David N. Bengston, Ph.D.

Speaking & Foresight Workshops

Throughout my career, I have spoken at many national and international conferences, seminars, and professional meetings. In recent years, I have also led participatory workshops using foresight techniques including the futures wheel, horizon scanning, scenario planning, and others.

Topics for keynote presentations: Emerging Environmental Megatrends, How to Think Like a Futurist, Scanning the Horizon for the Future of Forestry and Natural Resources, and tailored offerings.

Participatory foresight workshops could explore possible, plausible, and preferable futures of any topic.

To book me as a speaker or to lead a foresight workshop, contact me at bengs001@umn.edu

Recent Invited Presentations

Bengston, D.N. 2024. Wild cards. Northern Research Station, Rooted in Research Webinar Series on Adapting to Extreme Weather “Wild Cards.” January 10, 2024.
Bengston, D.N. 2024. Wildcards: High Impact Surprises that Shape the Future. Strategic Foresight Learning and Action Network (SF-LAN) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). April 18, 2024. Webinar.
Bengston, D.N. 2024. How to think about the future. Guest lecture in ENGL 1928, Imagining Environmental Futures, Prof. Daniel Philippon, University of Minnesota, September 10, 2024.
Bengston, D.N. 2024. Futures Research Methods. Guest lecture in Geography 501, Environmental Planning and Management Toolkit, Prof. Sarah Church, Montana State University. Oct. 28, 2024.
Bengston, D.N. 2024. “Futures Research in the US Forest Service: Foresight for a Sustainable Future.” Presented at the launch of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s “Strategic Foresight Collaboration Alliance,” December 10-11, 2024.
Bengston, D.N. 2023. Scanning the Horizon for the Future of Horticulture. Today’s Horticulture Symposium, Feb. 3, 2023, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA. Keynote.
Bengston, D.N. 2023. Horizon Scanning: A Method for Identifying Emerging Signals of Change Shaping the Future of Forestry. Seminar presented at the School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland, June 7, 2023.
Bengston, D.N. Implications Wheel Workshop. Half-day workshop presented at the University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland, June 9, 2023.
Bengston, D.N. 2023. Thinking Like a Futurist in the Anthropocene. US Fish & Wildlife Service, Anthropocene Discovery Series. August 24, 2023. Webinar.
Bengston, D.N. and L. Westphal. 2022. Strategic Foresight Research in the Forest Service: An Overview and Examples. Rooted in Research Webinar Series, Northern Research Station, April 13, 2022.
Bengston, D.N. 2022. The Application of Horizon Scanning for Emerging issues in Forest Management. 2022 Association of Ecosystem Research Centers Legislative Brief on the Role of Horizon Scanning in Ecosystem Research, Washington, DC, Sept. 15, 2022.
Bengston, D.N. 2021. Strategic Foresight in US Forest Service Research. Strategic Foresight Learning and Action Network, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, March 18, 2021.
Bengston, D.N. 2021. Cascading implications of a wild card: Accelerating climate change and social forest futures. International Forest Bioeconomy Foresight Symposium, online conference sponsored by the University of Eastern Finland, Academy of Finland’s Flagship Programme, and the Saastamoinen Foundation, June 22, 2021. Online.
Bengston, D.N. 2020. Scanning the Horizon for the Future of Arboriculture. Annual Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, October 6, 2020 (presented remotely). Keynote.
Sturtevant, B.R., J. Thompson, J. Plisinski, G. Reese, K. Quigley, L.M. Westphal, D.N. Bengston, J. Crabtree, and F.D. Fleishman. 2020. Integrated modelling of socioecological factors affecting ecosystem services within a sub-basin of the Upper Great Lakes: Expanding our vision of possible futures. Presented at the North American Regional Association of the International Association for Landscape Ecology, May 11-14, 2020 (presented remotely by Sturtevant).
Bengston, D.N. 2020. Probable/Possible: Bio-Inspired Futures Rooted in the Right Now. Invited panelist and speaker at an Earth Day event at the Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota. April 22, 2020 (presented remotely).
Bengston, D.N, J. Crabtree and M. Romero. 2020. Serious Games Workshop: IMPACT – Forestry Edition. Presentation and workshop at the University of Houston’s Foresight Spring Gathering, Houston, TX, April 17-18, 2020 (canceled due to COVID-19).
Bengston, D.N. 2019. “Scanning the horizon for the future of arboriculture.” Keynote presentation at the Southern Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, Mobile, Alabama, April 6-9, 2019,
