2026 Intermountain Forestry Cooperative (IFC) Annual Meeting

About This Event

Join the Intermountain Forestry Cooperative for its annual spring technical meeting on March 24, 2026, at the Best Western Plus University Inn in Moscow, Idaho. Presentations will feature the latest silviculture research, data analytics, and tool development by IFC, its members, and collaborators.

This year’s theme – “Operational Silviculture and Collaborative Research for the Intermountain West”. Full PDF agenda can be found here.

The IFC Steering Committee business meeting will follow on March 25. Steering Committee members and designated alternates should register for this session separately.

Both meetings will be live streamed via Zoom for remote participants. Links will be provided upon registration.

Continuing Education Credits
This event will offer 5.5 Cat 1 Society of American Foresters CFE credits.

Registration

Registration is now open!

  • In-person: $60
    • Includes buffet lunch with vegetarian option and refreshments.
  • Online: Free
    • Links will be sent to registrants, not to be posted on this events page.

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Questions? Contact Erin at (503) 226‑4562

 

 

Venue & Lodging

Best Western Plus University Inn

1516 PULLMAN ROAD, MOSCOW, ID

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Lodging
A room block is available at the Best Western Plus University Inn for $119/night (pre‑tax).
Reserve by February 26, 2026 through the Reservations Link or call 208‑882‑0550 ext. 0 and mention Intermountain Forestry Cooperative.
If you encounter booking issues, call the hotel directly.

Event Agenda

7:30 – 8:00

Registration – Check-in

8:00 – 8:05

Welcome and Housekeeping Items

8:05 – 8:45

James Moore Keynote Address: A DF/WH seedling mortality model for the Pacific Northwest
Carlos Gonzalez-Benecke, Director, Vegetation Management Research Cooperative, Oregon State University

8:45 – 9:15

From hardwood forests to high country: A research journey toward forest health in the Intermountain West
Kelsey Tobin, Assistant Professor of Forest Health, University of Idaho

9:15 – 9:45 

Tree growth response to growing season frost and drought is shaped by species traits and competition in temperate-boreal transition zone forests
Josh Beisel, PhD Graduate Student, University of Montana

9:45 – 10:15

Coffee Break + Discussion

10:15 – 10:45 

Causal factors of thinning response across North American commercial conifer forests
Mike Premer, Assistant Professor of Forest Management, University of Maine

10:45 – 11:30

Paired Plot Density Management: Differential species response to thinning intensity and site types within the Inland Northwest
Terry Shaw, Forest Research Scientist, IFC

11:30 – 11:45

Introducing XGRIDS PortalCam: Potential for PPDM stem mapping and non-destructive tree taper acquisition
Ed Flathers, Research Scientist, IFC + Digital Forest Lab

11:45 – 1:00

Plated Lunch

1:00 – 1:30

Intensity down sampling may improve stem diameter detection in mobile LiDAR
Noel Daugherty, MS Graduate Student, IFC

1:30 – 2:00

A workflow for extracting periodic height growth increments from paired, temporal point clouds: LiDAR + LiDAR & LiDAR + 3D NAIP
Steevensen Alcius, PhD Graduate Student, IFC

2:00 – 2:15

Leveraging Small Area Estimation, remote sensing, and machine learning for computing stand diameter distributions
Jaslam Poolakkal, Lead Data Scientist, IFC

2:15 – 2:45

Coffee Break + Discussion

2:45 – 3:30

Realized Gain Trial Update: Douglas-fir seedling growth and mortality response to varying site and physiographic factors
Taylor Lantz, MS Graduate Student, IFC

3:30 – 3:45

SDImax Update: Regional SDImax model status & app development update
Mark Kimsey, Director and Jaslam Poolakkal, Lead Data Scientist, IFC

3:45 – 4:00

2026 Work Plan + Meeting Wrap Up