The Speakers

Tom Kaye

Olga Kildisheva

Melissa Fischer

Robert Beauchamp

Tom Kaye

Bio:

Tom Kaye is Executive Director and Senior Ecologist at the Institute for Applied Ecology, a nonprofit organization with a mission to conserve native habitats and species through research, restoration, and education. He is also a courtesy Associate Professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Oregon State University. Tom conducts research on rare species reintroductions, pollination biology, habitat restoration, plant invasions, plant population responses to climate change, and engages prison inmates in conservation through the Sagebrush in Prisons Project. Sourcing native plants for restoration is a key area of interest, research and publication for Dr. Kaye. He serves as a board member for the Society For Ecological Restoration.

Presentation Title:

Beyond Assisted Migration: Sourcing habitat restoration seeds that are adapted and adaptable to a shifting climate

Presentation Abstract:

As global climates change rapidly, plants are responding in a variety of ways, including advances in phenology and upward and poleward range shifts. These processes are resulting in local extinction and loss of diversity. Restoration ecologists need to consider mixing genotypes of climate adapted populations into locally adapted seed sources. Research is needed to better understand where and when nonlocal genotypes will most help local populations become resilient to climate change. Common garden experiments set up as assisted migration trials are one tool for ensuring our approaches improve climate resiliency and minimize unintended risks. But due to the rapid pace of climate change, practitioners may consider increasing genetic diversity of plants used in restorations even before research is completed, especially for common plant species with wide geographic distributions.

Olga Kildisheva

Bio:

Olga Kildisheva is an ecologist with almost two decades of experience in applied research and natural resource project management.

She currently serves as a Project Manager at The Nature Conservancy where she coordinates multi-disciplinary teams working across the six western states, develops and leads partner relationships, and guides the development and evaluation of techniques and technologies to improve dryland restoration.

Olga has had the great pleasure of working across a diversity of ecosystems from arid and semi-arid systems of Lebanon, Western Australia, and the Inland Northwest to mesic environments of Hawaii, the Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Western Australia, an M.Sc. from the University of Idaho, and a B.S. from Purdue University, which all focused on seed and seedling-based restoration efforts and nursery production.

Presentation Title:

It All Starts with Seed: Strengthening the Reforestation Pipeline in the Western US

Presentation Abstract:

Healthy forests are critically important for mitigating the effects of climate change, reducing biodiversity loss, and protecting our water resources. Decades of chronic underfunding combined with the worsening impacts of climate change and wildfire have increased the need for reforestation across the Western United States. However, recent changes in federal policy, increased funding, and heightened awareness of the reforestation backlog and the promising role reforestation can play in climate change mitigation, have created an opportunity to address these factors. The availability of genetically appropriate seeds for a diverse range of species is key to a robust and functional reforestation pipeline. In this presentation, we highlight the challenges impacting tree-seed availability and suggest opportunities for strengthening the tree-seed supply chain to meet reforestation goals in an era of climate change.

Melissa Fischer

Bio:

Melissa Fischer is a Forest Entomologist with the USFS R6 Westside Service Center, serving the western portions of OR and WA. Melissa has a BS and an MS in Forestry from Northern Arizona University and a PhD in Forest Entomology from Virginia Tech. Prior to obtaining her current position with the Forest Service, Melissa served for eight years as Forest Entomologist for the northeast region of Washington, with the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

Presentation Title:

Identification of Seed and Cone Pests

Presentation Abstract:

This presentation will focus on seed and cone insects affecting seed orchard management. Topics discussed will include insect identification, life history, damage, impacts, monitoring and management, as well as the potential effects of climate change on insect activity.

Robert Beauchamp

Bio:

Robert Beauchamp is the owner of Sierra Cone, LLC, and has been climbing trees for seed collection since 1992. He started Sierra Cone, LLC in 2007. Having worked with several dozens of foresters during cone collection season, Robert has developed many techniques for the collection of different species of conifers. Helping to restore our forests has been a great reward, as well as a great challenge. Robert looks forward to helping all foresters reseed and nurture our beautiful forests.

Presentation Title:

Staging Collection and Climbing Strategies at Scale

Presentation Abstract:

What are the steps in building a productive seed collection apparatus:

Knowing where the cones are
Understanding what makes a good cone crop
Monitoring the cones
Having a collection crew ready when needed
Processing the bushels of cones to assure best outcome.

Rich Schaefer IV

Bio:

Rich graduated from the University of Idaho with a BS in Forest Products Business Management. Immediately upon graduation in 1992, he started working for Western Forest Systems as their Forestry Manager for the next 23 years. In 2014, Rich made a career move and took a job with Alpha Services as their Forestry Division Manager.

His 31 years of experience includes expertise in conifer regeneration, herbicide applications, cone collections, timber sale layout and administration, timber marking and cruising.

He is responsible for coordinating planting and herbicide crews throughout Northern California, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana. On average, Rich oversees the planting of approximately 8 million trees annually and spraying 31,000 acres.

Presentation Title:

Cone & Seed Maturity Guidelines & Collection Strategies

Presentation Abstract:

Reforestation has always been important, but with the increase in wildfires, especially out west, reforestation has never been more critical. These massive wildfires and increased harvest levels, has left a tremendous back log of acres to reforest. With so many acres, it is literally requiring thousands of pounds of seed each year to meet these reforestation needs. The need for quality seed is increasing and collecting cones is our path to achieving these needs. The timing, selection of trees and collection of these cones must be precise, timely and economical. Without cones, we have no seed and without seed we cannot reforest.