Bengston, D.N. 2019. Facing the Anthropocene in the USFS: The Role of Futures in Shifting the Management Paradigm. US Fish & Wildlife Service Fairbanks Anthropocene Workshop, Fairbanks, Alaska, April 22-24, 2019.
Bengston, D.N. 2019. Incorporating stakeholder values. US Fish & Wildlife Service Fairbanks Anthropocene Workshop, Fairbanks, Alaska, April 22-24, 2019.
Bengston, D.N. and Jason Crabtree. 2019. The Strategic Foresight Group of the US Forest Service. Webinar presented in the Institute for the Future “Foresight Talks” webinar series, Dec. 11, 2019.
Bengston, D.N. and T. Hujala. 2019. Abrupt climate change and small-scale forestry: An Implications Wheel workshop. Presented at the IUFRO 3.08.00 Small-scale Forestry 2019 Conference, Duluth, MN, July 8-10, 2019.
Hines, Andy and David Bengston. 2019. The future of urban forestry. Presentation at the Houston Urban Forestry Workshop, Houston, TX, Nov. 15, 2019. Presented by Hines.
Bengston, D.N. 2018. Futuring Workshop. Rocky Mountain Research Station Leadership Team Meeting, Missoula, MT, Oct. 16-18, 2018.
Westphal, L., D. Bengston, M. Dockry. 2018. Forest Futures Horizon Scanning. Presented at the Northern Research Station Leadership Team Meeting, St. Paul, MN, March 19-23, 2018 (co-presented).
Bengston, D.N. 2017. “Conservation Futures in the Age of Accelerations,” Keynote presentation for Conservation Corps Orientation, Camp Ripley, Little Falls, MN, Feb. 23, 2017.
Bengston, D.N. 2017. Exploring the futures of silviculture in the age of accelerations. National Silviculture Workshop, Flagstaff, AZ, July 18-20, 2017. Keynote.
Bengston, D.N. 2017. Scouting the Future with the Implications Wheel. Presented at the University of Houston Foresight Spring Gathering, “Good Futures Work: Frameworks, Tools & Cases,” Houston, TX, April 21-22, 2017.
Bengston, D.N. 2017. Scanning the horizon for the future of wildland fire. Plenary presentation at FireVision 20/20: A 20 Year Reflection and Look into the Future, 7th International Fire Ecology & Management Conference, Orlando, FL, Nov. 28-Dec. 2, 2017.
Bengston, D.N., M. Dockry and L. Westphal. 2017. Strategic foresight overview and Implications Wheel exercise. Presented at the Combined Eastern Leadership Team Meeting, Forest Products Lab, Madison, WI, May 9-11, 2017 (co-presented).
Bengston, D.N. and G.H. Kubik. 2017. Making sense of the future: Futures research at NRS. Presented at the Northeast & Midwest Joint Public Affairs Meeting, US Forest Service, St. Paul, MN, April 25-27, 2017.
Bengston, D.N. 2016. Anticipating cascading change: Developing foresight for central hardwood forest futures. 20th Central Hardwood Forest Conference, Columbia, MO, March 28-April 1, 2016. Keynote.
Bengston, D.N. 2016. Grupo Especial de Trabajo sobre Resiliencia (Ad Hoc Resilience Working Group). Invited presentation at the North American Forest Commission 28th Session, Campeche, Mexico, January 11-16, 2016 (presented via Skype).
Bengston, D.N. 2015. Scanning the Horizon for Forestry Futures. Society of American Foresters National Convention, Baton Rouge, LA, November 3-7, 2015. Keynote.
Bengston, D.N. 2015. The future of fire management. Presented to the NRS Fire Research Workshop, Madison, WI, June 23-24, 2015 (presented via AdobeConnect.)
Guldin, R.W. and D.N. Bengston. 2015. Strategic Foresight Activities in the United States of America: A Brief History and Focus on Forest Sector. Presented at the IUFRO Forest Foresight Scoping Meeting, Vienna, Austria, February 26-27, 2015 (presented by Guldin).
Bengston, D.N. 2014. The Future of Wildland Fire Management: Overview of a Strategic Foresight Project. Meeting on the Future of Emergency Management, The Conference Board of Canada, Council on Emergency Management, Ottawa, ON, Jan. 29 – 30, 2014.
Bengston, D.N. 2014. Hmong Americans and Public Lands: Listening to Neglected Voices. Webinar for the NRS and NA S&PF All cultures Week Training Program, Feb. 28, 2014.
Bengston, D.N. and J. Peck. 2014. The Foresight / Resilience Working Group. Presented at the meeting of the North American Forest Commission, Madison, WI, June 11-13, 2014.
Bengston, D.N. 2013. The US Forest Service Strategic Foresight Group. Presented in a session on New Frontiers in Public Sector Foresight, organized by Nancy Donovan of the US General Accountability Office. World Future Society annual conference, Chicago, IL, July 19-21, 2013. Versions of this presentation have been given to other groups as an invited presentation, including:
- - Northeastern Area Association of State Foresters, Summer 2013 meeting, Dubuque, IA, July 15-18, 2013.
  - Minnesota Forest Resources Council, Information Management Committee, Grand Rapids, MN, August 12, 2013.

(An additional 150 invited and offered presentations from 1982 – 2012. Contact me for a complete list)

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