graduate students outside sfws building after graduation
Conference Agenda
| Tentative Agenda (As of 8/19/25) | Conference held within Central Time Zone, except where noted. |
|---|---|
| MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 | |
| 3:00 - 5:00 PM | Arrival/Registration - Prefunction Foyer |
| 5:00 - 7:00 PM | Evening Reception/Networking/Opening Remarks - Legacy Ballroom |
| Remarks: Deans, College of Forestry, Wildlife & Environment, Auburn University | |
| TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 | |
| 7:00 - 8:00 AM | Registration - Prefunction Foyer |
| Breakfast/Networking - Grand Ballroom | |
| Welcome & Opening Remarks - Auditorium | |
| 8:00 - 8:20 AM | Welcome: Janaki Alavalapati, Emmett F. Thompson Dean, College of Forestry, Wildlife & Environment, Auburn University |
| Opening Remarks: Steven Taylor, Senior Vice President for Research and Economic Development, Auburn University | |
| Keynote Session 1 - Auditorium | The "Three M's" as related to Forest Carbon: Market, Measurement, and Management |
| 8:20 - 10:00 AM | Introduction by Daowei Zhang, Assoc. Dean of Research, Alumni and George W. Peake Professor of Forest Economics, College of Forestry, Wildlife & Environment, Auburn University |
| Keynote Address 1: Evaluating the "markets" for forest carbon , Jesse Henderson, Project Leader, Forest Economics and Policy, U.S. Forest Service | |
| Q&A | |
| Keynote Address 2: Forest carbon at a crossroads: science, policy, and technology in a rapidly changing world, Chris Woodall, U.S. Forest Science and Policy, CTrees | |
| Q&A | |
| 10:00 - 10:30 AM | Break/Networking/Exhibits - Prefunction Foyer |
| Concurrent Session 1 - Multiple Locations | |
| 10:30 - 12:00 PM | Concurrent Sessions |
| Concurrent Session 1: Current Challenges and Opportunities for Pine Systems in the Voluntary Carbon Market, David Shoch, TerraCarbon LLC and Trisha Johnson, The Nature Conservancy (moderators) Balancing Conservation and Longleaf Pine Management- Market Expectations of Carbon Balance Sheets, David Shoch, TerraCarbon LLC. Landowner Challenges and Market Participant Challenges as Markets Change Accounting Methods and Buyers Change Expectations, Mark Fortune, Tim White, & Michael Lauve, NativState Short-term and Long-term Tradeoffs of High Initial Planting Densities Related to Aboveground Carbon Dynamics in Loblolly Pine, Adam Polinko, Mississippi State University Land Trust and Landowner Participation in Carbon Markets in Alabama, Thomas Reddick, Alabama Forest Land Trust Compelling New Model for Fostering Trust and Aligning Incentives, Paving the Way for the Seamless Integration of Biodiversity-Driven Carbon Solutions into Established Forest Management, Josh Parrish, Funga Fields to Forest, Utilization of Carbon Markets to Assist Landowners in Planting Regional-Specific Loblolly Pine Seedlings on Marginally Productive or Difficult to Manage Pastures and Croplands, Sarah Hall, American Forest Foundation |
|
| Concurrent Session 2: Forest Carbon Programs, Richard Hall (Moderator) Demand and Supply of Forest Carbon Credits in the United States, Srijana Baral Forest Carbon Programs, Warren Reed Chestnut Carbon: Scaling High-Integrity, Nature-Based Carbon Removal Across the U.S., Jake Blackstock Integrating Geospatial Applications with Spatial Finance Principles to More Clearly Define the Value Propositions for Forest-Based Climate Solutions, Richard Hall |
|
| Concurrent Session 3: Forest Measurements, New Tools, and Emerging Geospatial Technologies, Georgios Arseniou, Auburn University (Moderator) Quick Estimates of Carbon in Western Even-Aged Shortleaf Pine Forests Using Carbon-Basal Area Ratios, Curtis L. VanderSchaaf, Mississippi State University Forest Measurements, New Tools, and Emerging Geospatial Technologies, Warren Reed, ACR at Winrock International Advancing Aboveground Biomass Mapping in Forests of Alabama Using Multi-Source Earth Observation Data, Janaki Sandamali, Auburn University Precise Quantification of the Aboveground Carbon Stock of Urban Trees Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning Technology, Georgios Arseniou, Auburn University Synergy between Airborne Lidar and High-Resolution PlanetScope Imagery for Advancing Forest Aboveground Biomass Estimation in the Southeastern U.S., Nisham Thapa, Auburn University |
