The HTIRC, along with Purdue’s Institute for Digital Forestry and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, hosted the North Central Forest Pest Workshop September 29 – October 2 with the theme of “Application of Digital Technology for Forest Health.” The event included a day-long field tour of HTIRC and digital forestry research at the Purdue’s Richard G. Lugar Forestry Farm and Martell Forest. HTIRC staff Caleb Kell and Dr. Aziz Ebrahimi shared projects on resistance breeding of
butternut and chestnut, and Dr. Mike Saunders presented research featuring oak management using prescribed fire and shelterwood treatments.
The meeting format also included state and provincial forest health reports and research presentations. A half day was reserved for presentations about HTIRC research and the latest digital forestry information from the Institute for Digital Forestry.
The North Central Forest Pest Workshop (NCFPW) is an annual gathering of persons interested in forest health issues facing the north central portion of North America. This region encompasses Manitoba and Ontario in Canada; and Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin in the United States. The 2025 NCFPW attracted 70 plant pathologists, forest entomologists, foresters, researchers, students and more.