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Thursday classes

Session One: 2:15-3:30 PM

Invasive Insects - What's the Latest

WSU Online Training for Community Tree Stewards

Ice Age Flood - The Washington Soil Mosiac

 Cassie Chichorz 

This session will teach you how to protect Washington’s resources by preventing the establishment of high-risk invasive insects. You will learn how to identify pests and their look-alikes. This course will equip you with the tools on how to report suspected sightings. Insects covered in this session are Asian giant hornet, Japanese Beetle, Spotted Lanternfly, invasive moths and other exotic pests.


Ice Age Flood - The Washington Soil Mosiac

WSU Online Training for Community Tree Stewards

Ice Age Flood - The Washington Soil Mosiac

Kenneth B. Lacy

The class will start with a discussion on the ice age floods that inundated portions of the Pacific Northwest. Then we’ll take a closer look at the impact of the floods upon soils; including the thin soils found in the Channeled Scablands, the formation of the Loess deposits found in much of Eastern Washington, and assorted soils found in the Puget Sound area that were derived from Glacial Till.

WSU Online Training for Community Tree Stewards

WSU Online Training for Community Tree Stewards

Growing for Food Banks: Ten Years and New Directions

Tim Kohlhauff, WSU Extension  

There are many known benefits of trees in urban and community landscapes from increased property values to increased health and wellbeing. The intention of this online training is to provide knowledge to Extension Master Gardeners, landscape professionals, municipal landscape employees, and interested members of the public in the proper selection, placement, and care of trees in the community. Is this online training right for you?  Learn more about trees, while learning more about the course.  

Growing for Food Banks: Ten Years and New Directions

Growing for Food Banks: Ten Years and New Directions

Growing for Food Banks: Ten Years and New Directions

Kathy Ryan

Learn how two gardens, begun as a bookgroup and then as a Master Gardeners and Food bank project, have grown into 14 gardens producing over 18,000 pounds of produce which meet the new challenges of climate change, crop failures and supply chain distruption. 

Cultivating Local Foods and Vibrant Communities

Growing for Food Banks: Ten Years and New Directions

Cultivating Local Foods and Vibrant Communities

Jaala Smith, Harry Hayward, Kristen McIvor

We all know food brings people together.  Did you also know that growing food in community gardens brings people together and helps to create vibrant communities?  Research indicates that people who grow food together and who have local access to fresh food also work together to make decisions that ensure their families, friends and neighbors have food on their tables. This panel discussion will share their experiences with bringing everyone into community gardens and other local food programs.

Instructors-Session One

Cassie Chichorz

Cassie Chichorz

Cassie Chichorz

Cassie Cichorz works for the Washington State Department of Agriculture for the Plant Protection Program under the pest management division. Her goal is to inform citizens on invasive species and the threats that follow, and educate residents on how they can help safeguard their state.

Kenneth B. Lacy

Cassie Chichorz

Cassie Chichorz

Ken is a founding member of the Wenatchee Valley Erratics (first chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute - IAFI), current member of the Board of Directors for the IAFI.  He has presented many geology lectures and lead fascinating field tours.  He is a past member of the WSU Master Gardeners of Chelan County.

Tim Kohlhauff

Cassie Chichorz

Tim Kohlhauff

Tim Kohlhauff is the urban horticulture program coordinator for WSU’s Spokane County extension office.  He works with trees, and has lead the local Master Gardener volunteer program since 2012.  He is an adjunct instructor at Spokane Community College where he has taught Arboriculture, Advanced Arboriculture, and Plant Problem Diagnosis c

Tim Kohlhauff is the urban horticulture program coordinator for WSU’s Spokane County extension office.  He works with trees, and has lead the local Master Gardener volunteer program since 2012.  He is an adjunct instructor at Spokane Community College where he has taught Arboriculture, Advanced Arboriculture, and Plant Problem Diagnosis classes. For 10 years, Tim was the arborist at the Spokane Country Club, now Kalispell Golf & Country Club.  He has been an ISA-certified arborist since 2004. He was part of the WSU team that developed this online training.   

Kathy Ryan

Cassie Chichorz

Tim Kohlhauff

Kathy Ryan has a background of 20 years in farm work. She is president of the Jefferson County FoodBank Growers and a is member of many organizations who work toward food security. 

Jaala Smith

Kristen McIvor

Harry Hayward

Jaala Smith was born and raised in the Puget Sound, in gardens, trails and beaches. She is an educator, programs director and social worker with 15+ years of experience in creating and facilitating social and emotional community engagement programs. 


Jaala is a Community Organizer dedicated to supporting spaces that promote belonging and s

Jaala Smith was born and raised in the Puget Sound, in gardens, trails and beaches. She is an educator, programs director and social worker with 15+ years of experience in creating and facilitating social and emotional community engagement programs. 


Jaala is a Community Organizer dedicated to supporting spaces that promote belonging and safety for adults and young people and prioritizing positive work culture, staff advocacy, sustainable growth and radical community engagement. 