|
| Concurrent Session 4: Forest Management Contributing to Carbon Sequestration and Forest Resilience, and Landowner Income, Fred Cubbage (Moderator) Forest Carbon Consulting for Family Forests: Insights from an Emerging Practice, Anthony F. Pappas, Heritage Habitat & Forestry Optimizing Carbon and Timber Value- How Working Pine Plantations are Poised to Further Monetize Sustainable Forest Management, Pete Compton, Real Heritage Group Prescribed Fire Effects on Carbon Fluxes in a Longleaf Pine-Dominated Forest, Siddhartha Regmi, Clemson University Integrated Timber Investment Returns, Wood Fiber Stumpage Costs, and Forest Carbon Offset Costs for Global Planted Forests, Frederick Cubbage, North Carolina State University |
|
| Concurrent Session 5: Landowner Behavior in Response to Forest Carbon Market Development & Other Initiatives, Melissa Kreye, Forest Owner Carbon and Climate Education, Pennsylvania State University. (To be Updated) | |
| 12:00 - 1:15 PM | Buffet Lunch/Networking - Grand Ballroom |
| Keynote Session 2 - Auditorium | |
| 1:15 - 2:45 PM | Introduction by Adam Maggard, Extension Specialist & Harry E. Murphy Associate Professor, College of Forestry, Wildlife & Environment, Auburn University |
| Keynote Address 3: Beyond Carbon Counting: Hidden Dimensions of Ecosystem Carbon Studies, Jiquan Chen, Professor, Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, College of Social Science, Michigan State University | |
| Q&A | |
| Keynote Address 4: Forest resilience, Colette DeGarady, Director, Longleaf Pine Whole System, The Nature Conservancy | |
| Q&A | |
| 2:45 - 3:05 PM | Break/Networking/Exhibitons - Prefunction Foyer |
| Concurrent Session 2 - Multiple Locations | |
| 3:05 - 4:55 PM | Concurrent Sessions |
| Concurrent Session 6: Forest Carbon Markets, Jesse Henderson, U.S. Forest Service (Moderator) Forest Carbon Outlook, U.S. South, Gabriel Reis, Forest Carbon Analytics Positioning Southeastern US Forests in the Global Carbon Economy- Unlocking Access to the Expanding Article 6 International Carbon Market, Pete Compton, Real Heritage Group Crisis as Catalyst: How Credibility Shocks Within the Voluntary Carbon Market Reshape Forest Governance and Resilience, Idowu Kunlere, NESREA Measure Twice, Tokenize Once: Precision Forestry, Telemetry, and Carbon Monetization Strategy, Rex Allen Lester, Lesco Aviation Group Making Voluntary Carbon Markets Work for Small Landowners, Joshua Fain, Landyield |
|
| Concurrent Session 7: Balancing Carbon and Conservation Outcomes in Pine System Management Trisha Johnson, The Nature Conservancy (Moderator) Dynamics of Managing and Measuring Carbon Towards Restoration of Longleaf, Cat Chamberlain, The Nature Conservancy Restoring Longleaf and Shortleaf Pine Forests for Resilience and Ecological Benefits – Parallel but Unique Challenges- Steve Jack, Boggy Slough, T.L.L. Temple Foundation Managing Longleaf Forests for Our Future: A Climate-Smart Guide, Colette DeGarady, The Nature Conservancy Management for Carbon and Conservation in Pine Systems- (Hurricane Resiliency), Adam Polinko, Mississippi State University Grounded in the Soil Microbiome: Harnessing Forest Fungi to Support a Regenerative Forestry Transition in Southern Pine, Josh Parrish, Funga |
|
| Concurrent Session 8: Informing Forest Carbon Management and Policy through Integrated Modeling Approaches, Chad Papa, Michigan State University (Moderator) Carbon Credits from Albedo-Induced GWI for Landowners After Forest Conversions, Jiquan Chen, Michigan State University |
