Join Ryan Pankau, University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator, on Monday, February 21 at 7 PM CST via Zoom to learn about preparing the urban canopy for weather-related disasters.

Extreme weather events are frequently the cause of tree failure in urban areas.  However, structural weaknesses in tree canopies can often be identified prior to failure and many practices, such as preventative pruning, can be employed to lessen or eliminate storm damage. Join Extension Educator, Ryan Pankau, for a review of common tree disorders that reduce the resiliency of our urban tree canopies.  Ryan will also discuss what to look for in the field as well as some of the preventative measures we can do to promote tree health before the next weather-related disaster.

A little about our speaker: Ryan Pankau has over 20 years’ experience as an arborist and forester.  He has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in forestry from Southern Illinois University.  Ryan has past work experience as a certified arborist, forest hydrologist and USDA-NRCS Area Forester in southern Illinois. After joining University of Illinois Extension in 2017 as a Horticulture Educator, Ryan has expanded his focus to include other aspects of horticulture, but arboriculture remains his area of specialty and primary interest. With Extension, he leads volunteers in the Master Gardener and Master Naturalist program and designs and implements educational materials for extension programs and publications.  

This program is brought to you by the University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalist program. Our East Central Illinois Master Naturalist mission is to develop an expanding corps of well-educated volunteers to provide service and support for partnering organizations in the conservation, restoration, management, and interpretation of natural resources and natural areas in East Central Illinois. Sessions will be recorded and available on our YouTube Channel. Find more at https://go.illinois.edu/ECIMN

This event is free and open to the public. If you need reasonable accommodations, please call Randy at 217-333-7672