2026 Woody Plant Conference Schedule

7:30 am - 9:00 am

7:45 am - 8:45 am

Explore the grounds of Scott Arboretum

Explore Scott Arboretum & Gardens on guided tours with horticulture staff. Tours depart between 7:45 and 8:00 am.

9:00 am - 9:05 am

Live Stream opens for those joining us virtually.

9:00 am - 9:15 am

Welcome from Executive Director of Scott Arboretum & Gardens Jeff Jabco

9:15 am - 10:15 am

In this interactive talk, Oliver López introduces the Tree of Solutions, a community-centered framework that uses the living structure of a tree—roots, trunk, and branches—to transform environmental and social challenges into collective action and regeneration. Grounded in ecological stewardship, public engagement, and cultural storytelling, participants will work together to complete a Tree of Solutions exercise while exploring how communities can identify root causes, cultivate shared responsibility, and design practical, regenerative responses. Drawing from programs developed in New York City and Ecuador, Oliver will share a series of community practices that have successfully transformed local challenges into opportunities for ecological restoration and social connection, including Sembratón, a permaculture-based reforestation initiative in Ecuador; Alas Latinas, a bilingual environmental education organization; Nature and Resistance, a collaborative public program developed alongside Indigenous leaders; and community engagement experiences from NYC Parks GreenThumb, where neighborhood gardens become spaces of stewardship, learning, and belonging. The talk will also introduce the Indigenous Peoples Public Programs Toolkit, an evolving, collaboratively created resource that documents community practices, ecological philosophies, and public programming ideas from Indigenous leaders, educators, and environmental organizations worldwide. Participants can contribute their own ideas and experiences, becoming part of the toolkit's ongoing collective creation. Attendees will leave with a practical facilitation framework, new approaches for community-centered horticulture, and actionable strategies for building more inclusive, regenerative, and culturally rooted public programs—demonstrating that healthy landscapes and healthy communities grow through participation, shared knowledge, and collective care.

10:15 am - 10:40 am

Purchase raffle tickets to win items donated by sponsoring organizations (in-person participants only).

10:40 am - 11:30 am

The American persimmon and Osage orange once played central roles in everyday life across much of what is now the United States. Long before European settlement, these trees supported Indigenous food systems, material technologies, and regional trade networks. This presentation traces how these culturally foundational native species moved from widespread reliance to relative obscurity. It explores how colonization, agricultural industrialization, and changing land use practices disrupted long standing relationships between people and perennial plants. What were once trees of daily use became fencerow remnants, forgotten fruits, or hedgerow curiosities.

11:30 am - 12:20 pm

Mature trees are crucial for environmental health and community well-being, yet as they age, they become more susceptible to damage by wood-decaying fungi. These fungi can enter through wounds, leading to stress and potential loss of wood structural integrity, which can be further exacerbated by increasing drought conditions and other climate shift impacts. Managing the mature canopy is central to the well-being of the collections at the New York Botanical Garden. Join Senior Woody Plants Curator, Melissa Finley, to discuss the Garden’s approaches to assessment, prevention, and management of decay in the incredible trees that call NYBG home.

12:20 pm - 1:20 pm

Lunch included in in-person conference registration. Enjoy lunch al fresco in the picturesque Scott Outdoor Amphitheater. Final opportunity to purchase raffle tickets to win items donated by sponsoring organizations.

1:20 pm - 2:10 pm

Collecting a Canopy’s Story: Awbury Arboretum’s Tree Assessment with Jenna Bachman This talk dives into the first comprehensive tree inventory taken at Awbury Arboretum in Philadelphia. Jenna Bachman describes the recently completed inventory and assessment process, and shares insights gained about Awbury’s urban forest and the Arboretum’s historic specimen trees. Jenna explores new questions, and discusses how the project informs the future of Awbury’s tree collection and inventory management overall.  Cultivating Resilience: Stoneleigh's Plants and Strategies for a Changing Climate with Patrick McGinty As the climate warms and weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable, what can we do to fortify our landscapes and the critical ecosystems they support? Patrick McGinty, Garden Manager at Stoneleigh, explores native woody plants, landscape design elements, and evolving strategies being employed in the garden to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

2:10 pm - 3:00 pm

In this presentation, Kevin Parris will give an overview of magnolia taxonomy and how those relationships between species play a role in both predictable (Math) and surprise (Magic) outcomes in breeding. In a fast paced journey around the “Magnolia Triangle,” Kevin will provide a glimpse into what these "new" magnolias look like and how they might fit into gardens.

3:00 pm - 3:25 pm

3:25 pm - 3:30 pm

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

What does it mean to design with decay? How might gardens change if death were considered a resource rather than a failure? Through reflections on mortality and impermanence, and explorations of detritus-based installations, The Danse Macabre examines deadwood, dead hedges, and decaying organic infrastructure as artistic medium, structural element, and ecological material in the garden.

4:30 pm - 4:35 pm

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Join the reception with speakers for an additional $20 (in-person participants only).

