Urban Tree Health: New Pest and Disease Challenges

Richard W. Harper is a University of Massachusetts Amherst professor and extension urban forestry specialist. A board-certified master arborist, he researches and teaches urban and community forestry. Harper holds a bachelor's degree from Lakehead University and an arboriculture doctorate from UMass.

Aaron Donato is an arborist and ecologist with 18 years of experience. He stewards New York City urban natural areas and previously coordinated regional conservation programs. Donato holds a master's degree in forestry from Yale University and a bachelor's degree in natural resources from Cornell University.

Nathan Hunter is an experienced food and garden educator. A Manhattan College graduate who built its first rooftop garden, he previously managed agricultural and biogas projects in Tanzania. He organizes around local food access and is an avid gardener and plant enthusiast.

Ben Osborne is assistant commissioner of forestry and horticulture for New York City Parks. With the agency since 2007, he oversees tree planting and care. A board-certified master arborist, Osborne holds a bachelor's degree from New York University and a master's degree from the University of Vermont.

Margery Daughtrey, a senior extension associate in the School of Integrative Plant Science’s Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology section at Cornell University, leads research helping growers manage ornamental crop diseases such as powdery mildew. Partnering with New York growers and national initiatives, she develops sustainable, science-based disease management strategies for the industry.

Nick Dletschler manages fieldwork and the biocontrol release program for the New York State Hemlock Initiative at Cornell University. Previously a state pest surveyor, he holds conservation degrees from State University of New York Environmental Science and Forestry and Cornell University. His research focuses on plant-pest interactions and predator ecology in forests.

Scott Cosseboom is a plant pathology senior research associate at Cornell University's Hudson Valley Research Laboratory in Highland, New York. Formerly a University of Maryland postdoctoral fellow, his research focuses on epidemiology, fungal pathogen modeling and fungicide resistance in specialty crops.