Kansas Arborists Association
70th ANNUAL SHADE TREE CONFERENCE
|
January 14-16, 2026
Online Registration Event Location: Hilton Garden Inn, 410 S 3rd St, Manhattan KS Hotel Block Room Rate Information will be available after November 10. Conference documents: 2026 Conference Schedule Registration Form |
2026 Conference Schedule
Registration opens 30 minutes prior to the first session each day.
Wednesday, January 15 – ADVANCED ARBORISTS TRAINING WORKSHOP
8:00 Don Blair - Tree Worker Electrical Safety and Incident Avoidance
Breaks at approximately 9:15 and 10:45
12:00 Lunch – Provided
1:00 ASCA Case Capsule: Lessons from the Field
2:15 Break
2:30 Danielle Shannon - Climate Adaptation Strategies for Urban Forest Management (virtual)
3:15 Sam Hill – Standards to Specifications: Using the A300 to Achieve Your Tree Care Goals
4:30 Tree Trivia
5:00 Social with Exhibitors – Includes complimentary drinks and appetizers
Thursday, January 16 – SHADE TREE CONFERENCE
8:00 Welcome – Bailey Patterson, KAA President
8:15 Chuck Conner – Common Problems of Trees in the Landscape
9:15 Introduction of Exhibitors
9:30 Matthew McKernan – Diagnosing Tree Problems with Extension Resources
10:30 Break
10:45 Geoffrey Donovan – How Trees Make Us Safer, Healthier, and Wealthier
11:45 Lunch – on your own
1:00 Sam Hill - Are Your Pruning Practices due for an Upgrade?
2:00 Kansas Arborists Association Business Meeting
2:45 Skyler Adamson – Smart Selection of Fruit Trees for Public Landscapes
3:30 Break
3:45 Ryan Rastok – Essential Knots & Hitches
5:00 Social with Exhibitors – Cash Bar
6:30 KAA Banquet
Friday, January 17 – SHADE TREE CONFERENCE
8:30 Andrew Jones – Cabling Made Easy
9:30 Dan Wills – Understanding Commercial Vehicle Regulations
10:30 Break
10:45 Skyler Delmott – Eat Your Trees: Intro to Tree Foraging
11:45 Lunch – on your own
1:00 Andrew Jones – Cabling Made Easy Demonstration
2:00 Pesticide Regulations – Kansas Department of Agriculture
(CEU for Kansas Commercial Pesticide Applicator Licensees – 1 core hour)
3:00 Closing Remarks/Adjourn
ISA CEUs will be available and announced during the sessions
Registration opens 30 minutes prior to the first session each day.
Wednesday, January 15 – ADVANCED ARBORISTS TRAINING WORKSHOP
8:00 Don Blair - Tree Worker Electrical Safety and Incident Avoidance
Breaks at approximately 9:15 and 10:45
12:00 Lunch – Provided
1:00 ASCA Case Capsule: Lessons from the Field
2:15 Break
2:30 Danielle Shannon - Climate Adaptation Strategies for Urban Forest Management (virtual)
3:15 Sam Hill – Standards to Specifications: Using the A300 to Achieve Your Tree Care Goals
4:30 Tree Trivia
5:00 Social with Exhibitors – Includes complimentary drinks and appetizers
Thursday, January 16 – SHADE TREE CONFERENCE
8:00 Welcome – Bailey Patterson, KAA President
8:15 Chuck Conner – Common Problems of Trees in the Landscape
9:15 Introduction of Exhibitors
9:30 Matthew McKernan – Diagnosing Tree Problems with Extension Resources
10:30 Break
10:45 Geoffrey Donovan – How Trees Make Us Safer, Healthier, and Wealthier
11:45 Lunch – on your own
1:00 Sam Hill - Are Your Pruning Practices due for an Upgrade?
