Conference

In the urban environment trees and fungi are inseparable. Oftentimes, we only tend to see the forest for the trees, instead of the fungi. The purpose of this webinar is to begin seeing the realities of the urban forest – that it isn't just trees. The role fungi play in keeping trees alive, and on the other hand shortening their life, is not only critical to arborists and clients, but also those of us who maintain and build landscapes around these trees. As professionals, we can bring this world to life for our clients, protect their assets from needless damage during construction, and bring immense value through deeper understanding. This one hour lecture will cover ID skills for decay fungi, introduce ecology of mycorrhizal fungi, and simple techniques for preventing the effects of harmful fungi during and after construction.

Kyle McLoughlin is a Board Certified Master Arborist who has delivered numerous workshops and lectures on plant pathology and the relationship between trees and fungus. He is the City of Burlington’s Supervisor of Forest Planning and Health and owner and principle arborist of Ironwood Arboricultural Solutions. He has practiced arboriculture in Canada, the United States, and Australia. Before becoming an arborist, Kyle was a wilderness guide specializing in edible wilds.

In this 60- minute session our speaker will demystify the reasons why it’s so hard to get engaged employees – and share 4 key steps to improve your results. If getting staff to show up, and to follow the systems you've created is a challenge, then this seminar will help you to get the breakthrough thinking you need to solve the problem once and for all.

Jacki is a sought-after landscape business coach, teacher and speaker. She brings a career full of landscape business and team management experience – both as a landscape contractor and as a business coach. Just like many of you, her passion for landscapes and plants far outweighed her business management talent for many years. Fast forward 30 years, and she leverages both her hard-learned business acumen plus her passion for helping entrepreneurs and managers, in everything she does for the landscape profession. As a professional speaker, workshop facilitator, teacher and business coach, Jacki focuses on helping others grow their businesses, their managers, and their success. Jacki has over 200 published magazine articles to her credit and is Employers of Choice instructor for the GROW program. In her spare time whenever that is… Jacki enjoys being in her kayak, on her bike or snowshoes exploring the rivers and forests near her Muskoka, Ontario home.

There are dozens of grant or loan opportunities with governments you should be utilizing. Employment agencies to connect you with eager workers. Partnership programs available through the CNLA will also save you a lot of money. In this period of economic risk, you have to know what you are eligible for and go get it!

Peter Co-founded Oriole Landscaping in 1986, building a reputation of high-quality and superior service. Oriole has dozens of awards including twice for most innovative design, and the for best overall landscape. Peter enjoys giving back, currently Chair of Landscape Canada, Past Chair of the Contractors Group in Ontario, and a Director at Landscape Ontario. Peter’s mission is to bring excellence to the landscape industry in any way possible. Peter has spearheaded many community projects and led seminars at industry events to share what he has learned. Peter added consulting to his services so he can mentor other professionals directly. Peter currently lives in Toronto with his wife Alana and their two boys. He has had a lifelong interest in running, skiing, canoeing, hockey, and mountain biking.

A technical discussion covering various design approaches, equipment and material selections, construction techniques as well as some insight into the 'is it a pool or a pond' debate and the implications for building public natural pools.

With an Ecosystem Management Technologist diploma from Sir Sanford Fleming School of Natural Resources, Derek founded Quiet Nature in 1999 to harness his passion for the great outdoors. His deep love of the natural world manifests itself through his many hobbies, including fishing, hunting, camping, canoeing, and tending to his small farm in Ayr.

At the helm of Quiet Nature, Derek works to develop a continued understanding of natural swimming pool systems and design practical outdoor living spaces.

With passion, stories and exciting photography, Carol will present an overview of the ever expanding interest in butterflies and native plant gardening. Landscapers will leave feeling inspired to enter this profitable, purposeful, and fun market niche! Included are promotion and networking ideas, and quick ways to bring the landscapers' knowledge up to speed, in plain language.

Carol Pasternak is an author, photographer and sought after Motivational Nature Speaker who has been raising butterflies with her families for 40 years. In her free time, she can be found in ditches, meadows and forests, scouring every crevice for signs of wildlife. She encourages others to become conservation activists through her Facebook Page The Monarch Butterfly Crusader. Her book How To Raise Monarch Butterflies A Step-by-Step Guide for Kids, has sold 50,000 copies and received international acclaim. Her newest book, 5 Butterflies, excites young people to pause their devices in favour of exploring our natural world. Carol lives with her partner Audrey Kouyoumdjian in Toronto, Ontario.

