Naja Kraus is a Forest Health Scientist in DEC’s Bureau of Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from SUNY Binghamton and a Master’s degree in Plant Science and Environmental Forest Biology from SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry. She has been with DEC’s forest health programs since 2005 starting with a focus on forest defoliators and moving to work on terrestrial invasive plants. Currently, she coordinates the DEC response to giant hogweed and kudzu.

Rob Cole is a Forester in the DEC’s Forest Health Unit. He earned his AAS and BS in Forestry from SUNY-ESF and became an ISA Certified Arborist in 2016. Rob has worked on numerous projects over the years. He currently focuses on oak wilt and other oak pests, as well as white pine decline across the state.