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Directory Profile for Stephanie Adams
- Assistant Professor and Extension Tree and Landscape Plant Health Specialist
- Focus Area: Trees, arboriculture, urban forestry, plant disease diagnostics, plant sciences
- Office:
- PLPM 406B
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 979-458-6370
- Resume/CV
Education
- Undergraduate Education
- B.S. Botany and Urban Forestry, Western Illinois University
- Graduate Education
- M.S. Plant Pathology, University of Georgia
- Ph.D. Forest Tree Pathology, School of Forestry, University of Florida, SAF Accredited Program
- Awards
- Illinois Arborist Association - Board of Directors Award, served as Program Director (3 years) 2023
- Illinois Arborist Association - Special Recognition Award 2024 for providing “…many years of dedicated service to the Illinois Arborist Assocation. Her recent introduction of the Plant Health Care Corner at the Annual Conference has made an irreversible impact on the quality of content and education that arborists receive.”
Professional Summary
Dr. Stephanie Adams is an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Tree and Landscape Plant Health with Texas A&M University and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology. She is a tree and plant pathologist and an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist (BCMA) with more than 26 years of experience in the tree care industry. Her work integrates applied field diagnostics, laboratory-based plant pathology diagnostics, and arboriculture education to support evidence-based tree health management.
In her Extension role, Dr. Adams provides expert advice in tree health and arboriculture and delivers professional and residential educational programming, including preparation for ISA Arborist Certification®. She also provides arboriculture consulting services to homeowners, municipal agencies, and industry, with an emphasis on diagnosis, management decision-making, and identifying long-term tree health goals. Her Extension efforts focus on translating plant pathology and soil–root science into practical guidance for practitioners and land managers.
Dr. Adams teaches undergraduate and graduate courses through Texas A&M University, including Introduction to Plant Pathology (PLPA 301/601); Society of American Foresters (SAF)-Accredited Forest Health Protection (PLPA 307/ECCB307), a cross-listed course between Plant Pathology & Microbiology and Ecology & Conservation Biology; Seminar (BESC 481); and the graduate-level course Plant Disease Diagnostics (PLPA 626). Her teaching emphasizes diagnostic reasoning, integration of biotic and abiotic stress factors, and applied problem-solving.
She earned a B.S. in Botany with a minor in Urban Forestry from Western Illinois University, an M.S. in Plant Pathology from University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. in Forest Tree Pathology from University of Florida’s School of Forests, Fisheries, and Geomatic Sciences, a SAF–accredited program. Dr. Adams is a member of Xi Sigma Pi (International Forestry Honors Society) and Sigma Xi (The Scientific Research Honor Society). She has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 2007 and achieved the BCMA credential in 2017. Since 2019, she has served as Chair of the BCMA Test Committee, overseeing exam development and credentialing standards.
Her technical expertise in applied plant health care includes tree climbing, soil remediation using air excavation tools and augers, pesticide application, and plant health care operations. She has experience diagnosing tree and plant diseases through laboratory assays, including microscopy, culturing, serological methods, and DNA sequencing, combined with field-based identification of pathogens, insect pests, and abiotic stressors. This combined applied and scientific background underpins her approach to tree health assessment, risk evaluation, and management recommendations.