Illinois

Josh Balk is a watershed and source water coordinator with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. He has spent the last 8 years working with a wide variety of landowners in the Dry Run Creek Watershed (Cedar Falls) to help implement conservation in both urban and rural areas. Josh is a Cedar Valley native and graduate from the University of Northern Iowa’s Earth Science program. Join Josh as he shares his experience implementing conservation-minded landscaping practices to improve water quality and quantity issues in northeast Iowa.

Pollinators are buzzing all around us and do the unseen “work” of pollination for the bulk of the food crops we enjoy. Join Trees Forever Director of Community Programs Jeff Jensen and longtime beekeeper Shiela Weldon for a fun noon hour focused on our flying and crawling little friends we collectively call “pollinators.” Shiela will be sharing her experiences tending to bees, as well as teaching beekeeping for almost a decade.

Insects pollinate, recycle nutrients, decompose organic matter, and are even a food source for humans across the globe. Of all the species of animals described by humans, 75% of them are classified as insects-- but what do you really know about them? Join Trees Forever field coordinator Gina Buelow, to learn about the diversity of insects essential to a thriving ecosystem. We will discuss the many roles of insects in our native habitats, from ambush predators to parasites.

Join Trees Forever staff for an exciting journey exploring our backyard forests as food banks and the endless possibilities for foraging your next meal. Director of Community Programs Jeff Jensen will get a little nutty talking about some nut and fruit options for landowners. Central Iowa Field Coordinator Gina Buelow will share some insights on the various mushrooms that can be grown at home. Eastern Iowa Field Coordinator Nick McGrath will share with us how he went about designing his backyard food forest. This will be an engaging "Forum" focused on options for your very own backyard.

“Big Tree Hunter” Mark Rouw is back again with an update to his popular webinar on Iowa’s largest and tallest trees from back in 2021. Mark will share with us some new finds, some new champions and tales of being a “Big Tree Hunter” in Iowa. This will be a fascinating presentation with great photos of some big trees and stories of tree hunting trips past and present.

The derecho of 2020 did unimaginable damage to our street, yard, and forest trees in a wide swath of Eastern Iowa including Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities. With all the trees that were downed it means we have holes in our forests which means more “forest edge” that is prime real estate for invasive species. The derecho is not the only driver of increased invasive species, fragmented urban woodlots tend to have a lot of invasive species problems. Learn to identify and then how to treat a wide range of forest invasive species at this webinar led by IA DNR Forest Health Specialist Tivon Feeley.

Tolif Hunt holds a BA in Conservation Biology from Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a MS in Environmental Science and Policy from Univ. of Wisconsin-Green Bay where he focused on agro-ecosystemContinue reading "Managing Natural & Restored Prairie Using Multi-layered Disturbances – Webinar"

Join Trees Forever Field Coordinator Gina Buelow as we discuss spooky topics in nature, debunk scary stories about wildlife, and explore topics in the natural world that invoke curiosity. FromContinue reading "Spooky Nature: A Halloween Webinar"

Join Trees Forever Field Coordinator Bri Hull talking spring ephemerals. Bri is at home in the woods or in the prairie and will share information on some of the earliest bloomersContinue reading "Spring Ephemerals Webinar"

Ryan Murphy, educator and researcher with the Urban Forestry Outreach & Research Lab in the Department of Forest Resources at the University of Minnesota will discuss the process of woodContinue reading "Wood is Good Webinar: an overview of tree growth and development"