Workshops are flexible sessions that provide an opportunity for organizers to provide training on a specific skill, facilitate a group discussion, or lead other activities. They will be scheduled during the concurrent session blocks on June 23, 24, and 25. All workshops are free and open to all attendees.
Workshops Requiring Pre-registration
These workshops are free, but all participants must sign up during registration so organizers can contact you ahead of time regarding computer and program requirements.
Designing well spread and balanced samples using space filling curves and ancillary data
Tuesday, June 23 10:50am to 12:30pm
Organizers: John Hogland, USFS RMRS; Joseph St. Peter, University of Montana Fire Center
In this workshop we will explore how to set up a geospatial data science environment using Conda, use that environment to explore Raster Tools functionality, and create a well spread and balanced sample using ancillary data and space filling curves.
Robust sampling design in R: case studies with TEON and AIM
Wednesday, June 24 10:20am to 12:00pm
Organizers: Shale Hunter, US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station; Nicole Hupp, Montana-Dakotas Bureau of Land Management
A sound sample design is essential to the success of any monitoring effort. This workshop will first introduce participants to the necessary components of a sample design, followed by an interactive coding session to teach participants how to select spatially balanced samples using the Generalized Randon Tessellation Stratified algorithm (GRTS). Some familiarity with basic R and GIS concepts is suggested to ensure participants are able to get the most out of this workshop.
Open Workshops
These workshops will be part of the concurrent sessions and do not require pre-registration.
The Disturbance Ecology of Beavers and How Nature-Based Solutions Can Shape Forests & Watersheds
Organizers: Shelby Weigand, National Wildlife Federation; Elissa Chott, National Wildlife Federation
This workshop will demonstrate the complex landscape of partner-led and nature-inspired restoration efforts in Montana as a means to foster resilient riparian ecosystems. Topics will include beavers as a disturbance regime, beaver conflict resolution, public lands management and beaver restoration, and low-tech process-based restoration. Partners will present from nonprofits and agencies.
Dusting off the toolbox – Working group
Organizers: Sarah Bisbing, University of Nevada, Reno; Derek Churchill, Washington Department of Natural Resources; Bryant Nagelson, University of Nevada, Reno; Conor Phelan, University of Nevada, Reno
This workshop is designed to provide a discussion space for ongoing conversation and manuscript planning around the development of silvicultural prescriptions and use of silvicultural tools to meet critical wildfire and climate mitigation objectives. All are welcome to join in this conversation that will center on messaging, key knowledge gaps, and strategies for implementation (at scale) of ecological and pyro- silviculture.
Enabling conditions: What are the critical steps to widespread implementation of flexible NEPA compliance?
Organizers: Tyler Hoecker, Vibrant Planet & Pyrologix; Sophie Gilbert, Property and Environment Research Center; Derek Churchill, Washington Dept. of Natural Resources; Peter Nelson, Overstory Strategies
This workshop will gather experts in forest management and NEPA compliance to review bottlenecks and identify enabling conditions to unblock evidence-based management of forests for long-term health. The goal is to define procedures, information, and shared understandings that would allow for widespread use of fast, flexible, and environmentally protective NEPA compliance.
Forest Bioeconomy Adoption Pathways: Understanding Social Barriers, Ecological Resilience, Economic Incentives, and Technology Readiness
Organizers: Eric Walsh, University of Idaho; Kristina Bartowitz, University of Idaho; Laura Laumatia, Coeur d’Alene Tribe; Ashley Ballantyne, University of Montana
This interactive workshop explores the adoption of climate-smart forestry practices by Tribal, public, private, and family forest landowners and their effects on the bioeconomy and innovation. Through group dialogue and co-creation, participants evaluate social, ecological, economic, and technological factors shaping adoption and develop a shared framework to advance equitable, resilient forest bioeconomy pathways in the Western U.S.
Integrating spatially explicit restoration treatment effectiveness and beneficial wildfire to quantify ecological integrity
Organizers: Michael Case, The Nature Conservancy; Crystal Raymond, Western Fire and Forest Resilience Collaborative; Travis Woolley, The Nature Conservancy; Brian Harvey, University of Washington; Derek Churchill, Washington Department of Natural Resources; Kerry Metlen, The Nature Conservancy
Building on the collaborative work between The Nature Conservancy, Western Fire and Forest Resilience Collaborative, and partners, we will explore the state of the science on forest restoration treatment effectiveness and beneficial wildfire and facilitate inclusive discussions on ways that we can quantify the long-term effects on ecological integrity.
Leveraging the ForestGEO plot network to advance our understanding of temperate forest dynamics
Organizers: Sara Germain, University of Wyoming; Tucker Furniss, University of Wyoming
We highlight research using large-scale, longitudinal forest plots to study temperate forests of North America and monitor resilience to global change. This workshop links: 1) an oral symposium of work emerging from cross-plot comparisons, and 2) a workshop to cultivate collaborations and supplementary data streams that support new research.
Minimizing tradeoffs: A discussion of sharing – sparing – TRIAD approaches
Organizers: Klaus Puettmann, Oregon State University; Austin Himes, Washington State University, Zander Evans, Forest Stewards Guild; Christian Messier, University of Quebec; Matt Betts, Oregon State University
This discussion section explores different zoning approaches (land sharing/sparing, TRIAD) and the associated trade-offs between diverse ecosystem services and values associated with forests.
NAUFRP and educating the next generation of forest ecologists and managers
Organizer: Charles Goebel, Department of Forest, Rangeland & Fires Sciences, University of Idaho
The National Association of University Forest Resources Programs (NAUFRP) works to help advance the health, productivity, and sustainability of America’s forests. This worksop will follow the NAUFRP special session to provide an opportunity for exploring and discussing the topics presented.
Rehabilitating Old-Growth Forest Definitions: Reconciling Multiple Perspectives
Organizers: Anna Yang, ORISE USFS NRS; Roi Ankori-Karlinsky, ORISE USFS NRS; Frank Halprin, USFS Eastern Region; Jacob Fraser, USFS NRS; Christel Kern, USFS NRS
Old forests are places of reverence, valued by multiple stakeholders. Yet the question of what is an “old-growth” forest is often a point of fierce disagreement. In this workshop, we bring multiple perspectives–academic, silvicultural, Indigenous, social–to reconcile and operationalize old-growth definitions for better science and management of Eastern forests. Recognizing that old-growth forests are more than just trees, we welcome individuals from any discipline to join this conversation that will contribute to the co-creation of a flexible framework of characterizing these forests. This workshop will include a short synthesis of values, definitions, and characteristics of old-growth forests in the Eastern U.S., followed by 80 minutes of guided discussion among co-organizers, panelists, and workshop attendees.
Synthesizing changing drivers of dry conifer forest structure following long-term fire-exclusion across the western US
Organizers: Kevin Willson, Rocky Mountain Research Station; Paula Fornwalt, Rocky Mountain Research Station; Mike Battaglia, Rocky Mountain Research Station; Wade Tinkham, Rocky Mountain Research Station
Long-term land use change has altered processes that determine dry conifer forest structure, contributing to recent increases in fire severity. This workshop will evaluate methods and data availability to assess historical forest structures and environmental features that drove them to inform the future management of dry conifer forests.