I am a plant pathologist, so logically, my newsletter articles typically focus on disease problems. Recently, however, I became aware of an educational opportunity that involves more than diseases and should be valuable to professionals dealing with ash tree problems. In issue 14, we discussed difficulties in distinguishing between ash yellows, ash decline, and Verticillium wilt. From the disease aspect alone, a seminar on ash problems would be wonderful. This seminar and workshop put on by the Morton Arboretum has much more to offer. Here is the scoop.

The ash seminar is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, November 14, 2003. There is also a separate ash workshop scheduled for Saturday, November 15, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. You can register for either day or both. The location for the seminar is the Thornhill Education Center at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. The workshop will be at the arboretum research center and will incorporate both field and classroom diagnostic skills and management strategies. Topics include ash species for the Midwest, disease threats to ash, insect pests of ash trees, the emerald ash borer, insects and the state borders, and planting limitations and possibilities for ash. There will be a tour of the Morton Arboretum ash collection.

Besides the excellent arboretum staff, seminar speakers include Wayne Sinclair of Diseases of Trees and Shrubs acclaim; Stanton Gill from the University of Maryland; David Roberts of Michigan State University; Stan Smith, who recently retired from the Illinois Department of Agriculture; and Rex Bastian of Hendrickson the Care of Trees.

CEUs are available for both days for some organizations, including at least INA and ILCA. Check with the arboretum staff to determine whether your organization is offering CEUs. The class fee is $117 for day one, $98 for day two, or $190 for both. For further information, to request a brochure, or to register, please call The Morton Arboretum at (630)719-2468.