2nd Annual Regional Urban Forestry Conference

In collaboration with the Alamo Forest Partnership and Green Spaces Alliance, Bexar Branches Alliance is excited to announce the 2nd Annual Regional Urban Forestry Conference. Our primary objective for this event is to unite individuals from across Bexar County to engage in discussions regarding the present condition and the future prospects of our urban forest.

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Tuesday 4/16:  8:30 am-4 pm

8:30- 9 am: Registration/ Breakfast/Welcome

9:00 - 9:45 am: Conservation Easement Overview (Clay Thompson - Dir. Conservation & Stewardship GSA)

9:45 - 10:00 am: Break

10:00 - 10:45 am: Legal Overview of Conservation Easement (Parks Brown - Uhl, Fitzsimons, Burton, Wolff, and Rangel, PLLC. Law Firm)

10:45 - 11:00 am Break

11:00 - 11:30 am Landowner Perspective on Conservation Easement (Metha Haggard - Bexar County Ranch Owner)

12-1 pm: Lunch

1:00 - 2:00 pm: Fire management (Kari Hines- Firewise Coordinator and Dayziah Petruska, Bexar County Wildland Urban Interface Coordinator, Texas A&M Forest Service,)

2:00 - 2:45 pm: Urban Wildlife Biology and Habitat Creation in the Urban Environment (Joseph Plappert - Urban Wildlife Biologist, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department)

2:45- 3:00 pm: Break

3:00- 4:00 pm:  Native Plants for Native Birds (20 min) and Birding for a Purpose educating large acreage landowners about bird habitat (20 min) (Patsy Inglet - Secretary and Britt Coleman - President, Bexar Audubon Society)

Trees & Tapas!

Evening Schedule: 4:30 -8:00 pm

Tapas/ tea/ coffee/ beer/ wine/ social

Tours of Hardberger Park: 6:00 & 7:00 pm

Wednesday 4/17: 8:30 am-4 pm

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8:30 – 9:00 am Registration/ Breakfast/ Welcome

9:00 – 10:00 am Challenges For Trees In An Urban Setting (Dr. Appel, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service)

10:00 -10:45 am Balancing Urban and Rural Dynamics: Climate Action and Conservation in the San Antonio Region (Julia Murphy, San Antonio Office of Sustainability)

10:45 – 11:00 am Break

11:00 am- 12:00 pm: Soil Health Talk (Debbie Reid, Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance)

12:00 – 1:00 pm Lunch

1:00-2:00 pm: Plant migration (Dr. Kelly Lyons Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Trinity University)

2:00 -2:45 pm: Vibrant Lands Study (Mitch Hagney, Director of Food Sustainability, San Antonio Food Bank)

3:00 - 330 pm: Growing Opportunities for the Future (Workforce Development) Paul Johnson Senior Director, Urban and Community Forestry, Sustainable Forestry Initiative

330- 4:00 pm: Q&A/ Closing remarks

The proceeds generated from this conference will go toward supporting Bexar Branches Alliance Programming initiatives, which encompass native tree planting projects, tree maintenance and resilience initiatives, as well as educational programs aimed at connecting our community with our urban forest. To discover more about our work, please visit our Events Page.