Theme
The Resources We Manage
Our 2024 theme, “The Resources We Manage,” references all of the considerations that forestry and natural resources professionals need to reflect on when planning and implementing decisions on the ground. Resources mean many things to land managers: the values on the landscape; the services needed like air, water, food and fiber; the budget we work within; the tools we use; and the people we work with.
As the field of forestry evolves, forestry professionals are expanding their management skillsets to include expertise in new technologies, emerging forest product markets, community outreach, and other areas.
Joins us in Loveland, Colorado, September 17-20, 2024, to learn from your peers, grow your network within and beyond the sector, and develop as a forestry professional.
Subthemes
Subthemes help bring in additional elements of the convention to the program, provide direction to selected speakers, and bring cohesion to the technical program.
Meeting Objectives Through Active Management
The nation's forests face a suite of complex issues. Efficiently and successfully addressing them often requires some form of active management. Climate change, forest health, and wildfire mitigation are all examples of complex challenges that intensify other issues. This subtheme focuses on forest management optimizing landowner objectives and societal needs, while maintaining ecological and operational function.
Leveraging the Power of Platforms: Data, Tools & Platforms
Scientifically informed forest management relies on unbiased data that is consumable and readily available. Research and development (R&D) in the broad fields of remote sensing, artificial intelligence, big data mining, data analytics, and inventory data management solutions are producing products that are of immense value to forest managers. The ultimate objective of this R&D is to aid forest managers in developing more informed decision support systems that guide management, resulting in healthier and more productive forests. This subtheme is a home for those wishing to highlight these R&D endeavors and communicate products that improve a forester’s ability to better manage our forest resources.
Managing Our Message
As a profession, our messaging can often include too much jargon. As a result, the public generally does not know what forestry is, where their wood resources come from, or that thoughtful, well-planned management can have beneficial ecological outcomes. This communication gap has allowed misinformation and misinterpretation to proliferate. Take, for instance, new terms like "Proforestation" and "Improved Forest Management." They sound beneficial for forested ecosystems and gain easy support without fully grasping what they truly mean for forests and society. How can we bridge the information gap? This subtheme focuses on delivering easy-to-digest messaging, meeting people where they are, and providing the public and stakeholders with the information they need to support active forest management.
Building Our Capacity
We are at the crossroads of capacity development in the forestry sector. There is a necessity for increased capacity to address restoration goals, climate change resiliency, rural economic activity, and robust markets. To accomplish all these complex demands, the forestry sector requires innovative solutions that lead to infrastructure, markets, labor, science-based solutions, and public education. This subtheme addresses the need for additional capacity to accomplish all the goals and objectives that we have for managing forests across the country.
Working with Landowners
Finding New Solutions to Ongoing Challenges: The average parcel size of family forest ownerships continues to decrease and the number of small-scale forest ownerships increase. Adaptive solutions are required to carry out the necessary management to improve forest health, in addition to meeting financial and ecological goals. This subtheme showcases alternative management interests and techniques, new markets, financially accessible and user-friendly forest management decision support tools, as well as impactful technical, educational, and financial programs aimed at empowering landowners in the journey towards improved forest health.