Soil assessment is a critical component of soil management for urban trees. The goal of this presentation is to provide an overview of soil assessment for urban trees. Soil quality will be introduced and defined while focusing on the key physical, chemical, and biological properties. Methodologies and interpretations for each soil property will be presented. Approaches for utilizing soil quality indices in urban tree management will be discussed and demonstrated. This presentation is directed towards providing applicable information for arborists, urban foresters, and other urban tree managers. This presentation will feature findings from research that has been funded by the TREE fund.

About Bryant Scharenbroch

Bryant Scharenbroch is an Associate Professor of Soil Science at University of Wisconsin-
Stevens Point and a Research Fellow of Center for Tree Science and The Morton Arboretum.
Bryant has a Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a M.S. in Plant
Science from University of Idaho, and B.S. degrees from University of Wisconsin – Stevens
Point in Urban Forestry and Forest Management. Bryant’s research interests are pedology and
soil quality. Bryant has published over fifty peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. He
has presented over two hundred times at industry and scientific conferences. Bryant has served
as a Chair of the Urban and Anthropogenic Soils Division of the Soil Science Society of America
and as Associate Editor for Arboriculture and Urban Forestry.

As an expert in legal cases pertaining to trees, Mr. Bloch will teach about atypical tree law cases of which arborists should be aware. They involve fatalities, personal injuries, monetary appraisals and other tree and landscape issues. Having a better understanding of these cases will enable arborists to better guide their clients and their own operations.

Mr. Lew Bloch

Lew Bloch is a nationally known ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist/Landscape Architect with over 40 years of experience. He is the author of Tree Law Cases in the USA and co-author of The Guide for Plant Appraisal (9th edition), has been a contributor for many publications, and has lectured in several capacities. He has testified in numerous law cases involving fatalities, personal injuries, property damages, neighbor disputes, negligence cases, appraisals of monetary values, and other situations. Lew is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of ISA, and a Honorary Lifetime Member award from ASCA.