California ReLeaf’s Educational Webinar: Invasive Shothole Borers Update was held on September 18, 2024 at 11 a.m. The webinar reviewed Invasive Shothole Borers, its spread to Northern California, how to report it if it is found in your area, as well as lessons learned from Southern California and steps your organization can take to proactively plan for its impact on communities in California. Please scroll down to view the recording or visit our YouTube Channel which also includes content chapters in the description.
Webinar Presenters:
Dr. Igor Laćan, Bay Area Urban Forestry Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension:
Igor Laćan is a University of California Cooperative Extension Advisor for the San Francisco Bay Area, specializing in urban forestry. He also serves on California ReLeaf’s Board of Directors as Board Secretary. His work with the UC Cooperative Extension program focuses on urban trees and water, developing research projects on emerging issues in urban landscapes. Igor also serves as a technical advisor and resource for landscape professionals, planners and architects, local governments, Cooperative Extension colleagues and other academics, and tree-focused non-governmental organizations.
Kurt Peacock, Arborist, Tree San Diego:
Kurt Peacock has been involved in the plant and tree business for 45 years as a nurseryman, consultant, and educator. He received a B.S in Agricultural Science from Fresno State and has been an ISA Certified Arborist for 18 years. He currently works as a consultant, founding Peacock Consulting in 2006. He is also Senior Arborist and Project Manager for the last 8 years at Tree San Diego, overseeing the planting and distribution of 9,500+ trees to date, as well as heading the Tree Stewards education program and assisting in the urban forest workforce education program Treejectory. He has been the ISA Certification Exam proctor in Southern California for 13 years. He has taught fruit tree pruning and care workshops for 16 years at The Stein Family Farm in National City.
More About Invasive Shothole Borers: Invasive shothole borers (ISHB) are beetles that tunnel into trees and introduce a fungal disease (Fusarium dieback) that can cause tree death. The beetle disease complex has killed thousands of trees and has become well-established in many Southern California and the Central Coast areas. ISHB continues to spread and recently was confirmed in San Jose, threatening the integrity of Northern California’s urban and riparian forests.
Resource Links:
- Learn more about ISHB on UCANR’s website: https://ishb.org/
- ISHB Current Distribution Map
- ISHB Pest Notes Publication
- ISHB Online Courses and Training
- Download Igor Laćans Presentation Slide Deck