| The NYSAF Annual Meeting will be held January 29 – 31, 2025 at the Saratoga Hilton in Saratoga Springs, NY. The focus will be Forest Health and the Stewardship of Wildlife, Water, Wood and Habitat. Sessions will bring different parts of the system together into one multifaceted discussion. For more information and a detailed schedule click here.
The deadline for the hotel room block at the Saratoga Hilton has expired and we have sold out the entire block. We have however secured a block of rooms at the Hampton Inn in Saratoga Springs (which is a five minute walk to the Hilton). You can book your room for $126 per night here. Deadline for this block is Friday January 17th. Keith Woeste, the USDA’s National Program Leader for Genetics and Biodiversity Conservation R&D will open our meeting with a Keynote Address titled Changing Views of Nature and What They Mean for You and the USDA Forest Service. Dr. Woeste will invite us, as natural resource professionals, to reflect on what nature is, what we need from it and how to think about management in light of changed and changing perceptions about the natural world.
SAF’s Chief Executive Officer Terry Baker will give an update on national initiatives related to mature and old growth forests, followed by a NY Natural Heritage Project report on the State of Old Growth in NY. Representatives from NYSDEC and ESFPA will follow with a report on The State of NY Forestry including tribal forestry from the St. Regis Mohawk and Akwesasne perspectives.
A general session dedicated to low grade markets as a tool for forest health management will take us into the afternoon and breakout sessions through day-two will consider the relationships between forestry and fire, water, habitats, hemlock and birds. Graduate students will report on current research and a poster session will further highlight the innovative work being done by next generation industry leaders.
Pre- and post-meeting workshops include pesticide recertification, urban forestry plus three field trips led by foresters from NYSDEC, Breadtree Farms and Saratoga Land Management. Bring your skis and get your tickets early for a night ski at West Mountain or throw down the forestry gauntlet at Trivia Night. |