Oak Rankin

Bio:

With the Darrington Community, Oak is founding Glacier Peak Institute to empower youth through action-based education to build resilient rural communities and ecosystems encompassing the Glacier Peak region. Oak grew up playing in the Stillaguamish River, chasing cows, and chopping firewood. Today, he picks mushrooms with his 2 daughters in the same forests their great-great-great grandparents walked.

He graduated from Whitman College with a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies. He has worked in wilderness therapy, lead raft guiding in the Southwest, done family logging, overseen installments of seismometers in Bolivia, taught English as a Fulbright at a university in Brazil, as well as helped organize a large-scale event focused on the science of early learning and children. He is a founding member of the Darrington Collaborative to develop ecologically sustainable timber harvests while improving the ecological functioning of our forests and watersheds.

Presentation Title:

Organizing Community Seed Collection

Presentation Abstract:

Setting a foundation for success and engagement with local communities with recommendations to challenges for seed collection. Glacier Peak Institute was founded in the wake of the tragic 2014 Oso Slide to address decades of increasing poverty, cuts to schools, and decrease in opportunities through connecting youth, community and ecosystems. In 2021 and 2022, GPI led the community organization of the Silvaseed cone collection drives. They actively engage and support community members in cone collection. Participants will be introduced to GPI’s framework to consider engagement and education with community to plan for and address barriers to increase success in seed collection efforts.

Dave Kolotelo

Bio:

Dave has been working at the provincial Tree Seed Centre for the past 31 years conducting research and extension, assisting with tree seed problem solving, operational efficiency improvements and successfully avoiding management. Interested in tree seed science and technology and feeling more like an advocate these days for investments in research, education and infrastructure to maintain these essential services at the global level. Enjoys gardening, traveling, bicycling, hiking and beach volleyball.

Presentation Title:

Bridging seed science and application for a stronger reforestation pipeline

Presentation Abstract:

Below is a selection of David’s abstract. To read the full abstract, see the next section.

With increased reforestation expectations, tree seed can become a bottleneck due to a lack of educational coverage, research funding and interest, and continued infrastructure investment (vs. the facility closures we have seen in Canada). There is a rapid succession as the baby boomers retire, and their experience, knowledge and wisdom of these highly efficient and still-relevant services are lost. The tree seed supply system is taken for granted and unsustainable in its current form. All these factors contribute to what I see as a vicious cycle of “no funding, no research, no trained people, no teaching, no progress”.

There have been a few meetings and extension items on this topic and links are provided below – hopefully they are stepping-stones along with this meeting to a brighter future.

TSWG 2019 – Quebec - To reaffirm the importance of cone and seed service activities and identify knowledge gaps: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/managing-our-forest-resources/tree-seed/events
TSWG 2022 – British Columbia – Challenges to our Future Tree Seed Supply: https://cfga-acgf.com/2022/08/13/2022-challenges-to-our-future-tree-seed-supply/

Kolotelo - Bridging Seed Science and Application for a Stronger Reforestation Pipeline.pdf

Jeff deGraan

Bio:

Jeff deGraan has been involved in reforestation in some capacity for 38 years, from running planting crews during a Clemson University internship with a North Carolina pulp company to his current role as WA DNR Seed Program Manager. In that position, he is responsible for long-term seed planning, statewide cone surveys and cone collections, seed processing, seed inventory management, filling agency sowing requests, ensuring delivery of seed to the state nursery and to private nurseries, seed sales, and supporting effective seedling stocktype selection for state lands reforestation.

Presentation Title:

Seed Inventory Management

Presentation Abstract:

Seed inventory management has not typically been a component of reforestation conversations. Periodic crises have arisen in the form of seedling shortages, but problems have generally worked themselves out, and focus on seed quality and availability has been limited.

Over time a number of factors, economic and otherwise, have led to a reduction in seed availability and nursery infrastructure while acres needing reforestation have continued to increase. Concerns have been raised as unplanted acreage has grown, but the lack of a direct path toward a solution has produced little action as the problem has compounded. Recently, federal programs and assistance from nonprofits have breathed new life into the reforestation pipeline, and expectations are high. Seed remains a limiting factor, and until a regional strategy is developed to deal with ongoing seed shortages land managers must plan carefully, optimize their current inventories, and make the most of available resources.

Steen Christensen

Bio:

Steen worked the summer after graduating High School thinning Aspen trees for USFS before joining the US Navy. After completing his service, he visited Muir Woods National Monument in California in 1987 and saw the last of the big fish running and the first of many tall trees. Inspired, Steen moved to Humboldt and began his journey to becoming a naturalist who grows trees.

During the protest against old growth logging known as Redwood Summer, Steen was learning his trade from the timber company tree growing and seed packaging business with Jonathan Claasen in 1990 (now the Jonsteen Company Inc.). Steen graduated from Humboldt State University with a BS in Physical Science in 1992.

Steen has grown millions of tree seedlings and planted a few too. As a tree grower, he has become rather preoccupied with collecting quality seed.

At this time, Steen's energy is going into SEGI Consulting LLC and the effort to collect, grow, and plant seedlings post wildfire. He is a consultant with a swiss army knife approach.

Presentation Title:

Game of Cones: SEGI goes to Board Camp

Presentation Abstract:

The remote grove of giant sequoias known as Board Camp burned at very high intensity in the Castle fire of 2020. The remains of the grove are located in the headwaters of a small creek that is part of the south fork of the Kaweah river drainage located in southern Sequoia National Park. The grove is in an area that is protected under the Wilderness Act. Very few trees remain post fire. The story begins with the collection of the seed from the remaining trees and the growing and future replanting of the grove. This work is being done under the supervision of park scientists and paid for by funds from the Sequoia Park Conservancy.

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