Keynote Speaker (9:00 to 10:15 am)
Ursula Schuch: Going Native — A Whole System Approach
Landscapes in urban areas have been evolving with designers using different plant palettes including exotic, adapted non-native, and native plants. Reconciliation ecology studies how human habitats can be transformed to support native species with the goal to create sustainable environments. This presentation will discuss how native plants may be used in such designs and explore the pros and cons of including non-native plants in sustainable landscape designs.
Ursula Schuch, Extension Specialist and Professor in the School of Plant Sciences, has statewide responsibility in environmental horticulture. She presents seminars and workshops for professionals in the green industry and conducts research to address relevant issues in horticulture production practices and landscape management. She has evaluated plants for drought tolerance and salinity tolerance. Current research projects include cultivar trials of pomegranates, identifying the causal agent of palo verde broom, and production of specialty crops in hoop houses.