This session will explore the maintenance process from Spring to end of season. Explaining in detail how to enhance properties throughout the year, Brad will include equipment use, pruning techniques and mulching practices. Brad will also discuss how to acquire high-end residential clients and how to bill accordingly for work being done.

Brad has a B.A. from Trent University, a Horticultural Diploma from Mohawk College and is Landscape Industry Certified. Brad worked 17 years as Maintenance Manager for Evergreen Landscaping in Hamilton where he won the first ever CNLA National Award for Grounds Maintenance. He followed up with a second in 2009 which was also the year he started Shades of Summer Landscaping. In the years to follow, Brad's company won three Don Salivan Awards and three more CNLA National awards for Maintenance. Brad currently sits as chair for the Grounds Management sector group.

Spend an hour with two veteran landscape company owners, both of whom started their businesses from scratch as ‘solo-preneurs’. Drawing from rich, hard-learned lessons, your two speakers in this seminar took their businesses in very different directions – both of which have been successful and fulfilling.

Learn to navigate the various phases your business will be challenged to grow through to be successful.

If you as an owner, or the company leadership team are trying to figure out the path forward – join in the conversation and learn pro-tips from two seasoned landscape professionals, to help guide you ahead.

Peter started working in the landscape industry in 1975 and after finishing college and university began his own business in 1985. A member of LO since 1988 and a avid participant of LO these past 15 years, Peter's desire is to help those new to the industry to discover their niche not only within the landscape industry but in life as well as life and work have a vital impact upon one another. Peter will share his journey of 37 years as an owner of small business and what he has discovered about how he has found his niche both in the industry but in life as well.

Jacki Hart, CLM | Consulting by Hart

Jacki is a sought-after landscape business coach, teacher and speaker. She brings a career full of landscape business and team management experience – both as a landscape contractor and as a business coach. Just like many of you, her passion for landscapes and plants far outweighed her business management talent for many years. Fast forward 30 years, and she leverages both her hard-learned business acumen plus her passion for helping entrepreneurs and managers, in everything she does for the landscape profession. As a professional speaker, workshop facilitator, teacher and business coach, Jacki focuses on helping others grow their businesses, their managers, and their success. Jacki has over 200 published magazine articles to her credit and is Employers of Choice instructor for the GROW program. In her spare time whenever that is… Jacki enjoys being in her kayak, on her bike or snowshoes exploring the rivers and forests near her Muskoka, Ontario home.

This keynote is for people who feel like they should be further along in business than they are. Using analogies, parallels and examples from Mother Nature, it speaks to the underrated yet invaluable experiences and lessons we can harness to develop the strong business relationships that help to make our businesses flourish.

Alyssa “Twist” Light is a keynote speaker who teaches people how to cultivate the connections and build the relationships that move business forward. Twist went to trade school for Goldsmithing and made the 20th anniversary gifts for Blue Rodeo. Her rather unique book, Lessons from the Lake, speaks how we can approach business differently, taking cues from Mother Nature to grow our networks and deepen relationships. A self proclaimed lover of events, Twist’s mission is to make meeting planners look like superheroes and their attendees feel like rockstars.

Find out what annuals and perennials are new and exciting and have the best garden performance as determined by our test plantings in southern Ontario.

Rodger Tschanz is a Research Technician in the Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph. He is a teacher of horticulture, conducts plant breeding experiments and for over 20 years has been managing the University's ornamental trial program.

Learn proven strategies for hiring and growing a high-performance team.

– How to develop a proven system to attract and win better candidates. Learn key strategies to better filter the best candidates into your hiring funnel, along with how to get the most out of their first three months working with you.

– How to unlock the power of proper onboarding. Learn the fundamentals to successful first impressions with your new hires. Plus, learn how to leverage clear career paths to keep the best talent.

– How to build consistently high-performing teams. Learn how to develop systems to eliminate waste through staff training and actionable audit processes.

Mark co-founded LMN in 2009 based on his company’s need for landscape software that simply didn’t exist. Now the industry’s best business management software, he credits LMN as a catalyst for helping him scale TBG Landscape from backyard business into one of the Top 100 landscape contractors in North America. Since his first lawn care customer in 1999, Mark has been passionate about educating the industry on best practices for building better businesses.