She is the new Program Coordinator for the WSU Extension Pierce County Master Gardeners and is so excited to support these community educators in their committment to cultivating plants, people, and communities. 

Harry Hayward

Kristen McIvor

Harry Hayward

Harry Hayward has been a Master Gardener since 2016.  He's a passionate advocate for community gardens and locally grown food.  He has also worked for Harvest Pierce County as a gleaning leader and supported local food banks with over 3000 pounds of backyard fruit from gleans. Harry has also completed course and field work in fruit tree m

Harry Hayward has been a Master Gardener since 2016.  He's a passionate advocate for community gardens and locally grown food.  He has also worked for Harvest Pierce County as a gleaning leader and supported local food banks with over 3000 pounds of backyard fruit from gleans. Harry has also completed course and field work in fruit tree management and rain gardens and has implemented both in his home garden.

Kristen McIvor

Kristen McIvor

Kristen McIvor

Kristen is the director of Harvest Pierce County, the urban agriculture program of the Pierce Conservation District - supporting over 80 active community gardens and orchards. She has been working to develop sustainable food systems in Tacoma, WA since 2006 and received her PhD in Forest Resources from the University of Washington in 2011.

Session two: 3:45-5:00 PM

Cultivating Color

Plant Phenophases and Using Nature's Notebook

Fire Resistant Landscaping

Lorene Edwards Forkner

Color is the most obvious element of a garden and an essential tool in the creation of a pleasing landscape. We’ll explore the nature of color, perception, distinguishing nuance, and introduce design tips for using color to create wildlife-friendly gardens with year 'round interest.

Fire Resistant Landscaping

Plant Phenophases and Using Nature's Notebook

Fire Resistant Landscaping

Paula Dinius, Al Murphy

In the past few decades, we have all seen the ravages of wildfire increasingly across our country and abroad. As forest management policies are revised to increase fire-resilience we too can help as Master Gardeners, property owners or managers by being proactive in the purposeful cultivation of our landscapes. This class will discuss the concept of a fire-resistant landscape, one that has been designed to reduce risk and damage to property from wildfire. We will cover strategies that include understanding fire behavior, application of fire-resistant strategies, and exploring select plant species and their placement in the landscape. The class format is a panel discussion including open dialog with the audience.

Plant Phenophases and Using Nature's Notebook

Plant Phenophases and Using Nature's Notebook

Food System Resilience for Uncertain Times

Kristen Harrison

In this class, you will learn about the phenophases that plants go through during the course of the year and how to recognize them. Then, we will learn how to use the app "Nature's notebook" to track the phenophases of your favorite plants. Nature's notebook is a citizen science platform used by researchers to track changes in plant phenology across the country. 

Food System Resilience for Uncertain Times

Inspiring MG's around new initiatives: Climate Action

Food System Resilience for Uncertain Times

David Seabrook

Climate change and other intersecting crises have put our global food system in a precarious situation. If we continue with “business as usual,” we risk the collapse of our complex food system — and so much more. David Seabrook is convinced gardeners can take the lead in modifying and strengthening their community's food production in practical ways that require far less total energy. Participants will be asked to consider strategies for adapting all components of a food system built by and for the local community. Along the way, we'll brainstorm ways to build resilience, and discuss the importance of learning respect and appreciation for the land, people and creatures sharing our ecosystem. Can gardeners help save our world with local action? Come ready to help explore the possibilities!

Inspiring MG's around new initiatives: Climate Action

Inspiring MG's around new initiatives: Climate Action

Inspiring MG's around new initiatives: Climate Action

 Laurel Moulton 

In recent years news of the natural world has been dominated by fire and floods, more intense storms, and dwindling snow pack in the mountains. The extreme heat event that occurred at the end of June 2021 and record breaking forest fires burning across the west have made it hard to ignore changes that are occurring in our climate. Many of us feel overwhelmed, or that there is nothing meaningful a single person can do to ease the changing climate. We think, “What does gardening have to do with climate change anyway.” I would argue that collectively, Master Gardeners have a chance to use educational influence and scientific skills to make a bigger impact on climate change through sustainable garden education than any one of us realizes.  


Igniting consciousness is the first step to affecting change. Did you know that peatlands, the source of peat moss that is ubiquitous in the horticulture industry, store more carbon than all other vegetation in the entire world combined? Draining, mining and burning of peatlands releases almost 5% of all human caused CO2 emissions every year. For these reasons, along with others related to ecology and clean water, the United Kingdom is on track to ban all sales of peat moss to home gardeners by 2024. Surprisingly, this conversation has barely started in the US. If something as simple as potting soil has such an impact on climate, what other aspects of garden and landscape care are we missing opportunities in? Luckily, as gardeners and educators we aren’t very good at sitting still.  In this age of climate change we have an opportunity to examine how we garden and take simple actions that don’t just respond to a changing climate, but that have the real possibility of contributing to slowing climate change.


