2026 Inland Empire Reforestation Council (IERC) Meeting

About This Event

The 45th Inland Empire Reforestation Council (IERC) Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 3 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort.

Hosted yearly on the banks of the Coeur d’Alene Lake, the IERC Annual Meeting brings together the reforestation community across the Inland Northwest – from eastern Washington to western Montana. The one-day program involves technical presentations, vendor updates, exhibitors, and a networking social. This year’s theme is “Reforesting Tough Sites”. Topics include:

  • Using Ellepots, site prep, and grow tubes in western Montana
  • Weed management on tough sites
  • Site prep and release on harsh sites
  • Rapid reforestation after fire
  • Workforce/H2B visa update
  • Drought conditioning seedlings at the nursery
  • Climate-based seed transfer

 

Credits:

This conference is expected to offer ISDA, WSDA, and MDA pesticide recertification credits, as well as SAF CFE hours.

  • This event qualifies for 3 Idaho (ISDA) pesticide recertification credits
  • From Montana (MDA), this event qualifies for:
    • Dealer 3
    • Forest Pest Control 3
    • Right of Way Pest Control 1
    • Demonstration and Research Pest Control 3
    • Regulatory Weed 1
  • This event qualifies for 6.0 Cat 1 SAF CFEs
  • We have applied to WSDA and are waiting to hear back.

Registration

Registration now open!

This meeting is in person only.

Pricing:

  • Registration: $195
  • Exhibitor: $450

 

Venue & Lodging

Coeur d’Alene Resort

115 S. 2nd Street
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814

A block of rooms is being held at the Resort for Monday, March 2 through Thursday March 5. Rooms are $142 and $150 per night plus tax & fees.

To book using the room block, call the resort at 888-965-6542 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm PST) and let them know your dates along with the code and group name – “Inland Empire Reforestation Council”. Or, use the following link to book online: Inland Empire Reforestation Council IERC

The discounted room block has expired, but rooms are still available!

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Parking:

Overnight Self-Parking is discounted at $15 per vehicle, per night.

Day Parking is $8 per vehicle.

The height of the garage is 6’9″.

Event Agenda

Tuesday, March 3

PDF Agenda

7:00am Registration opens & coffee available

8:00am Introduction and Welcome  Tim Spoelma, IERC Chair, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation

8:15am Planning for Reforestation Post Fire: Quantifying Current and Projected Reforestation Needs in the Pacific Northwest — Brian Morris, Vice President, Resilient Reforestation, American Forests

9:00am Failure is Not an Option: Overcoming Reforestation Challenges on Warm/Dry Sites in Western Montana — Tim Spoelma, Silviculturist/Forest Ecologist, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation

9:35am Sponsor Spotlight: Rooted Forestry, Michael Taylor

9:45am Sponsor Spotlight: Trico Pro, Mark Boardman

9:55am Break

10:25am Conifer Establishment and Growth on Harsh Sites with Herbicides — Ed Fredrickson, Thunder Road Resources

11:05am Weed Management on Tough Sites — Tanner Smith, Vegetation Management Specialist, Corteva Agriscience

11:45am Sponsor Spotlight: Corteva Agriscience Forestry Update, Tanner Smith

12:00pm Lunch – Sponsored by Envu

1:00pm Rapid Reforestation After Fire — Jon Hardy, Northeast Region Management Forester, Washington Department of Natural Resources

1:30pm Modeling Seedling Mortality Using Competing Vegetation Abundance and Applied Ecophysiology Carlos Gonzalez-Benecke, Associate Professor Forest Regeneration, OSU, and Director, Vegetation Management Research Cooperative

2:00pm Between Borders and Break Rooms —Juan Garcia, Human Resource Manager, Alpha Services

2:30pm Sponsor Spotlight: JRP Solutions Ltd., Doug Folkins

2:50pm Break

3:05pm Climate Based Seed Transfer for Inland Conifers — Marc L. Rust, Director, Inland Empire Tree Improvement Cooperative

3:45pm Sponsor Spotlight: Helena-Agri Enterprises Forestry Update, Charlie Hanna

4:05pm Closing Remarks and Adjourn

4:15pm Conference Social – Sponsored by Helena-Agri and Trico Pro