, a North Carolina Licensed Landscape Contractor, an associate voting member of the ASC A300 Committee, and volunteers as a Tree Master with Trees Charlotte.

     Presentation will begin with a brief overview of the diseases that we've been seeing in our area this season.  Will highlight the first diagnosis of Boxwood Blight in the the landscape.  The main focus of the presentation will be the use of plant growth regulators (PGRs) in landscape management.   PGRs can be a versatile tool for managing trees and shrubs within the urban/suburban interface. PGRs have been around for decades, and were first popularized in turf management and floriculture before being adapted in to landscape operations to reduce tree and shrub pruning frequency.   Reduced pruning cycles can benefit budgets and labor allocation, and result in less frequent wounding of trees and shrubs.  Reduced pruning frequencies can also translate into increased safety on job sites as crew exposure to using powered pruning tools or ascending ladders can be reduced.  Arborists and landscape managers continue to find innovative ways to implement PGRs.  Modern growth regulators offer a host of secondary health benefits that improve a plant's chances of surviving in our urbanized ecosystems.  By the end of this talk attendees should have a better understanding of how plant growth regulators work, and their application in the landscape.

 Proper Pruning and Tree Felling Techniques: Rob Reynolds, Green Valley Arborist   

     Rob Reynolds is an ISA certified Arborist.  He earned his BS in Environmental and Natural Resource Management from Clemson.  He completed an MS in Horticulture with an emphasis in tree physiology also from Clemson.  He is the owner of Green Valley Arborist, a complete tree care company that provides a scientific approach to tree care.  Techniques that are utilized are based on the highest standards and most current information available to the tree care industry.

     The presentation will be outside and hands on, beginning with the basics of developing structure in young trees through making pruning cuts.  The program will then discuss developing a five step plan to safely assess and conduct tree felling procedures.  Understand tree felling dynamics in order to be able to develop a hinge plan, felling plan, and plan a proper escape route.  Chainsaw safety features relating to felling will be discussed along with common mistakes in tree felling.