Practical Botany for Site Designers
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Streamable MP4/PDF
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Agenda
Webinar instructions will be emailed 24-48 business hours before the date of the webinar.
Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before start time.
Monday, August 25, 2025
9:00 am – 4:00 pm CDT
Agenda:
Defining Botany and Exploring Plant Processes
Presented by Tristram G. Seidler, Ph.D.
- Botany versus horticulture
- What a plant is—and what it is not
- Plant science: classification, structure, physiology and ecology
- Understanding plant processes: photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration
Classifying Plants
Presented by Tristram G. Seidler, Ph.D.
- Understanding plant taxonomy
- Plant classification system:
- From kingdom to species
- Classification criteria
- Naming conventions
- Subspecies and cultivars
Understanding Plant Morphology
Presented by Tristram G. Seidler, Ph.D.
- Characteristics of the entire plant
- Characteristics of plant organs
- Leaf structure and arrangement
- Bracts and flowers
- Pollination and reproduction
Native and Invasive Plants
Presented by Devani Jolman
- Explanations of plant nativity (native, non-native, invasive)
- The history and spread of invasive plants
- The Case for Planting Native
Plants and Pollinators
Presented by Devani Jolman
- The history of plants and pollinators – Coevolution
- Pollination – what it is and how it works
- Gardening for the Future
Case Study: Designing a Residential or Small Commercial Site
Presented by John Giordanengo, MS
- Seed mix development for optimal native plant diversity
- Diverse revegetation strategies
- Ecological succession, nature’s recovery process and how it applies to site design
- Integrating soil amendments, hydrology, revegetation, and soil surface protection to support diverse native landscapes
Webinar Instructions
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.
Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.
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Windows 10 or higher, macOS 11 or higher, Linux, Google Chrome OS
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Google Chrome (most recent 3 versions)
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Credits
Engineers
6.0 PDHs
Architects
6.0 HSW CE Hours
AIA - American Institute of Architects
6.0 HSW LUs
Landscape Architects
6.0 HSW CE Hours
LACES - Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System
6.0 HSW PDHs
Continuing Education Information
This webinar is open to the public and is designed to qualify for 6.0 PDHs for professional engineers, 6.0 HSW continuing education hours for licensed architects, and 6.0 HSW continuing education hours for landscape architects in all states that allow this learning method. Please refer to specific state rules to determine eligibility.
HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida (Provider License No: CEA362), Indiana (License No. CE21700059), Maryland, and New Jersey (Approval No. 24GP00049300). HalfMoon Education is deemed an approved continuing education sponsor for New York engineers, architects and landscape architects via its registration with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System (AIA/CES) and the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LA/CES). Other states do not preapprove continuing education providers or courses.
The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System has approved this course for 6.0 HSW LUs (Sponsor No. J885). Only full participation is reportable to the AIA/CES.
The Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System has approved this course for 6.0 HSW PDHs. Only full participation is reportable to the LA CES.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the webinar for those who attend the entire course and score a minimum 80% on the quiz that follows the course (multiple attempts allowed).
*On-Demand Credits*
The preceding credit information only applies to the live presentation. This course in an on-demand format is not pre-approved by any licensing boards and may not qualify for the same credits; please consult your licensing board(s) to ensure that a structured, asynchronous learning format is appropriate. The following pre-approvals may be available for the on-demand format upon request:
6.0 HSW LUs (AIA)
6.0 HSW PDHs (LA CES)
Speakers
John Giordanengo, MS
Principal/Owner, Economic Restoration Services and Founder, Economic Restoration InstituteMr. Giordanengo’s drive to improve the science and practice of ecological restoration grows out of a passion for conserving natural resources. Since 1996 he has provided a broad range of services to local, state, and federal agencies, as well as private clients to restore riparian, wetland, and upland habitats from the peaks to the prairies. With 32 years of experience, and over 250 restoration-related projects completed, his knowledge spans the Western US, with experience in Ecuador, Mexico, El Salvador, and elsewhere. This includes dozens of stream and riparian restoration projects, wildfire hazard mitigation and restoration, wetland and pond restoration, and a wide range of upland restoration and erosion control projects. In the process, he has amassed a lexicon necessary for ecologists, architects, and engineers to co-design and implement highly complex restoration projects. Mr. Giordanengo’s experience includes watershed, river, and ecological health assessments, restoration design, permitting and regulatory compliance, seed mixes and plant palettes, bioengineering, erosion control, and restoration curricula development. He enjoys managing complex stakeholder engagement processes across public, private, and non-profit constituents in support of watershed and regional planning efforts. In 2016, he led a team of over 30 federal, state, and local entities to develop Living Streambanks, a Manual to Bioengineering Treatments for Colorado Streams for the Colorado Water Conservation Board. For ten years Mr. Giordanengo has been developing a design system for restoration hydroseres (establishment zones) within riparian and wetland systems, and he continues to refine a revegetation matrix for Colorado that enhances the ability to deliver the highest quality revegetation designs. His experience in ecological, conservation, business, and economics has recently been wrapped into Ecosystems as Models for Restoring our Economies (To a Sustainable State), 2nd Edition. This book follows systems thinking approaches to apply ecological restoration processes to our economies.
