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Check back soon for concurrent session topics and speakers!
Check back soon for concurrent session topics and speakers!
Keynote speaker: Ethan Tapper
Keynote speaker: Ethan Tapper
Ethan Tapper is a forester, digital storyteller, and the bestselling author of How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World. For more than a decade, Ethan has been recognized as a thought-leader in the world of ecosystem stewardship, winning numerous regional and national awards for his work. More recently, he has been recognized as a writer – since its publication in 2024, How to Love a Forest has been named the winner of the 2025 New England Book Award for nonfiction, and received international acclaim.
Ethan’s message of relationship, responsibility and hope reaches millions of people each year through his writing, social media channels with hundreds of thousands of followers, and the hundreds of walks, talks and keynotes that he delivers across North America each year.
Ethan works, writes, hunts, birds and runs a small consulting forestry business from his home at Bear Island – his 175-acre working forest, homestead, orchard and sugarbush in Vermont – and plays in his punk band, The Bubs.
Join us for Ethan's keynote presentation on Friday, March 13 at 7:00pm during the banquet.
Field tours - Friday, March 13
Field tours - Friday, March 13
Register for a field tour on Friday, hosted by Saint John's Outdoor University! Choose from one of the following field tours:
Oak seedling regeneration and management
Maple syrup production and sugar shack
Woodworking shop and portable sawmill demonstration
Pottery studio tour with largest wood-fired kiln in North America
Banquet and keynote - Friday, March 13
Banquet and keynote - Friday, March 13
Join us at 6:00pm for the Minnesota Forestry Association 150th Anniversary banquet dinner and keynote presentation from Ethan Tapper. The banquet will begin at 6:00pm and will include remarks and awards from the Minnesota Forestry Association and Minnesota Tree Farm. Ethan Tapper's keynote presentation will begin at 7:00pm. All are welcome at the banquet, you do not need to be a MFA member to join us.
More details will be added in the coming months. Dinner will be buffet style. Please let us know about any dietary restrictions during registration.
Stick around until the end of the banquet for the drawing of door prizes! All registrants will be entered to win.
Breakout sessions
Breakout sessions
We will have over 15 concurrent sessions for you to choose from on Saturday, March 14. We are still finalizing breakout session topics and speakers, so stay tuned for more details! Our confirmed topics and speakers include:
Identifying and managing oak wilt
Identifying and managing oak wilt
Oak wilt is an invasive pathogen that kills Minnesota's oak trees, but proactive management can slow the spread.
Speaker: Grace Haynes, UMN Department of Forest Resources
Image credit: Steven Katovich, Bugwood.org
Oak savanna restoration and brush management
Oak savanna restoration and brush management
Oak savannas historically covered 10% of the state. Learn how to restore these iconic ecosystems on your land.
Speaker: Jennifer Grommes, Great River Greening
Creating at-home seedling nurseries
Creating at-home seedling nurseries
Gain skills to produce your own oak seedlings, from acorn to young tree.
Speaker: John Geissler, Saint John's Outdoor University and Abbey Arboretum
Growing wild edible plants
Growing wild edible plants
Want to learn how to grow hazelnut, serviceberries, or plum? Hear more about growing wild edible plants and implementing agroforestry practices on your land.
Speaker: Gary Wyatt, UMN Extension Educator
Tree seed collection
Tree seed collection
We need tree seeds to grow the next generation of forests. Learn how to become a volunteer tree seed collector and fill this vital need.
Speaker: Kira Pollack, UMN Extension Educator
Forestry for Minnesota Birds
Forestry for Minnesota Birds
Minnesota's forest ecosystems support a diversity of birds. Learn management strategies to promote bird habitat in your woods and how to use the new "Forestry for Minnesota Birds" guidebook.
Speaker: Peter Dieser, UMN Extension Educator
Image credit: American Bird Conservancy
Firewise your property
Firewise your property
Learn how to protect your structure from wildfire and create a defensible space.
Speakers: Mike Palmer and Laura Murphy, MN DNR
Storm preparedness and response
Storm preparedness and response
Concerned about the increase in severe weather events, such as windstorms and ice storms? Hear more about strategies to prepare for these events while improving the resilience of your woods.
Speaker: Eli Sagor, UMN Extension Specialist
Jumping worms and other invasives in your woods
Jumping worms and other invasives in your woods
Non-native earthworms harm forests, including jumping worms. Learn the best prevention strategies against jumping worms and other invasive species.
Speaker: Hana Kim, UMN Extension Educator
Photo by Alfredo Eloisa, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
Stewardship strategies for resilient forests
Stewardship strategies for resilient forests
Improve the resilience of your woods to climate change, insects, and disease through practical stewardship strategies, regardless of the size of your property.
Speaker: Anna Stockstad, UMN Extension Educator
Forest health update
Forest health update
Join us for a forest health status update, including emerald ash borer, spruce budworm, and oak wilt.
Speaker: August Kramer, MN DNR
Invasive plants
Invasive plants
Learn more about the most common invasive plants in your woods, such as buckthorn, garlic mustard, and tansy.
Speakers: Hannah Milos and Karl Mueller, MN DNR
Images by Eli Sagor and Anna Stockstad (UMN Extension) unless otherwise noted.
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