Who’s new? What’s new? MSU Christmas Tree Webinar Series focusing on new research for Christmas tree production.
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EmailRegistration is now open for the 2025 Christmas Tree Winter Webinar Series.
Registration is now open for the Michigan State University Extension 2025 Christmas Tree Webinar Series, Who’s New? What’s New? This is a winter webinar series highlighting fresh faces in research and Extension for the Christmas tree industry. Topics will include irrigation management, nutrient management, Extension projects and pest management considerations. Christmas tree experts from across the country will discuss management practices for successful Christmas tree production.
The following is a summary of speakers' schedule and an outline of presentations.
February 6, 2025
Younsuk Dong, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University
Title: Irrigation Management
Knowing when and how much to irrigate can be a difficult decision. Not irrigating enough or when needed can result in tree stress. Too much irrigation can result in wasted water resources, increased root rot diseases and loss of nutrients from the soil profile. Younsuk Dong, PhD, from Michigan State University will offer recommendations for improving irrigation water use efficiency (Photo 1) and how uniform application of chemigation and irrigation scheduling would benefit for reducing the chance of runoff and leaching pesticide. Moreover, he will discuss the importance of a backflow preventer and RPZ valve for preventing contamination of our water sources with pesticides or chemicals.
February 13, 2025
Mason MacDonald, Assistant Professor, Plant Ecophysiology, Dalhousie University
Title: Nutrient Management in Christmas Tree Production
Successful Christmas tree production often requires nutrient applications for improved tree growth, color and bud density (Photo 2). This session will focus on how different nutrients impact tree growth and survival. Discussion will include how to determine nutrient application needs, signs and symptoms of nutrient deficiencies, and using new drone sensor technology to determine nutrient status of trees in the field for fine tuning nutrient applications.
February 20, 2025
Bill Lindberg, Michigan State University Extension; Josh Bendorf, U.S. Department of Agriculture Climate Hub; and Tara Watkins, Vaughn University of Kentucky
Title: Extension Projects
This session will focus on Extension projects and bulletins used to educate Christmas tree producers. Bill Lindberg and Josh Bendorf will discuss climate change and impacts on Christmas tree production (Photo 3). Tara Watkins will highlight production challenges and solutions from Kentucky Christmas tree producers.
February 27, 2025
Jamie Bookwalter, North Carolina State University, Extension Specialist, Mountain Conifer IPM
Title: Insect Management Updates
Jamie Bookwalter, PhD, will cover the current results of three pesticide efficacy studies that were carried out in western North Carolina in 2024. The presentation will provide results from a variety of chemical and application trials upon populations of elongate hemlock scale and cryptomeria scale (Photo 4). The presentation will detail the results of a 2024 drone pesticide application trial.
The webinar series will be held weekly on Thursdays, Feb. 6-27, from 12:30-2 p.m. ET. There is no cost, but registration is required. Recordings of presentations will be made available to those who register for the series. Pesticide credits have been requested, but those wishing to receive credits must view the webinars live.
For management information and upcoming events, sign up to receive MSU Extension’s Christmas tree production newsletter. For general information, visit MSU Extension's Christmas Trees website.