|
| Concurrent Session 9: Climate Smart Forestry, Adam Maggard, Auburn University (Moderator) A Globally Relevant Data-Driven Assessment of Carbon Leakage from Forestry, Adam J. Daigneault, University of Maine Economics of provisional Ecosystem Services of Traditional Agroforestry Systems Practiced in the Vindhya Range of Uttar Pradesh, Mayank Shukla, Manipur University Carbon Implications of Integrating Biochar into Southern Forest Nursery Operations, Ajay Sharma, Auburn University |
|
| Concurrent Session 10: Forest Resistance, Adaptation and Resilience, Chris Woodell, CTrees (Moderator) Higher Negative-Temperature Sensitivity and Interannual Growth Variability Accelerate the Growth Decline of High-Altitude Montane Forests in China, Liu Yang, Chinese Academy of Forestry Tree Characteristics and Drought Severity Modulate the Growth Resilience of Natural Mongolian Pine to Extreme Drought Episodes, Liu Yang, Chinese Academy of Forestry Evaluation of a Hand-Held Moisture Meter for Timely Dead Fine Fuel Moisture Measurement, Ziyu Dong, Ohio State University Managing for Carbon and Resilience: Implementation Strategies from a Landowner’s Perspective, Burke Lipscomb, Aurora Sustainable Lands Enhancing Forest Resilience Through AI-Powered Early Stress Detection and Adaptive Management, Ping Yang, Dynamic Pacific LLC. |
|
| 4:55 - 5:10 PM | Break/Networking/Exhibitions - Prefunction Foyer |
| Poster Session - Legacy Ballroom | |
| 5:10 - 6:45 PM | Poster Session/Networking/Refreshments - Prefunction Foyer |
| Extending Rotation Age of Loblolly Pine Plantations for Enhanced Carbon Sequestration and Financial Returns from Carbon Credits: Evidence from East Texas, Esther Kemigisha, Steven F. Austin State University Operationalization Requires Participation: Why Addressing Public Sentiment is Critical for the Future of Article 6.4, Sarah Regina Widderich, Penn State Trade-offs Between Timber Harvesting and Landscape-Level Carbon Storage Under Expanded Riparian Buffer Policies in Oregon, Keeryun Cho, Oregon State University Forest Landowner Carbon Market Participation as a Response to Property Taxation Concerns: Does a State-Level Relationship Exist?, Bailey Johns, University of Arkansas at Monticello Assessing Engineered vs Nature-Based Carbon Removal Pathways for Net-Zero: A County-Level Analysis in Virginia, Nafisa Nowshin Ahmed, University of Virginia Understanding the Impacts of Carbon Market Program Participation on Forest Management Practices, Samantha Schweisthal, Auburn University Local Environmental Influences on Oak Specific Gravity in the Eastern U.S. Forests, Jose Febles Diaz, Auburn University Developing Allometric Models to Assess Tree Biomass Allocation in Two Coastal Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii) Ecosystems, Favour Onyido, Auburn University Quantifying the Effect of Neighborhood Competition and Fire on Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Tree Growth, Favour Onyido, Auburn University Analysis of Tamarix chinensis Forest Characteristics, Salt Ion Distribution, and Non-Structural Carbohydrate Levels in the Yellow River Delta: A Spatial Study Based on Proximity to the Shoreline, Peili Mao, Forestry Institute of China |
|
| Dinner- Grand Ballroom | |
| 6:45 - 8:45 PM | Keynote Address 5: Carbon and Forest Management - A View from The Field, Brent Keefer, CEO, American Forest Management |
| Q&A | |
| WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1 | |
| 7:00 - 8:00 AM | Continental Breakfast/Networking - Grand Ballroom |
| Concurrent Session 3 - Multiple Locations | |
| 8:00 - 9:30 AM | Concurrent Sessions |