Now a sought-after speaker and business coach, he regularly shares his insight at events including GIE+Expo, Snow and Ice Management Association (SIMA), the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) and Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association, to name a few. Having recently completed the transition from landscape business owner to tech entrepreneur, Mark is committed to transforming talented landscape professionals into better business owners through industry-leading software and learning opportunities.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-bradley-13a799102/

The thrill of marketing and selling 'magazine worthy' projects gets all of us fired up. Learning about the latest products, tools, and fancy pieces of equipment keeps our inner-kid excited. Chasing high profits as your number one goal satisfies your ego's need to prove that you could do it, and do it on your own. But, it's the systems, key people, and overhead needed to create a legitimate business that keep you in the game for the long-haul. Pursuing the wrong things in the wrong order can put you out of business in a heartbeat. Having made the mistake of chasing growth without being systemized, Derek has recently taken a step back, reduced the size of his company, and placed the focus on running a much tighter ship. It's a multi-year journey but one that is essential to your business and personal survival.

With an Ecosystem Management Technologist diploma from the Sir Sanford Fleming School of Natural Resources, Derek founded Quiet Nature in 1999 to harness his passion for the great outdoors.

From starting his landscape business as a weekend venture out of the back of a beat-up Volkswagen, through to overseeing the current operation of 20-plus staff, multiple crews, and countless moving parts, Derek has experienced all the ups, downs, successes, and pitfalls along the way. The biggest take-away? Don't chase the wrong things. Growth without systems is a recipe for disaster!

Are you tired of seeing the same plants being used over and over? Do you ever wish you could recommend a wider selection of trees and shrubs to your clients, but aren't sure which ones would be successful? Jen and Sean will be talking about some proven woody plant gems that are sure to inspire many of the challenging landscapes you work in. Special consideration will be given to environmental suitability, soil preference, pest tolerance and the ecological connections that these plants can provide. There will also be a Q&A period where Jen and Sean will be welcoming any questions on woody plant issues that you may be dealing with in your business.

Jen is a Horticulturalist, and Consulting Arborist with Green Bird Horticultural Ltd in Caledon where she works closely with her amazing husband, Johl, to provide consulting services in Tree Protection, Arboriculture and Plant Health. This is a new adventure for Jen, up until the spring of 2022, Jen was the Provincial Nursery and Landscape Specialist with OMAFRA for over 23 years. She holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Horticulture from the University of Guelph. She is also an ISA Certified Arborist and a Certified Whole Life Coach. Jen is passionate about trees, nature and mentoring and has delivered 100’s of interactive lectures and workshops across the province. Jen has written extensively for many industry publications including Landscape Ontario magazine, the Ontario Arborist and the ONNurseryCrops blog. She is also co-author of “BugFinder”, the ultimate scouting app for nursery and landscape professionals.

Sean Fox, B.Sc. (Hort), Cert. Arborist | Foxwood Botanical Consulting

For over 25 years, Sean has been deeply immersed in the world of horticulture, with particular fascination directed toward the ecological origins of the plant selections that have become part of our cultivated landscapes. As a trained horticulturist, ISA Certified Arborist and practicing rare plant conservationist and field botanist, Sean spent over two decades working at University of Guelph Arboretum, most recently as Senior Research Associate and Manager of Horticulture/Curator of Collections & Conservation. His passion for plant exploration and propagation led to the continuation of this mission as Seed Acquisition Manager & Field Botanist at Verbinnen’s Nursery, where he’s found great joy in helping to bring previously unavailable native plants into cultivation for distribution around the province. Sean currently splits this time with his independent consulting work at Foxwood Botanical focused on projects ranging from botanical publications and plant surveys to ecological restoration initiatives and tree advocacy programs. As a frequent lecturer, media guest and contributor to both industry and mainstream publications over many years, Sean enjoys combining and sharing all of his experiences to help highlight the amazing plants that we are fortunate to share this planet with.

The seminar is perfect for the owner looking to sell in the next 5 yrs or the business owner looking to grow by acquiring other businesses. Topics to cover include how companies are valued and the components of value, value drivers, how value is enhanced, and the sale/purchase process.

Greg Clarke is a Partner with SB Partners LLP. SB Partners is an accounting firm located in Burlington, ON specializing in private owner-managed companies. His portfolio includes a number of landscaper construction companies and growers. Greg is a trusted advisor to his clients helping them with not only their annual compliance needs but focusing on tax structuring and strategic planning for their business. He has worked with a number of clients to assist them in structuring of their business for growth and worked through the sales process.

All new habitats come from seed. The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration calls for all citizens and levels of government to invest in nature by restoring healthy native plant habitats that provide us with a wealth of ecosystem services from crop pollination, soil fertility, and flood mitigation. Horticulturalists around the world are well-positioned to have the greatest positive impact by growing more native plants to support restoration efforts. We will discuss large scale seed conservation and plant restoration projects across Canada and around the world. Learn more about how you can contribute to the International Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, simply by growing local native seeds, and supporting local green business.