2:00 Kansas Arborists Association Business Meeting
2:45 Skyler Adamson – Smart Selection of Fruit Trees for Public Landscapes
3:30 Break
3:45 Ryan Rastok – Essential Knots & Hitches
5:00 Social with Exhibitors – Cash Bar
6:30 KAA Banquet
Friday, January 17 – SHADE TREE CONFERENCE
8:30 Andrew Jones – Cabling Made Easy
9:30 Dan Wills – Understanding Commercial Vehicle Regulations
10:30 Break
10:45 Skyler Delmott – Eat Your Trees: Intro to Tree Foraging
11:45 Lunch – on your own
1:00 Andrew Jones – Cabling Made Easy Demonstration
2:00 Pesticide Regulations – Kansas Department of Agriculture
(CEU for Kansas Commercial Pesticide Applicator Licensees – 1 core hour)
3:00 Closing Remarks/Adjourn
ISA CEUs will be available and announced during the sessions
2026 Conference Speakers
Donald F. Blair is internationally recognized for his innovations in tree care safety, equipment, and training. Founder of Blair’s Arborist Equipment, LLC (1975) and author of Arborist Equipment (1995), Blair has spent six decades advancing arboriculture worldwide. He received the 2023 MAC-ISA Lifetime Achievement Award and has lectured internationally, including to the German Arborists Association. Don has always maintained that the most effective aerial rescue is the one that is avoided through a thorough understanding of the hazards inherent in working in proximity to energized power lines. He will review these hazards and appropriate preventative measures in accordance with current industry standards of practice.
The American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA) supports arborists who provide expert consultation, research, and testimony on tree-related issues. It promotes high standards in tree appraisal, risk assessment, and management through education, certification, and ethics. Three ASCA arborists will share stories of trees and challenging decision-making.
Danielle Shannon is a climate adaptation specialist and the coordinator of the USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub, and staff at Michigan Technological University and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science. Danielle supports natural resource professionals and landowners seeking to help ecosystems cope with and adapt to a changing climate. She will present tree species in our region predicted to be most well adapted to future climate scenarios.
Sam Hill is the founder of Sam Hill Tree Care in Dallas, TX, and chairs the ANSI ASC A300 Committee, developing national tree care standards. He also serves on the ISA Appeals Committee. In recent years, updates to pruning terminology, philosophy, and specifications have refined how we talk about, prescribe, and perform pruning—building on long-standing fundamentals while adding new features and fixing bugs. His presentation will help you upgrade your pruning practices and specifications.
Chuck Conner is a Community Forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation in the Kansas City region. He has over 38 years of experience as a professional forester. He has previously worked for the forestry departments of Southern Illinois University, South Dakota State University, and Purdue University; has ten years’ management experience in the landscaping industry; and is an ISA Certified Arborist, Urban Forest Professional and TRAQ qualified.
Matthew McKernan graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture and works as a Horticulture Extension Agent for K-State Extension in Sedgwick County. His session will demonstrate how to use Extension tools to diagnose and resolve common tree, shrub, and landscape issues. Plan to practice with these resources, using real-world scenarios to enhance your ability to improve the health of our green spaces.
Dr. Geoffrey Donovan spent 23 years at the USDA Forest Service researching the benefits of urban trees with particular emphasis on the health benefits. Since leaving the Forest Service, he has started his own company, called Ash and Elm Consulting, that helps clients to make the business case for urban trees. His presentation breaks down research showing how trees boost public health, raise property values, and reduce crime, giving attendees talking points to demonstrate the value of tree care to clients.
Skyler Adamson coordinates the Lawrence Fruit Tree Project, where he has spent 17 years planting trees, growing fruit, and teaching orchard care to create spaces where people can eat, learn, and connect. In his presentation you'll learn how to choose productive fruit tree cultivars that thrive with minimal care. He’ll cover species profiles, maintenance strategies, site placement, and human-tree interactions to help the arborist create resilient, high yielding public trees.
Ryan Rastok has been working with trees for two decades. As an arborist and forest entomologist, he has worked with trees in many ways: forest entomology, forest health, rural forestry, arboriculture (residential, line clearance, municipal, teaching). He is an ISA Certified Tree Climber (CTC) evaluator and has been climbing trees in some capacity for most of his career. Credentials: BCMA, CTC, TRAQ, KAA certified with an MS in Forest Entomology.
Andrew Jones, founder of Rooted Arbor Care in O’Fallon, Missouri, is an ISA Certified Arborist, TRAQ qualified, TCIA Certified Tree Care Safety Professional (CTSP) and contributing author for ISA News and TCIA magazine. He specializes in large and hazardous tree removals, crane work, advanced rigging, and structural pruning. His presentation aims to demystify tree cabling and encourage its use as an effective tool for tree preservation.
Technical Trooper Dan Wills started with the Kansas Highway Patrol in 2004 and transferred to Troop I, the Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Enforcement Troop, in 2015. In 2020, Trooper Wills became an instructor for CMV classes. He will offer a brief discussion on size and weight, CDL, and medical certification requirements, plus common violations and Q&A.
Skyler Delmott is a KAA Certified Arborist, BCMA and RCA with Wellnitz Tree Care. As arborists, we're expected to be tree experts, but how often do we explore the untapped edible potential of the landscape trees we care for? His session presents foraging as a practical way to build credibility, engage clients, and gain knowledge you can use professionally and personally.