Attendees at this presentation can expect to: 

  • Learn the science behind certain garden practices, tools and amendments that have serious implications for our changing climate.  
  • Get ideas for small changes or additions that can be made in existing educational outreach to address climate change. 
  • Get inspired to become part of larger conversations and new educational initiatives that Master Gardeners can champion across the region.

Instructors-Session Two

Lorene Edwards Forkner

Lorene Edwards Forkner

Lorene Edwards Forkner

Lorene Edwards Forkner is an author and speaker whose work centers on exploring the wonders of the natural world. She writes a weekly gardening column for The Seattle Times and is the author of the newly released "Color In and Out of the Garden" from Abrams, as well as popular previous titles including "The Beginners Guide to Growing Grea

Lorene Edwards Forkner is an author and speaker whose work centers on exploring the wonders of the natural world. She writes a weekly gardening column for The Seattle Times and is the author of the newly released "Color In and Out of the Garden" from Abrams, as well as popular previous titles including "The Beginners Guide to Growing Great Vegetables" and "Vegetable Gardening in the Pacific Northwest" both from Timber. Lorene lives in Seattle, where she avidly tends her beloved garden throughout the year. Find out more at www.ahandmadegarden.com.

Paula Dinius

Lorene Edwards Forkner

Lorene Edwards Forkner

In 2021 Paula retired from her position as Urban Horticulturist at WSU Chelan/Douglas County Extension after 17 years of service. She has a B.S. degree in Botany & Plant Pathology from California Polytechnic Pomona, a M.S. degree in Agriculture from Washington State University, and a teaching certification from Central Washington Universi

In 2021 Paula retired from her position as Urban Horticulturist at WSU Chelan/Douglas County Extension after 17 years of service. She has a B.S. degree in Botany & Plant Pathology from California Polytechnic Pomona, a M.S. degree in Agriculture from Washington State University, and a teaching certification from Central Washington University. She is a International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist, and a WSU Chelan/Douglas County Master Gardener. She and her husband own and operate a cut flower farm business in Leavenworth, WA. 

Al Murphy

Lorene Edwards Forkner

Kristen Harrison

Al Murphy is a Master Gardener and a semi-retired forester. He spent his 37-year career with the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management working in most of the western United States and Washington DC. Al spent over 20 years on National Fire Overhead teams. While working for the BLM, Al provided National direction for technical

Al Murphy is a Master Gardener and a semi-retired forester. He spent his 37-year career with the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management working in most of the western United States and Washington DC. Al spent over 20 years on National Fire Overhead teams. While working for the BLM, Al provided National direction for technical assistance to local communities throughout the west. He has received multiple national awards recognizing his leadership in interagency fire management. Assisting communities in reducing losses from wildland fires has been Al's passion for many years.   

Kristen Harrison

Lorene Edwards Forkner

Kristen Harrison

Kristen Harrison is a biology professor at Tacoma Community College. She has been teaching botany courses for 18 years and holds a master's degree in plant ecology from Oregon State University.

David Seabrook

Laurel Moulton

Laurel Moulton

David Seabrook is a commissioner with Jefferson County Fire District #1 and a member of local Climate Action and Conservation Futures Committees. He volunteers with the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management and helped lead the Food System Unit in the Emergency Operation Center for COVID-19. He also served on the Community Fo

David Seabrook is a commissioner with Jefferson County Fire District #1 and a member of local Climate Action and Conservation Futures Committees. He volunteers with the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management and helped lead the Food System Unit in the Emergency Operation Center for COVID-19. He also served on the Community Food System Resilience Task Force that advised the County's Intergovernmental Collaborative Group. David is a Jefferson County Master Gardener with a bachelor’s degree in Earth Science and a Master of Public Administration from WSU. He is an active gardener locally helping to grow food for his family and community and has been involved with the area’s Growing Groceries program.

Laurel Moulton

Laurel Moulton

Laurel Moulton

Laurel has been a Master Gardener since 2006, and coordinator of the Clallam County Program for 5 years, between 2013 and 2014, and then from 2019 to the present. She received a bachelor of arts in environmental studies from Mount Holyoke College, and a master’s degree in horticulture systems with a minor in entomology from Oregon State U

Laurel has been a Master Gardener since 2006, and coordinator of the Clallam County Program for 5 years, between 2013 and 2014, and then from 2019 to the present. She received a bachelor of arts in environmental studies from Mount Holyoke College, and a master’s degree in horticulture systems with a minor in entomology from Oregon State University in 2011.  Along the way, she has studied the ecology of pitcher plants in North American bogs, participated in the restoration and conservation of native Pacific Northwest prairies and rivers, and worked on farms and in gardens. Her love of nature, gardening, cool weather and social justice has inspired her to use and teach fight climate change in all aspects of her life. All the credit for climate change related education and initiatives in the Clallam County Master Gardener Program, and inspiration for the presentation at the AEC goes squarely to the volunteers. 

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