The “Missouri River Floods of 2011” have drastically altered the landscapes on the Iowa and Nebraska sides of the river. Our trees, soils and wildlife have suffered under some very harsh conditions. Trees along the river normally survive annual spring and winter flooding but this past midsummer flooding is the worst conditions our trees could have ever faced.

The Nebraska Arborists Association (NAA) in conjunction with its annual “Great Plains Tree Conference” will hold two “Tree Care” workshops the day following the conference. The conference will be held on the 6th of February at the Lied Center in Nebraska City and the two workshops will follow on the 7th of February.

The Tuesday morning workshop is titled “The 2011 Floods: What Do We Expect to See in 2012” presented by Dr. John Ball, Professor of Forestry at South Dakota State University. The Tuesday afternoon workshop is titled “Qualitative Tree Risk Assessment in the Field” presented by Ed Hayes of SafeTrees, LLC, an expert in “Tree Risk Assessment”.

The morning workshop will give you all the information you need to know in your efforts to save or remove your damaged trees after the flood. You will also get the facts on how different tree species react to hatch flooding conditions so you will have a better idea of what trees to plant in this area in the future. In the afternoon session, you will receive professional tree risk assessment.

All information about the conference/workshop including registration fees, presentations, exhibitors and silent auction can be found on the NAA web site. Anyone can attend and if you become a member of NAA there is a reduced registration fee.

The NAA’s “Tree Care” workshops are a must for anyone wanting to know what they can do to save their trees after the great floods of 2011. For more information, please contact the NAA office at (402)476-3865.