from the field to the lab

Visiting botanist to speak on the biodiversity of New Caledonia.

Please join us for a seminar on Tuesday, October 31, at 12:30, by Gildas Gateble, from Institut Agronomique neo-Caledonien. The title of his talk will be: “An overview of New Caledonia’s plant biodiversity: Origins, characteristics, and threats, with a focus on the genus Oxera” . The seminar is co-sponsored by the UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation […]

Cold tolerance range of Redbay Ambrosia Beetle overlaps range of Sassafras albidum.

Formby, J.P., Rodgers, J.C., Koch, F.H. et al. Biol Invasions (2017). Native Lauraceae (e.g. sassafras, redbay) in the southeastern USA are being severely impacted by laurel wilt disease, which is caused by the pathogen Raffaelea lauricola T. C. Harr., Fraedrich and Aghayeva, and its symbiotic vector, the redbay ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus Eichhoff). Cold temperatures are currently the […]

Growth phenology of loblolly pine from large genetic study.

Our postdoc Tania Quesada has been working on the genetics of growth in southern pine. Here is a new paper on the genetic architecture of shoot phenology in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) from the CCLONES (Comparing Clonal Lines On Experimental Sites) study. Genetic control of growth and shoot phenology in juvenile loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) […]

Laurel wilt interview today!

I did a live interview with WGCU’s Julie Glenn today. Hear the latest on the disease and efforts to fight it: http://news.wgcu.org/post/fungus-beetle-duo-threaten-florida-avocado-crop-everglades-trees

Visit to Torreya State Park

High above the Apalachicola River, in 1833 H.B. Croom discovered a rare native conifer.  Torreya taxifolia is named for the eminent American botanist John Torrey, and the current range only extends through 3 counties on the Florida-Georgia border. It is estimated that 99% of the population has been lost in the past century, most likely […]

Laurel Wilt Conference

CONFERENCE ON LAUREL WILT DISEASE AND NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS: IMPACTS, MITIGATION AND THE FUTURE It is my pleasure to invite you to attend this national conference addressing laurel wilt disease, to be held in Coral Springs, Florida, June 16-18, 2015. Laurel wilt is one of the most damaging invasive exotic tree diseases to affect forests in […]

We need your help: Florida Pine Diplodia Survey

  A disease new to our region appears to be causing significant damage to native pine species in North and Central Florida, and may be spreading. We need your help to determine the current extent and learn more about this potentially damaging  disease to such a economically and ecologically important tree species. Click here to see […]