Grow with Us - A Pecan Primer

This program is available online only.

We know that everything is bigger in Texas and the pecan, our state tree, is no exception. But did you know that the United States produces 80% of the world’s pecans? Because of this, it’s widely considered one of the most valuable nuts in North America since it grows here naturally, and worldwide demand has been growing in recent years. Join City Arborist Jessie Farris to learn about the history of pecans, fun facts, maintenance requirements, pest issues, and how you can get involved in Texas State Arbor Day.

Jessie developed a passion for conservation and native plants at Texas Christian University before graduating in 2017. She has been with the City of Dallas for three years as the Northwest District Arborist. When she’s not in the field or meeting with clients, Jessie’s focus is on public education, citizen science, and developing training materials for the City. She also serves on the City of Burleson Parks Board and as Secretary for the Trinity Blacklands Urban Forestry Council. Her work with the city led her to pursue a Master’s degree in Sustainable Natural Resource Management at Unity College. As part of her studies, she developed an environmental education curriculum to spread ecological awareness through a scientific perspective using outdoor labs and nature-based activities. She chose a PhD in Science Education to learn how to effectively teach students to understand how their decisions and actions affect the environment, while building knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to address complex environmental issues. She hopes to connect students and local communities to the natural environment while promoting active stewardship of its ecological resources to strengthen local and equitable resilience to climate change

Grow with Us is a series of online sessions from the Dallas Public Library - Seed Library and Dallas Environmental Quality and Sustainability hosting expert speakers to share practical, informative, and inspirational information about growing and urban agriculture in Dallas.