Stefan is a botanist who specializes in native plant seeds, and community dynamics. He received his MSc in Biology from the University of Guelph, studying plant-pollinator interactions, and his PhD in Biology from McMaster University studying applied ecology. Stefan has experience growing commercial wildflower seed, and prescribing seed mixes, as well as implementing and assessing seed-based habitat restoration projects. He has worked with the St. Williams Nursery, the Toronto Botanical Garden and Carolinian Canada. As founder of the Ontario Plant Restoration Alliance, Stefan has also partnered with conservation agencies across southern Ontario to safeguard and restore wild seed sources.

Process reporting is an essential management function for the successful delivery of construction projects and for real-time inventory. It relies on tangible data collected from construction job sites and company yards which is then used to compare actual work performed to that planned. Ineffective progress monitoring may cause project delays, while effective progress monitoring strategies allow prompt corrective measures for affected projects. Therefore, finding a practical monitoring method is exceedingly essential, assuring data collection efficiency and reducing the risk of error.

With advances in sensor technology, the ability of drone’s to correctly survey field ranges are an essential gain of employing drones in construction. UAV-based photogrammetry is primarily based on imageries collected with small onboard cameras. It typically requires ground control points (GCPs) with surveyed locations where the geometrical properties of an object on site are generated from its photo image. A 3D point cloud of the target area can be estimated via direct or indirect geo-referencing. Not only does this improve productivity, but it also fills the gaps in skills shortage through technology and savings in the budget.

This presentation aims to cover the aspects of using drones as the automated monitoring process and develop a knowledge framework for the effective implementation of automated progress monitoring using photogrammetry via unmanned automated vehicles (UAV).

As the Ecology Team Lead at GEMS, Jose Haig has worked extensively with landscape professionals to create ecologically sound solutions for their projects. Jose has extensive experience creating specialized soil mixtures, working with excess soil regulations, working with landscape and construction industry professionals, collecting and analyzing UAV data, and implementing innovative solutions utilizing photogrammetry. Jose holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies and a Certificate in Urban Ecologies from York University and a Master’s Degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from the University of Northern British Columbia.

The last two years has seen an upswell of Ontarians turning their attention to the importance of outdoors in response to a rethink of urban life priorities and desire to re-connect to nature. Since 1885 The Niagara Parks Commission has been responsible for managing the Niagara River corridor and in response to regional and global events has adjusted management techniques through its history. The Niagara River corridor sees 14 million visitors annually to this global destination and Niagara Parks through its stewardship role is expected to preserve and commemorate the historical, cultural and environmental significance of this corridor on behalf of the Province of Ontario. This session will demonstrate Niagara Park’s commitment to the stewardship of this provincial property to protect the future of public green spaces through sustainable tourism management practices. The presentation focuses on adjustments the NPC has made to balance its approach to environmental management considering changing visitation patterns including solutions for public wayfinding, shoreline management and growing its internal apprentice program for the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture.

Steve Barnhart, M.L.A., OALA has over 20 years’ experience in Environmental planning and design with the last 17 years in public sector landscape architecture. He is currently a senior executive with the Niagara Parks Commission responsible for the organization’s environmental planning and stewardship, cultural heritage and public realm design. Steve oversees the development policy and planning strategy to delivery on the organization’s mandate of environmental and cultural stewardship for the Niagara River corridor. Prior to Niagara Parks Steve was with City of Hamilton responsible for park planning and implementation of open space capital projects and managing forestry and horticulture. Steve has worked on a wide range of projects including master plans, heritage site restoration, coastal wetland rehabilitation, waterfront development, transportation, storm water management systems and visual impact assessments. Steve is a registered Landscape Architect with the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects and currently serving as its two-year term president. Steve graduated with a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Guelph and with a Bachelor of Earth Science from the University of Waterloo. In 2016 Steve received the OALA Public Practice award.

"Inclusion" is a word that causes any number of reactions that range from complete agreement to complete confusion and everything in between. In this session, we're going to approach inclusion from a curious perspective. It will be a space for you to ask questions that you don't have other places to ask, and to learn about things that you might be feeling nervous about.

Alyssa “Twist” Light is a keynote speaker who teaches people how to cultivate the connections and build the relationships that move business forward. Twist went to trade school for Goldsmithing and made the 20th anniversary gifts for Blue Rodeo. Her rather unique book, Lessons from the Lake, speaks how we can approach business differently, taking cues from Mother Nature to grow our networks and deepen relationships. A self proclaimed lover of events, Twist’s mission is to make meeting planners look like superheroes and their attendees feel like rockstars.