| Concurrent Session 11: Forest Measurement Tools and Technology, Curtis VanderSchaaf, Mississippi State University (moderator) Amount of Carbon Within a Log Truck Load of Pine Logs in the Southeastern United States, Curtis L. VanderSchaaf, Mississippi State University Geospatial and radial variations of the specific gravity of Pinus palustris longleaf pine and driving factors, Zhaofei (Joseph) Fan, Auburn University Evaluating Field Inventory Needs: Comparing PBI and FIA Informed Lidar Assisted Forest Carbon Estimation, Anupa Khadka, University of Minnesota Determining Influential Variables for Live Aboveground Carbon on Federal Lands in Southern Appalachia, Tara Skiba, University of Tennessee Estimating Tree-level Aboveground Biomass using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based Multispectral Imagery in Mixed-Species Forests of the Southeastern U.S., Favour Onyido, Auburn University |
|
| Concurrent Session 12: Landowner Participation in Carbon Markets, Omkar Joshi, Oklahoma State University (Moderator) Understanding Small-Scale Forest Owners’ Preferences for Voluntary Carbon Programs: Evidence rom a Conjoint Experiment in North Carolina, Tatyana Ruseva, Appalachian State University Understanding Forest and Farm Landowners’ Likelihood to Participate in Traditional and Nature-Based Solution Financial Incentive Programs: Insights from a Landowner Survey in North Carolina, USA, Courtney Deviney, North Carolina State University A Study of Pennsylvania and Virginia Forest Landowner’s Willingness to Accept Compensation from Forest Carbon Offsets, Kripa Neupane, Pennsylvania State University Evaluating Landowner Willingness to Participate in Carbon-Based Improved Forest Management in Oklahoma Marginal Lands, Carson Raper, Oklahoma State University Equity, Empowerment, and Emissions: The Role of Forest Carbon Markets in Advancing Climate Justice for Smallholders in the Global South, Jayesh Rane, University of Mumbai |
|
| Concurrent Session 13:Forest Policy, Lili Li, Auburn University (moderator) The Role of Forest Certification in Forest-based Carbon Sequestration and Forest Resilience, Greg Cooper, Sustainable Forestry Initiative Playing with Fire: We Must Radically Rethink National Forest Management, or Risk Losing Them Forever, Blake Hudson, Samford University Beyond Bad Actors: How Governance Lock-ins Undermine Forest Carbon Resilience, Idowu Kunlere, The University of Delaware From Voluntary to Mandatory Corporate Climate-Related Disclosures: Practices of America’s Large Corporations, Lili Li, Auburn University |
|
| Concurrent Session 14: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Advancing Forest Carbon Modeling and Decision Making, Li An, Auburn University (Moderator) AI Assisted Landscape Innovations for Food Security, Arun Agrawal AI-Powered Forest Management: Enhancing Carbon Sequestration and Resilience in the Southeastern U.S., Li An, Auburn University AI-Enhanced Integration of FIA Inventories, NAIP Photogrammetry, and Multi-Sensor Data to Map Forest Biomass, Chao Wang Upscaling Aboveground Biomass in Subtropical Forests of China Using Machine Learning, Zutao Yang, Auburn University Toward an AI for Science Framework for Forest Carbon Modeling and Decision-Making, Xinyue Ye |
|
| Concurrent Session 15: Curriculum for Professional Education in Resilient Southern Forestry, Skip J. Van Bloem, Clemson University (Moderator) Curriculum for Professional Education in Resilient Southern Forestry, Michelle Thompson and Adam Maggard, Auburn University Changing to Dynamic Baseline Forest Carbon: How Does it Affect Forest Carbon Revenue for Private Landowners?, Lucas Clay and Sanjeev Sharma, Clemson University Climate Smart Training & Education for the Professionals in the South, Puskar Khanal & Susan Guynn, Clemson University Development and Improvements of Mangrove Allometry and Biomass Estimates in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Basin, Skip Van Bloem, Boricorp Use and Validation of Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Mangrove Biomass Estimation, Charles A. Price, University of Tennessee |
