Current Perspectives on Abiotic and Biotic Threats to Forest and Shade Trees of Texas

Saturday, August 10
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Organizers: Matthew Kasson, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, U.S.A.; Isabel Munck, USDA Forest Service, Durham, NH, U.S.A.; Jim Houser, Texas Forest Service, Austin, TX, U.S.A.
Sponsoring Committee/Sponsor: Forest Pathology
Fee: $60
The field trip will emphasize current abiotic and biotic threats, including oak wilt, Hypoxylon canker, leaf scorch, fire, and drought, to Texas forest and shade trees. Participants will visit several locations, including the Bastrop State Park, which was devastated by wildfires in 2011. Attendees will interact with local forest health specialists and pathologists to discuss research, surveys, and long-term drought and fire and their impact on forest health planning.

Ornamental and Urban Farming

Saturday, August 10
7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Organizer: Kevin Ong, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, College Station, TX, U.S.A.
Sponsoring Committes/Sponsors: Diseases of Ornamental Plants; Extension
Financial Sponsor: Texas Nursery and Landscaping Association
Fee: $55
This field trip will explore various green industries that impact the urban areas of Central Texas (Austin-San Antonio). We will visit several local commercial greenhouse and nursery operations. We will also explore some aspects of food production in the urban and immediate surrounding areas. The field trip will focus on storage, pathology, and processing of fruits, grains, and vegetables that are produced in the Austin, Texas area.

Texas Foray

Saturday, August 10
8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Organizers: Brian Shaw, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, U.S.A.; Harold Keller, Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Arlington, TX, U.S.A.; Sydney Everhart, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, U.S.A.
Sponsoring Committees/Sponsors: APS-MSA
Fee: $35
Get your boots dirty on this fungal foray for macro- and microfungi in natural settings. This excursion will take you to Barton Creek Greenbelt, considered one of Austin’s best outdoor destinations. Novices and experts alike will have a chance to forage for fungi, and at midmorning, participants will return to the convention center to examine and identify specimens and listen to a lecture by a local expert. Lunch will be on your own at any of downtown Austin’s many dining options.

Texas Hill Country Fruit Disease

Saturday, August 10
7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Organizers: David Appel, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, U.S.A.; Sheila McBride, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, College Station, TX, U.S.A.
Sponsoring Committe/Sponsor: Extension
Fee: $50
The field trip will consist of visits to commercial vineyards and wineries in the beautiful Texas Hill Country to highlight diseases of wine grapes, including Pierce’s disease, cotton root rot, crown gall, and other challenging pathogens. Other features will be a peach orchard, where common diseases will be viewed. Alternative crops, such as pomegranate, fig, and pear, will be viewed and discussed at a Texas A&M University experimental facility in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Turfgrass

Saturday, August 10
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Organizers: Gerald (Lee) Miller, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, U.S.A.; John Inguagiato, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, U.S.A.; Young-Ki Jo, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, U.S.A.
Sponsoring Committee/Sponsor: Turfgrass Pathology
Fee: $50
This field trip will highlight the challenges of maintaining aesthetic and playable turfgrass areas in the southcentral region of the United States. Possible sites include the University of Texas athletic facilities (including Texas Memorial Stadium), Austin Golf Club, Barton Creek Golf Club, and the newly constructed Circuit of the Americas racetrack facility. The field trip will focus on the impact of these facilities on the economy and the particular management problems that are unique to the region, such as water management.