NAFEW 2026 will take place at the University Center on the University of Montana campus in Missoula, MT from June 23-26, 2026. Please feel free to contact the planning committee with questions (info@nafew2026.org).
Important dates
Oral and poster presentation abstracts due: February 2, 2026
Early registration deadline: February 25, 2026
Dorm room reservation deadline: February 25, 2026
Regular registration deadline: May 17, 2026
Workshop: June 23-26, 2026
What is NAFEW?
The mission of the North American Forest Ecology Workshops is “to bring researchers, academicians, and managers together to foster dialogue and discussion of current issues related to basic and applied research in forested ecosystems in North America.” Since first starting in 1993, NAFEW is now held every two years.
The aim of the NAFEW is to fill the gap between meetings focused on basic science and those focused on technology transfer to forest practitioners by providing opportunities for forest ecologists to meet as a separate group and discuss new findings and trends in basic and applied ecology. NAFEW has now established itself through a series of successful workshops in various parts of North America. Workshops have covered a broad array of topics by addressing different individual conference themes. While the focus of the workshops has shifted towards an emphasis on plant ecology, presentations of work in other sub-disciplines have always provided interesting insights for discussions, and the participation of scientists and managers with a wide variety of expertise is encouraged. Each NAFEW is organized by a volunteer institution that agrees to host the meeting. More information about past workshops can be found here: https://nafew.org/
Conference planning committee
Andrew Larson, University of Montana, a.larson@umontana.edu
Sharon Hood, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, sharon.hood@usda.gov
Kim Davis, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, kimberley.davis@usda.gov
Justin Crotteau, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, justin.crotteau@usda.gov
Alina Cansler, University of Montana, alina.cansler@umontana.edu
Molly McDevitt, Blackfoot Challenge, molly@blackfootchallenge.org
Carl Seielstad, University of Montana, carl@firecenter.umt.edu