Biodiversity

FRI-B01: Designing for Diseased Forests: Bridging Plant Pathology, Arboriculture, and Landscape Architecture

Friday, September 18, 2026

10:45 AM - 12:00 PM PT

1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW

Speaker(s)

Jenna M. Wu, Assoc. ASLA (she/her/hers)

Designer
SCAPE Landscape Architecture, DPC
New York, New York
Matthew A. Borden

Research Scientist - Plant Pathologist
Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories & Arboretum
Charlotte, North Carolina
Andrew J. Balon (he/him/his)

Arborist
The Bartlett Tree Experts
Lincoln, Rhode Island

As new tree and shrub diseases alter the performance of familiar species, landscape architects must adapt their design and stewardship strategies in real time. This session explores how research, field management, and design practice intersect to guide responsible decision-making in public and institutional landscapes facing ecological uncertainty.

Learning Outcomes:

Integrate interdisciplinary perspectives—including pathology, arboriculture, and design—to make evidence-based, collaborative decisions in institutional and public landscapes.
Develop adaptive planting and long-term stewardship strategies that balance aesthetics, ecological resilience, and maintenance feasibility.
Identify emerging tree and shrub diseases and pests that threaten commonly specified landscape species and evaluate their ecological, management, and design implications.
Communicate research and risk-informed planting strategies to non-specialist audiences through compelling graphics that guide long-term maintenance, stewardship, and resilient planting specifications.