David Coyle, Assistant Professor, Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University
“The times, they are a-changin’: southern forest health extension in the age of social media.”

Seminar is held at 11 a.m. in Conference Room 1101 in the SFWS Building, 602 Duncan Drive, Auburn, AL.

• Faculty, students and the public are invited to attend this free program.
• Complimentary cookies and coffee will be served.
• CFEs are available by request.
• Advanced registration is not required.
• Parking is available on the 3rd and 4th floors of the South Quad parking deck on Duncan Drive, directly across from the SFWS Building. See Parking Services on Level 2 to obtain a visitor pass.

Abstract:  The life of an extension professor truly is an exercise in flexibility. As southern forest health is threatened by native and invasive insects, fungi, and plants, as well as improper management and climatic issues, there is a seemingly endless list of things one has to know. The role of the extension professor is to provide education to landowners, land managers, and professionals. Each of these groups requires a different delivery and outputs, yet each of these groups still needs accurate information and effective management strategies. Not surprisingly, social media use is growing in its popularity and effectiveness – but remains just one tool in the extension toolbox. This seminar will discuss the major forest health issues facing the southeastern region today, and will also touch on different methods used by extension professionals to communicate with stakeholders.

Biography:  Dr. David Coyle is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University. His Extension Forestry program focuses on forest health and invasive species management in forest types across the Southeast. Prior to Clemson, Dave ran the Southern Regional Extension Forestry – Forest Health and Invasive Species program, which provided hands-on training, electronic resources, and other services pertaining to management of native and invasive forest insects, plants, and diseases to forestry professionals throughout the southeastern U.S. Dave grew up on a farm in Harmony, MN and completed his B.A. in Biology at Luther College. He then moved to Ames where he finished his M.S. in Entomology and Forestry at Iowa State University, followed by a move to South Carolina where he worked as a technician for the USDA Forest Service – Southern Research Station Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research. He completed his PhD in Entomology at the University of Wisconsin and a postdoc at the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. At UGA, Dave spent several years working on various forest health issues in the Southeast, covering both hardwood and conifer systems. Dave has extensive experience with southern forest pests, silviculture, management, and woody biomass systems. He serves on the Board of Directors and is President-Elect for the North American Invasive Species Management Association, is on the Advisory Committee for the Southern IPM Center, and is Co-Director for the ProForest group at the University of Florida. You can find Dave’s forest health outreach work at http://southernforesthealth.net/, or find him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/southernforesthealth/), Twitter (@drdavecoyle), or Instagram (drdavecoyle) where he regularly posts about invasive forest pests, silviculture, and forestry in general.