2026 Forestry and Wildlife Research and Practice Review

Wednesday January 14th, 2026 from 8:30am-3:30pm.

Location: Cloquet Forestry Center, with an online option for those who require it

A female presenter stands in front of an auditorium, presenting to a diverse audience comprised of natural resource managers and students.

Join us for SFEC's flagship event! The purpose of this symposium is to present new applied research, knowledge gained through practice, and case study findings relevant to regional natural resource managers, with a focus on silviculture, forest management, and forest-associated wildlife. This focus includes topics related to policy, economics, inventory, remote sensing, and other topics pertaining to forests and associated with natural resources stewardship.

The audience is professional natural resource managers. Presentations and posters will emphasize results and management implications. We encourage folks to join us in-person, but we do have an online option available for those who need it. 

CEs: 6 CEs; 3.5 SAF CFEs

Cost: SFEC members: $75, nonmembers $140, students $40. Registration cost is the same for in-person and remote attendance. All registrants will have access to recordings and other content. 

Accessibility: We will be indoors for the duration of the symposium. A nursing mother's room with supplies is available; reach out to Lane Moser at [email protected] for this and any other accommodations. 

Lodging: We have lodging available at the CFC; for questions and reservations please contact Rylee Cyr at [email protected].

Agenda

8:30 am - Welcome

8:35 am - Speaker Block 1

  • Developing a resilient wildfire workforce in the Great Lakes region using an Indigenous model of sustainability
    Bonnie Horgos, UMN-Forest Resources Department
  • A mechanical alternative to FDn33 acceleration strategies
    Dan Wiley, MN DNR Forestry
  • Stand 57: A stand-level climate adaptation silviculture demonstration 
    Kyle Gill, UMN-Cloquet Forestry Center
  • Morticulture: Snag dynamics and longevity in red pine dominated stands of Minnesota
    Gregory Harris, UMN-Natural Resources Science and Management Graduate Program 

9:35 am - Poster session and break

10:05 am - Speaker Block 2

  • Wildlife responses to alternative harvesting in black spruce forests of northern Minnesota 
    Josh Bednar, Natural Resources Research Institute
  • An ecological framework: Combining high-density LiDAR and ecological surveys to characterize structural complexity in black spruce peatlands
    Josh Kolasch, Natural Resources Research Institute
  • State of Minnesota's black spruce: A birds-eye view
    Steve Kolbe, Natural Resources Research Institute
  • Chronic Wasting Disease environmental research in Minnesota
    Diana Karwan, UMN-Forest Resources Department

10:55 am - Break

11:10 am - Speaker Block 3

  • Aitkin County group selection harvests
    Ryan Mackey, Aitkin County
  • Northern red oak 10-year recovery from logging damage
    Brian Schwingle, MN DNR Forest Health
  • Quaking aspen potential in the Agassiz Lowlands Ecological Subsection: Gustafson Camp SNA 
    Michael North, MN DNR Wildlife
  • Aspen nest tree selection by woodpeckers in the Agassiz Lowlands 
    Michael North, MN DNR Wildlife

12:00 pm - Lunch

1:00 pm - Speaker Block 4

  • Minnesota's future forests
    Brian Huberty, Minnesota Forestry Association
  • How will a changing climate affect Minnesota's trees and forests
    John Du Plissis, Natural Resources Research Institute
  • Hydrologic changes following EAB and pre-disturbance management in black ash wetlands
    Erin Clark, UMN-Natural Resources Science and Management Graduate Program
  • Golden-wing warbler breeding ecology
    Stephen Nelson, Natural Resources Research Institute

2:00 pm - Break

2:25 pm - Speaker Block 5

  • Can deer repellent help floodplain hardwoods succeed? A demonstration study
    Caleb Redick, US Army Corps of Engineers
  • Does source of native mycorrhizal fungi matter to eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) seedlings?
    Mikayla Haynes, UMD
  • Five-year seedling performance in a floodplain forest underplanting along the Upper Mississippi River
    Lydia Voth Rurup, UMN-Forest Resources Department
  • Northern lowland hardwood forests: Learning from experience, managing for change
    Martha Sample, UMN / Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS)
  • How loggers identify and protect sensitive soils during their operations
    Lane Moser, UMN-Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative 

3:25 pm - Closing