7:30 am - 9:00 am

7:45 am - 8:45 am

Explore the grounds of Scott Arboretum

Explore Scott Arboretum & Gardens on guided tours with horticulture staff. Tours depart between 7:45 and 8:00 am.

9:00 am - 9:05 am

Live Stream opens for those joining us virtually.

9:00 am - 9:15 am

Welcome from Executive Director of Scott Arboretum & Gardens Jeff Jabco

9:15 am - 10:15 am

In this interactive talk, Oliver López introduces the Tree of Solutions, a community-centered framework that uses the living structure of a tree—roots, trunk, and branches—to transform environmental and social challenges into collective action and regeneration. Grounded in ecological stewardship, public engagement, and cultural storytelling, participants will work together to complete a Tree of Solutions exercise while exploring how communities can identify root causes, cultivate shared responsibility, and design practical, regenerative responses. Drawing from programs developed in New York City and Ecuador, Oliver will share a series of community practices that have successfully transformed local challenges into opportunities for ecological restoration and social connection, including Sembratón, a permaculture-based reforestation initiative in Ecuador; Alas Latinas, a bilingual environmental education organization; Nature and Resistance, a collaborative public program developed alongside Indigenous leaders; and community engagement experiences from NYC Parks GreenThumb, where neighborhood gardens become spaces of stewardship, learning, and belonging. The talk will also introduce the Indigenous Peoples Public Programs Toolkit, an evolving, collaboratively created resource that documents community practices, ecological philosophies, and public programming ideas from Indigenous leaders, educators, and environmental organizations worldwide. Participants can contribute their own ideas and experiences, becoming part of the toolkit's ongoing collective creation. Attendees will leave with a practical facilitation framework, new approaches for community-centered horticulture, and actionable strategies for building more inclusive, regenerative, and culturally rooted public programs—demonstrating that healthy landscapes and healthy communities grow through participation, shared knowledge, and collective care.

10:15 am - 10:40 am

Purchase raffle tickets to win items donated by sponsoring organizations (in-person participants only).

3:00 pm - 3:25 pm

10:40 am - 11:30 am

The American persimmon and Osage orange once played central roles in everyday life across much of what is now the United States. Long before European settlement, these trees supported Indigenous food systems, material technologies, and regional trade networks. This presentation traces how these culturally foundational native species moved from widespread reliance to relative obscurity. It explores how colonization, agricultural industrialization, and changing land use practices disrupted long standing relationships between people and perennial plants. What were once trees of daily use became fencerow remnants, forgotten fruits, or hedgerow curiosities.

11:30 am - 12:20 pm

Mature trees are crucial for environmental health and community well-being, yet as they age, they become more susceptible to damage by wood-decaying fungi. These fungi can enter through wounds, leading to stress and potential loss of wood structural integrity, which can be further exacerbated by increasing drought conditions and other climate shift impacts. Managing the mature canopy is central to the well-being of the collections at the New York Botanical Garden. Join Senior Woody Plants Curator, Melissa Finley, to discuss the Garden’s approaches to assessment, prevention, and management of decay in the incredible trees that call NYBG home.

12:20 pm - 1:20 pm

Lunch included in in-person conference registration. Enjoy lunch al fresco in the picturesque Scott Outdoor Amphitheater. Final opportunity to purchase raffle tickets to win items donated by sponsoring organizations.

1:20 pm - 2:10 pm

Collecting a Canopy’s Story: Awbury Arboretum’s Tree Assessment with Jenna Bachman This talk dives into the first comprehensive tree inventory taken at Awbury Arboretum in Philadelphia. Jenna Bachman describes the recently completed inventory and assessment process, and shares insights gained about Awbury’s urban forest and the Arboretum’s historic specimen trees. Jenna explores new questions, and discusses how the project informs the future of Awbury’s tree collection and inventory management overall.  Cultivating Resilience: Stoneleigh's Plants and Strategies for a Changing Climate with Patrick McGinty As the climate warms and weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable, what can we do to fortify our landscapes and the critical ecosystems they support? Patrick McGinty, Garden Manager at Stoneleigh, explores native woody plants, landscape design elements, and evolving strategies being employed in the garden to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

2:10 pm - 3:00 pm

In this presentation, Kevin Parris will give an overview of magnolia taxonomy and how those relationships between species play a role in both predictable (Math) and surprise (Magic) outcomes in breeding. In a fast paced journey around the “Magnolia Triangle,” Kevin will provide a glimpse into what these "new" magnolias look like and how they might fit into gardens.

3:25 pm - 3:30 pm

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

What does it mean to design with decay? How might gardens change if death were considered a resource rather than a failure? Through reflections on mortality and impermanence, and explorations of detritus-based installations, The Danse Macabre examines deadwood, dead hedges, and decaying organic infrastructure as artistic medium, structural element, and ecological material in the garden.

4:30 pm - 4:35 pm

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Join the reception with speakers for an additional $20 (in-person participants only).