Donald F. Blair is internationally recognized for his innovations in tree care safety, equipment, and training. Founder of Blair’s Arborist Equipment, LLC (1975) and author of Arborist Equipment (1995), Blair has spent six decades advancing arboriculture worldwide. He received the 2023 MAC-ISA Lifetime Achievement Award and has lectured internationally, including to the German Arborists Association. Don has always maintained that the most effective aerial rescue is the one that is avoided through a thorough understanding of the hazards inherent in working in proximity to energized power lines. He will review these hazards and appropriate preventative measures in accordance with current industry standards of practice.
The American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA) supports arborists who provide expert consultation, research, and testimony on tree-related issues. It promotes high standards in tree appraisal, risk assessment, and management through education, certification, and ethics. Three ASCA arborists will share stories of trees and challenging decision-making.
Danielle Shannon is a climate adaptation specialist and the coordinator of the USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub, and staff at Michigan Technological University and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science. Danielle supports natural resource professionals and landowners seeking to help ecosystems cope with and adapt to a changing climate. She will present tree species in our region predicted to be most well adapted to future climate scenarios.
Sam Hill is the founder of Sam Hill Tree Care in Dallas, TX, and chairs the ANSI ASC A300 Committee, developing national tree care standards. He also serves on the ISA Appeals Committee. In recent years, updates to pruning terminology, philosophy, and specifications have refined how we talk about, prescribe, and perform pruning—building on long-standing fundamentals while adding new features and fixing bugs. His presentation will help you upgrade your pruning practices and specifications.
Chuck Conner is a Community Forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation in the Kansas City region. He has over 38 years of experience as a professional forester. He has previously worked for the forestry departments of Southern Illinois University, South Dakota State University, and Purdue University; has ten years’ management experience in the landscaping industry; and is an ISA Certified Arborist, Urban Forest Professional and TRAQ qualified.
Matthew McKernan graduated from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture and works as a Horticulture Extension Agent for K-State Extension in Sedgwick County. His session will demonstrate how to use Extension tools to diagnose and resolve common tree, shrub, and landscape issues. Plan to practice with these resources, using real-world scenarios to enhance your ability to improve the health of our green spaces.
Dr. Geoffrey Donovan spent 23 years at the USDA Forest Service researching the benefits of urban trees with particular emphasis on the health benefits. Since leaving the Forest Service, he has started his own company, called Ash and Elm Consulting, that helps clients to make the business case for urban trees. His presentation breaks down research showing how trees boost public health, raise property values, and reduce crime, giving attendees talking points to demonstrate the value of tree care to clients.
Skyler Adamson coordinates the Lawrence Fruit Tree Project, where he has spent 17 years planting trees, growing fruit, and teaching orchard care to create spaces where people can eat, learn, and connect. In his presentation you'll learn how to choose productive fruit tree cultivars that thrive with minimal care. He’ll cover species profiles, maintenance strategies, site placement, and human-tree interactions to help the arborist create resilient, high yielding public trees.
Ryan Rastok has been working with trees for two decades. As an arborist and forest entomologist, he has worked with trees in many ways: forest entomology, forest health, rural forestry, arboriculture (residential, line clearance, municipal, teaching). He is an ISA Certified Tree Climber (CTC) evaluator and has been climbing trees in some capacity for most of his career. Credentials: BCMA, CTC, TRAQ, KAA certified with an MS in Forest Entomology.
Andrew Jones, founder of Rooted Arbor Care in O’Fallon, Missouri, is an ISA Certified Arborist, TRAQ qualified, TCIA Certified Tree Care Safety Professional (CTSP) and contributing author for ISA News and TCIA magazine. He specializes in large and hazardous tree removals, crane work, advanced rigging, and structural pruning. His presentation aims to demystify tree cabling and encourage its use as an effective tool for tree preservation.
Technical Trooper Dan Wills started with the Kansas Highway Patrol in 2004 and transferred to Troop I, the Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Enforcement Troop, in 2015. In 2020, Trooper Wills became an instructor for CMV classes. He will offer a brief discussion on size and weight, CDL, and medical certification requirements, plus common violations and Q&A.
Skyler Delmott is a KAA Certified Arborist, BCMA and RCA with Wellnitz Tree Care. As arborists, we're expected to be tree experts, but how often do we explore the untapped edible potential of the landscape trees we care for? His session presents foraging as a practical way to build credibility, engage clients, and gain knowledge you can use professionally and personally.