Join us for a virtual symposium focused on the role of native plants in this conversation about the changing nature of our climate. Featuring speakers from the New England region, we will examine current climate change patterns and their implications for the future of the region’s plant life, key factors for building climate resilience, and how key players can make resilience possible. We will start with a big-picture conversation about how climate change is affecting New England now. The second hour will be dedicated to how and why native plants are important to the climate change conversation. Then the final/third hour will focus more directly on your own backyard vis a vis engaging with and planting native plants.

10:00 AM-11:00 AM – CLIMATE CHANGE AND NEW ENGLAND

Dr. Elizabeth Burakowski, Research Assistant Professor, University of New Hampshire,

Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space Climate in the northeastern United States has shifted remarkably over the past few decades, with notable impacts on ecosystems and society. Trends include warmer and shorter winters, fewer days with continuous snow cover, changes in leaf out dates and chilling periods, and dramatic swings in precipitation and drought. How will the climate choices we make today affect native plants in the future? This talk will provide an overview of climate trends past and future, based on historical observations and future climate model projections. Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Burakowski is Research Faculty at the Institute for the Study of Earth Oceans and Space at University of New Hampshire. She is also an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Earth Sciences. Dr. Burakowski earned her Ph.D. in earth and environmental science in 2013, studying the climate impacts of deforestation in the northeastern United States. She has coauthored over two dozen publications on New England climate change, including the 2021 New Hampshire Climate Assessment. Dr. Burakowski is an avid perennial and vegetable gardener and enjoys eliminating invasive plants in her yard for sport.

11:00 AM-12:00 PM – NEW ENGLAND PLANTS IN THE ANTHROPOCENE

Uli Lorimer, Director of Horticulture, Native Plant Trust

With no place on earth directly or indirectly untouched by human activity, what role do our native plants play in this uncertain future? Biodiversity has been shown to be the key to ecosystem resilience and designed spaces like gardens have an increasing impact on local and regional ecosystems. Uli will discuss how the use of regionally appropriate, genetically diverse native plants offer crucial resources for humans and wildlife alike. UIi Lorimer is the Director of Horticulture for Native Plant Trust. He oversees the facilities and operations at Garden in the Woods and at Nasami Farm. Uli brings 20 years of experience working with native plants in public gardens with previous positions at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Wave Hill Garden and the US National Arboretum. He is a tireless advocate for the use of native plants in designed spaces through his public speaking, writing, lectures and media appearances. Uli feels most grounded with his hands in the soil.

12:00 PM-1:00 PM – NATIVE PLANTS, YOUR BACKYARD AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Trevor Smith, Design and Education Manager, Weston Nurseries

Trevor Smith will take you past the scary numbers and the heartbreaking photographs and break out what sorts of things you can actually do about climate change in your own backyard. He will discuss the plant-soil connection, the importance of biodiversity and overall how native plants help the climate via hydrology, habitat, and restoring carbon cycling. Come with your questions about native plants and your own garden, container garden, or local greenspace. Trevor Smith is Design and Education Manager at Weston Nurseries in Massachusetts. He holds several landscape certifications and is a past president and a current trustee of the Ecological Landscape Alliance. He is an award-winning regenerative landscape designer, specializing in green infrastructure, native plant design, habitat creation, and implementation of ecological design principles. He is passionate about the natural world which inspires his commitment to sustainable landscaping practices in an era of climate change.

Please note: We do not make video or audio recordings of classes or programs available after the fact, because we believe education is interactive, with instructors and students building a community and culture of learning. Some programs may be recorded strictly for instructor-training purposes. Please visit this page to review this and other FAQs about our policies.