Devani Jolman
Scientist/Ph.D. candidate - Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, VAMs. Jolman is a 3rd year Ecological Sciences PhD Candidate at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Her research focuses on understanding the ecological consequences of natural plant hybridization (crossing of two species) by studying wild hybrid blueberries across Virginia. Ms. Jolman research relies on the classification of plants to identify hybrids and their parent species; she uses genetics, plant traits, and pollinator interactions to explore the impact of hybrid plants. With the presence of hybrid plants increasing due to climate change, this work is increasingly relevant for conservation, management, and restoration purposes. In 2018, Ms. Jolman received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Calvin University in Michigan; her undergraduate research worked to inventory the flora of West Michigan, relying heavily on plant identification in the field. During this time, Ms. Jolman also worked at a local Michigan Nature Center to develop educational programs for the county park. After graduation, She spent three years in Vermont as a Park Interpreter and Park Manager for Vermont State Parks, planning and facilitating ecological park programs for a diverse array of park patrons while managing park operations. Along with pursuing her PhD in Virginia, Ms. Jolman currently works with numerous organizations (Norfolk Botanical Gardens, schools, retirement groups, Master Naturalists, local non-profits, Botanical Society of America’s Planting Science, etc.) to provide plant-focused educational programs to the public. She believes strongly in the equitable communication of science and strives to continually bridge the gap between academic research and the public through education.
Tristram G. Seidler, Ph.D.
Extension Assistant Professor of Biology with the University of Massachusetts AmherstMr. Seidler was trained in plant ecology at the University of California Santa Cruz, and obtained his PhD at Harvard University, where he studied the spatial distribution of tropical trees in the ultra-diverse rainforest of Malaysia. He continued with a post-doc at Imperial College of London’s Centre for Population Biology, where he studied invasive plants in the herbaceous community of Argentina’s flooding pampas. After returning to the US, he took a job with Native Plant Trust, a not-for-profit organization that monitors rare plants in New England, among other activities. While there, he ran the Royal Kew Garden’s Millennium Seed Bank’s Northeast US seed banking program, and built a seed bank for the seeds of rare and endangered plants for Native Plant Trust. In 2013 he took a faculty position at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is Curator of the University of Massachusetts Herbarium, a medium-sized herbarium of 250,000 specimens, and teaches courses in botany and ecology.
AIA Info
AIA Provider Statement:
HalfMoon Education Inc. is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number J885. All registered AIA/CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider of learning program may be sent to AIA/CES (cesupport@aia.org or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).
This learning program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.
AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA/CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA/CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.
Course Title: Practical Botany for Site Designers
Delivery Method: Live Online
Course Description: This six-hour course focuses on practical botany concepts for use in site design, including plant classification, processes, and morphology. The course explores native and invasive plant characteristics, plant-pollinator relationships, and concludes with a case study that focuses on residential and commercial site design, emphasizing diverse revegetation strategies and integrating soil amendments.
Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective 1: Learners will be able to explain plant processes and describe how plant classification and morphology inform site design decisions.
Learning Objective 2: Learners will be able to identify native, non-native, and invasive plants and explain the ecological benefits of selecting and implementing native plants.
Learning Objective 3: Learners will be able to discuss plant-pollinator relationships, describe how pollination works, and how pollination is essential to a healthy ecosystem.
Learning Objective 4: Learners will be able to analyze residential and commercial site design case studies that focus on seed mix development, diverse revegetation strategies, and integrating soil amendments.
LUs: 6.0
LU Type: LU|HSWs
Prerequisites: None
Advance Preparation: None
Program Level: Intermediate
Course Expiration Date: 05/19/2028
Complaint Resolution Policy:
Complaints regarding this course can be emailed to fchapman@halfmoonseminars.org or by calling (715) 835-5900. A HalfMoon Education representative will respond within 72 hours to resolve the complaint, which will include, but not limited to, access to another CE activity at no or reduced cost or a full or partial refund. Each instance will be resolved on a case-by-case situation.
6 Knowledge Points
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