WISCONSIN — During more than a year of COVID-19, Forest Service staff across the nation have pivoted to virtual events, workshops and trainings to protect the health and safety of participants.

But a recent workshop on beech leaf disease, offered by Eastern Region State & Private Forestry, reaped another benefit of going virtual—attracting nearly 10 times the attendees of a typical in-person event, including participants from around the world.

The beech leaf disease workshop, held April 15, shared the latest information on this widespread forest health threat. The disease strikes American beech trees, an important species for wildlife throughout the eastern United States, particularly for black bears.

Workshops like this are held regularly by State & Private Forestry field offices on a variety of issues, from forest health to best logging practices, but before the pandemic they were usually in-person events. Cameron McIntire and Danielle Martin—the Forest Service plant pathologists who planned the beech leaf disease workshop—weren’t sure what to expect when they switched to a webinar format.

The result was almost shocking. Instead of the typical 30 to 40 local participants for an in-person event, 305 people attended the webinar. The online format also drew international participation, with attendees from 14 countries as far away as Japan and the Netherlands. One participant presented from South Africa.

“It allowed us to reach a wider variety of people and use a wider variety of speakers,” said Martin, who is based at the Morgantown Field Office in West Virginia.

McIntire, based at the Durham Field Office in New Hampshire, mentioned affordability as another benefit. Registration was free for participants who would normally pay to attend. Attendees even qualified for free educational credits.

Although participants miss the face-to-face interactions of an in-person event, the webinar format can enhance other kinds of communication.
“Some people who might be hesitant to speak up during a meeting were also able to ask questions in the chat, which was helpful,” said Martin.

The workshop received widespread positive feedback. McIntire and Martin gave a big shout out to two Forest Service colleagues in the Durham Field Office, Sherri Wormstead and Autumn Jauck, for helping make it a success.

Eastern Region State & Private Forestry programs collaborate with states, sovereign tribal nations, landowners and other partners to protect, conserve and manage forests and community trees across the 20 Northeast and Midwest states and the District of Columbia.