|
| 9:30 - 9:45 AM | Break/Networking/Exhibitions - Prefunction Foyer |
| Concurrent Sessions 4 - Multiple Locations | |
| 9:45-11:00 AM | Concurrent Sessions |
| Concurrent Session 16: Measuring Forest Deterioration and Threats (Wildfires, Pests, Pathogens and Invasive Species), Zhaofei Fan, Auburn University (moderator) Detecting Brown Spot Needle Blight Disease Severity in Loblolly Pine Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning, Swati Singh, Auburn University Evaluating a Portable NIR-Based Model to Detect Susceptibility in Loblolly Pine Trees Affected by Brown Spot Needle Blight, Laura Michelle Nieto Arciniegas, Auburn University Influence of Stand Structure Diversity and Competition on Tree Growth of Natural Pinus sylvestris var. Mongolica Forest in Hulun Buir Sandy Land, Liu Yang, Chinese Academy of Forestry |
|
| Concurrent Session 17: Land Use and Carbon Sequestration, Ghanashyam Khanal, Auburn University (moderator) Strength of Forest Carbon Pools in Different Land Use Systems of Oluwa Forest Reserve in Carbon Sequestration- Ezekiel Ajayi, PhD, Adekunle Ajasin University Research on Farmland Carbon Emission Monitoring and Emission Reduction Strategies Based on Smart Agriculture Technology- Mao yun and Zhu yu lin, Carbon Credits and Land Use Change in U.S. South- Ghanashyam Khanal, Auburn University Remote Sensing Analysis of Land Use Land Cover Dynamics and Rainfall Variability in Alabama’s Black Belt Area- Salem Ibrahim, Tuskegee University |
|
| Concurrent Session 18: Forest Carbon Programs, Experiences and Challenges The Family Forest Carbon Program: An Innovative Opportunity for Landowners and Foresters, Sarah Hall, Family Forest Impact Foundation LLC American Forest Foundation Carbon Additionality in Forest Management: A How-To for Forest Landowners in the US South- Chizmar, S., Kowalczyk, Appalachian State University Evaluating the Conservatism of Harvested Wood Product Accounting in Forest Offset Methodologies- Gregory Latta, University of Idaho One Year Harvest Deferrals Can Produce Forest Carbon Additionality- Jesse Henderson, USDA Forest Service |
|
| Concurrent Session 19: Forest Carbon Under Alternative Management Management Options Influencing Carbon Sequestration by Eucalypts in Florida, USA, and Associated Economics, Donald L. Rockwood, University of Florida Assessing Forest Management Alternatives for Reforestation and Tree Planting for Forest Carbon Storage, Benjamin Hauptli, North Carolina State University Soil Respiration Dynamics and its Environmental Sensitivity Across Two Forest Types in Sub-Tropical Region, Central Nepal, Deepa Dhital, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology Reducing Uncertainties in Coupled Carbon-Water Cycle Predictions - A Parameter Perturbation Ensemble Experiment at Three NEON Tower sites in the Southeastern U.S., Thomas Mutiso Kavoo, Auburn University |
|
| Concurrent Session 20: A second session reserved for Li An, Auburn University | |
| Tours | |
| Tour Day 1 | |
| 11:00 - 11:15 AM CT | Tour Gathering /Departure - Hotel |
| Box Lunch Provided During Travel to Dothan, Alabama | |
| 2:30 - 3:30 PM CT | Location 1: Carbon Market Forest Landowner Property Tour |
| 3:30 - 4:45 PM CT | Location 2: Cross-Laminated Timber Facility Tour |
| 4:45 - 6:15 PM CT/7:15 PM ET | Travel to Newton, GA |
| Location 3: Jones Ecological Center at Ichauway | |
| 7:30 - 8:45 PM ET | Dinner at the Jones Center |
| Overnight Lodging at Jones Center & Local Hotel | |
| THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2 | |
| Tour Day 2 | |
| 7:00 - 8:00 AM ET | Breakfast at the Jones Center |
| 8:00 - 11:45 PM ET | Tour of the Jones Center |
| 12:00 - 1:00 PM ET | Lunch at the Jones Center |
| 1:30 PM ET - 3:30 PM CT | Travel to Auburn, AL |
| 3:30 PM CT | Return to the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center |
