Saturday, August 10, 2024
This evening, I (John) will embark on a trip to visit several European countries: Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland.
Destination Countries
During the first week of this trip, I will join colleagues from N.C. State University and attend the 16th International Christmas Tree Research and Extension Conference. We will fly to Copenhagen, then travel to the Tornøes Hotel in Kerteminde for the conference. In addition to indoor oral and poster presentations, the conference hosts have scheduled three field excursions for attendees to learn more about the Danish Christmas tree industry.
In 2003, back during my working years, I hosted the 6th meeting of this conference series in Henderson, N.C. After that meeting, I organized this informal assemblage into an official IUFRO Christmas Tree Working Group (2.02.09) and served as its coordinator for six years. I’m looking forward to once again joining my old colleagues and becoming acquainted with new ones at this meeting while being brought up to date on the progress of their efforts in Christmas tree research and extension.
Locataion of Main Venue and Excurson Sites
for the 2024 CTRE Conference
After the meeting, I will fly from Copenhagen to Vilnius, Lithuania, with a fellow retiree from N.C. State University. There, we’ll join a 10-day tour of the capital cities of the Baltic States (Vilnius, Riga, and Thallin) and end up in Helsinki, Finland. This will be my first visit to these countries and I’m eager to experience their culture and natural beauty first-hand.
Location of Baltic Tour Cities