President’s Message

Thank goodness for fall!

After a very hot and humid August it is time for some cooler weather, some Husker football, and the best time of the year to plant trees.  September and October are fantastic months to install trees, and for evergreens, a great time to begin harvest.  Hopefully everyone has had a good season and fall is the final push to wrap that up.  It is already time to begin planning for next season as well. 

Inventories are very tight on certain kinds of trees and plants, but especially in the three hottest items I see; conifer, columnar, and small ornamental patio trees.  There is a lot of pressure on conifers specifically and that won’t be changing for the near future.  Shortages there have been predicted for years but the pandemic and the overall strength of the green industry the last couple years has pushed that shortage into its own version of a pandemic.  Prices are rising due to many factors, but good old supply and demand has its place, too.  Evergreens for too long been undervalued compared to deciduous trees and the market correction on them is now.  The challenge of finding certain evergreens gives an opportunity to use other trees.  Junipers are making a comeback, but finding other deciduous substitution options are as well.

The NNLA Summer Field Day at the University of Nebraska’s East campus gave us a chance to look at some of those other options. While a bit warm (although it could have been worse) it was a great time to get back to UNL and visit some of the things the Agriculture and Horticulture departments are doing.  Walking around campus, listening to the speakers and checking out the Backyard Farmer Gardens made for a fun day, but it was also really nice to see each other in person.  I enjoyed wandering around campus.  It had been a long time and I had forgotten how many plant specimens are there to study.  I appreciate the work put in by the people who planned, hosted, and sponsored the Field Day and the feedback we got was very encouraging.

Coming soon will be the Winter Conference.  The board is very excited to be planning the event at Innovation Campus at UNL on December 7th and 8th.  Several speakers are already booked and we are finalizing the topics.  It will be a very educational and fun event and I look forward to seeing everyone there.  Please come to any of the board members with ideas you have for speakers or panel ideas, or even better, jump in and give us a hand.  There is always room on a committee, and for a few hours a year you can help with the event planning and format.  Your membership and help is appreciated and any suggestions or assistance from you is important.  NNLA is your organization. 

Have a great and successful fall,

Sincerely,

Jason Kuehl, NCNLP, NNLA President