Year: 2026

Firewood Month 2026 Webinars

Posted on by Laurel Downs

Tell your colleagues, tell your friends – let’s talk firewood!

Thursday, October 1st, 2026 at 1pm EST

Firewood and the Forest Pest Multiverse: the influence of time on perceptions of regulation and detection

The ease of detection of new geographically distinct infestations of forest pests and pathogens is highly dependent on several factors: damage patterns to trees, existence and use of effective lures, and visual distinctiveness of the pest itself. The resulting variable lags in time between establishment of a new pest population versus detection of that pest population can drive flawed perceptions of the history of regulatory action and effectiveness. This webinar will explore how time lags in detection can create missed opportunities for effective public outreach and regulatory engagement, and how openly tackling these time lags as part of the conversation can help better protect trees around the USA—and the world.

Presentation by: Leigh Greenwood, Forest Pest and Pathogen Program Director, The Nature Conservancy

>>REGISTER HERE<<

 

Wednesday, October 14th, 2026 at 3pm EST

Slowing the spread of Emerald Ash Borer in the Pacific Northwest

In the wake of new detections and regulations in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), the Don’t Move Firewood campaign has heightened its targeted outreach efforts in Oregon and Washington in recent months to create new relationships and expand networks of communication on the firewood-forest health connection. Alex, our firewood outreach specialist, will share his structured situation analysis and implementation report that has expanded community knowledge and engagement in the region.

Presentation by: Alex Meacham, Firewood Outreach Coordinator, The Nature Conservancy

>>REGISTER HERE<<

 

Tuesday, October 20th, 2026 at 3pm EST

The Latest and Greatest in the World of Don’t Move Firewood

Meet the team and learn about the education and outreach efforts of the Don’t Move Firewood campaign including an overview of what the campaign does, why it’s important, how you can access our many resources. See what we’ve got to offer both the everyday firewood user as well as professionals in the field of forest health. This webinar will include a brief overview of some updates to the regulatory and outreach environment affecting firewood movement in the US.

Presentation by: Laurel Downs, Forest Pest and Pathogen Outreach Coordinator; Leigh Greenwood, Forest Pest and Pathogen Program Director; Alex Meacham, Firewood Outreach Coordinator, all with The Nature Conservancy

>>REGISTER HERE<<

 

 

Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week 2026 WEBINAR SERIES

Posted on by Laurel Downs

 

Join us! Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week is May 17-23rd of 2026 and we’re ready with 3 awesome webinars!

In addition to our standard EAB awareness outreach, we at Don’t Move Firewood like to highlight this notorious hitchhiking tree pest by hosting a series of informational webinars each year. Hear from experts on the impacts and management of EAB, ash cultural practices, and social media messaging strategies. Read on to learn more and register!

See details on each webinar and the registration links below:

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Tuesday, May 19th at 11am EST

Resistance to EAB is real – here’s what we can do to help restore ash in the future

Presentation by: Carolyn (Carrie) Pike, Regeneration Specialist, USDA Forest Service, Eastern Region – State Private and Tribal Forestry

Emerald ash borer has decimated eastern forests, especially in lowland or riparian forests where green ash is dominant. I will discuss how resistance breeding may help us retain ash on the landscape in a post-EAB world and share findings of a recent publication (Mason et al. 2026) that demonstrated heritable resistance in green and white ash.

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Wednesday, May 20th at 1pm EST

Ash-kicking Outreach in Oregon and Washington

Presentation by: Alex Meacham, Firewood Outreach Coordinator, The Nature Conservancy

In the wake of new detections and regulations in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), the Don’t Move Firewood campaign is diving deep into the states of Oregon and Washington seeking opportunities for new relationships and expanded networks of communication on the firewood-forest health connection. Meet Alex, our new firewood outreach specialist, who is making the PNW his sole focus for six months. Learn about his structured situation analysis, action plan, and implementation management project that systematically seeks new input and expands partnerships from interested parties in the PNW.

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Thursday, May 21st at 1pm EST

EAB from crisis to opportunity: managing & growing a resilient urban forest in Minneapolis, MN

Presentation by: Philip Potyondy, Smart Tree Management Practice Lead, Davey Resource Group, Inc

The loss of ash trees to Emerald Ash Borer was a major opportunity to establish a more diverse and resilient urban forest.  This generational opportunity was not squandered.  Learn how Minneapolis used thoughtful, deliberate, multi-scaled tree selection guidelines to select a diverse mix of trees, even with considerations for future forest pests and a changing climate. Philip will also share a few key takeaways while managing the spread of EAB and also about a few new technologies for monitoring the urban forest and assisting with tree selection

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