North Central Forest Pest Workshop 2004

Many of the participants gathered for the traditional group photo on the steps of the Thompson family mansion during lunch break at Ruthven Park National Historic Site.

Overview
The 2004 North Central Forest Pest Workshop was held Tuesday June 8 through Friday June 11 at the Hilton Hotel in Niagara Falls , Ontario , Canada . This was the FIRST EVER joint meeting of the 45 th Northeast Forest Pathology Workshop and the 53 rd North Central Forest Pest Workshop. Technical session topics included SOD, other oak diseases and pests, EAB, other ash maladies, red pine pocket mortality, and other native and exotic pest problems.

Schedule
Tuesday June 8: Registration, a fungal and insect foray, poster setup followed by an icebreaker in the Watermark restaurant, overlooking the falls from the top of the Hilton.

Wednesday June 9: Registration continued and presentations began Wednesday morning with indoor sessions continuing into the afternoon.

Thursday June 10: The field trip traveled to Turkey Point Provincial Park where we visited a red pine plantation with Annosus root rot, and red pine pocket decline research plots. We enjoyed a box lunch at Ruthven Park National Historic Site, and then continued to Short Hills Provincial Park to view and discuss beech bark disease. The final stop of the field trip was Peller Estates, where we learned a bit about local viticulture and were taught the fine art of wine tasting. On Thursday evening the traditional dinner/banquet was served at the Hilton, with a guest speaker from the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory.

Friday June 11: Indoor sessions continued on Friday morning. The workshop concluded on Friday at noon.

An area was available for poster displays and sharing of publications throughout the meeting. Individuals brought printed copies of state and provincial reports, which were compiled into a packet for participants.

Detailed agenda is available here:

Highlights

The falls themselves would have to be a highlight of any meeting taking place in Niagara Falls , Canada . The Watermark restaurant on the top of the Hilton overlooks the falls, and we had opportunity to observe the falls from that vantage point every morning at breakfast, as well during the ice-breaker and the Wednesday lunch. A short walk from the hotel placed you at the top of Horseshoe Falls , where you could feel the mist of water spray from the pounding falls.
The food was excellent… Gourmet meals overlooking the falls… it doesn’t get any better than that!
The field trip provided an excellent opportunity to observe the Carolinian forest type, view local forest health concerns, and talk with colleagues about forest health.
After the banquet, Cheryl Tyndall from the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory gave a fascinating talk about the challenges and successes of establishing a tropical butterfly conservatory in a temperate climate.
The technical talks provided current information on a variety of relevant forest health topics.
Participants who traditionally attend either NCFPW or NEFPW had the opportunity to network with colleagues from the other side of the region.

Registration and Costs
The registration fee in 2004 was $210 CDN or $168 US until May 8th. After that date, registration cost increased to $235 CDN or $188 US. This included workshop registration, transportation for the field trip, 3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and a dinner banquet, but did not include accommodation. A special accommodation rate of $89.00/CDN per night was available at the Hilton Hotel in Niagara Falls , Canada , which overlooks the falls.

Thanks to the organizing committee
Richard Wilson, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
Anthony Hopkin, Canadian Forestry Service

Selected photos from the meeting:

		American Falls, from the Canadian side

Horseshoe Falls, from the Canadian side

		On the field trip, at Turkey Point Provincial Park . This red pine stand was planted in the mid-1940’s, and has been thinned twice.

The group looks for symptoms and signs of Annosus root rot and other pine problems in a red pine plantation.

Rain or shine, the tour must go on. Here we are at a site near Turkey Point Provincial Park , hearing the history of pine mortality and salvage efforts on the site. Many biotic and abiotic factors are involved in pine mortality in this region, including soil conditions, drought, ice damage, pine shoot beetle and other insects, annosus root rot, Armillaria root rot, and other pathogens

		The excavation pits on the red pine pocket decline research plots reveal interesting patterns of soil profile and root distribution.


Beech bark disease has significantly impacted the stand composition and structure in the Carolinian forest zone. As the name would suggest, this forest zone is characterized by plant species that would also be found in Carolinas , such as sassafras and black gum.


The Peller Estates produces unique signature products, such as Icewine, as well as traditional Chardonnays, Rieslings, and premium red wines. We toured the facilities and vineyards, and were instructed in the proper way to taste wines.

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