International Oak Symposium
October 7-10, 2024 – Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
The University of Tennessee’s School of Natural Resources is proud to host an International Oak Symposium in 2024 to provide a platform to exchange information and build collaborations around the best available science and technology on oak ecology and management for a global audience. The meeting will provide innovative and progressive formats to deliver and exchange information and foster collaborations between researchers and practitioners. Field trip(s) will be offered that showcase multi-disciplinary research of the USDA Forest Service and other partners.
The overall goal of this symposium is to cultivate and promote synergy among natural resource managers and researchers working towards practical applications to sustain or restore oak ecosystems around the world. The symposium will address the most current issues and complexities related to science-based management of oak species and forests at global, regional, and local scales. The four-day program seeks to engage a diverse audience of managers and scientists in a forum that fosters innovation in silviculture and management for sustainability of oak forests.
Our specific objectives are to provide platforms, products, and opportunities for:
- technology transfer and dialogue between researchers and managers
- scientific exchanges among researchers
- fostering collaborations between managers and researchers
- production of peer-reviewed research papers
- Contribute towards professional development of students and early-career scientists
Oak (Quercus) trees and forests have provided a myriad of wood resources and ecosystem services for millennia. Oaks are considered a keystone species in many regions of the world but are increasingly threatened by deforestation, nonnative invasive pests and pathogens, climate change, altered disturbance regimes, and gaps in critical knowledge for silviculture and management. Despite commonalities of these threats across many oak ecosystems around the globe, general applications of solutions are often elusive and difficult to develop. Rural and urban communities will continue to lose vital ecosystem services and values provided by oak trees and forests without further development and application of practical science-based silviculture and management at stand and landscape levels.
Substantial progress has been made in research and science delivery for oak ecology, silviculture, and management since the mid-20th century. International meetings have been hosted and sponsored in part by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Research Groups or Working Parties, particularly Unit 1.01.06, Ecology and Silviculture of Oaks: In 2000, the “IUFRO International conference ‘Oak 2000 – improvement of wood quality and genetic diversity of oaks‘” was held in Zagreb, Croatia.Several regional symposia have been held in the Central Hardwood Region of eastern North America to synthesize the state of the knowledge and provide opportunities for exchanges among researchers and practitioners: A 1992 symposium, “Oak Regeneration: Serious Problems, Practical Recommendations” was held in Knoxville, Tennessee; In 2002, “Upland Oak Ecology Symposium: History, Current Conditions, and Sustainability” was held in Fayetteville, Arkansas; “Oak symposium: sustaining oak forests in the 21st century through science-based management” was held in Knoxville, Tennessee in 2017. A series of western regional meetings have been held as part of the California Oak Symposium, from 1979 to 2022 focusing primarily on oak conservation in northern and southern California.
Call for Abstracts is now closed
- Acceptance notices will be announced by March 15, 2024.
- Registration will be open prior to notification of acceptance of the submitted paper or poster abstract. Once accepted, presenters should register for the conference within 30 days to acknowledge their participation.
- Proceedings: All oral presenters will be asked to submit a short paper (~1000 words), which will be published in the conference proceedings that will be available at the Symposium.
- Poster presenters may also submit a short paper or modify their previously submitted poster abstract.
- Short papers should be submitted by July 19, 2024.
- Instructions for short papers will be provided at the time of notification of oral or poster presentation acceptance for the concurrent sessions.
- Special Issue: presenters (oral and poster) will have the opportunity to submit a full-length manuscript to a special journal issue that highlights prominent work delivered at the Symposium. More information will be provided at a later date.
For more information about the abstract submission process, please contact Stacy Clark (stacy.l.clark@usda.gov) or Callie Schweitzer (callie.schweitzer@usda.gov).
We ask that all oral and poster presenters submit an extended abstract for the proceedings by July 5, 2024. A special issue will be offered as an additional outlet for publications related to the Symposium (details to be determined). The goal of the proceedings is to provide synthesized information to practitioners; please be brief.
- Do not include information in the extended abstract that would preclude publication in a scientific journal.
- The proceedings will be published as a General Technical Report by the Southern Research Station of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
- The proceedings will be available in hardcopy for attendees at the International Oak Symposium on October 7, 2024, and will be available in electronic format following the meeting.
Please download the ‘Oak Symposium Abstract Submission Template – Instructions.pdf’ and the ‘Extended Abstract Example – 2024 Oak Symposium‘ to assist you in developing your extended abstracts.
For questions, please email:
Christine Martens, Science Delivery Specialist, Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service
Christine.martens@usda.gov
Conference Co-Chairs:
Stacy L. Clark, Research Forester, Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Knoxville, Tennessee (USA); stacy.l.clark@usda.gov
Callie Schweitzer, Research Forester, Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Huntsville, Alabama (USA); callie.schweitzer@usda.gov
Program Committee:
David Buckley, School of Natural Resources, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee (USA); dbuckley@utk.edu
Dan Dey, Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Columbia, Missouri (USA); daniel.c.dey@usda.gov
Emile Gardiner, Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Stoneville, Mississippi (USA); emile.gardiner@usda.gov
Magnus Löf, Head of Department & Professor, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Lomma (Sweden); Magnus.Lof@slu.se
Christine Martens, Science Delivery Specialist, Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service (USA); christine.martens@usda.gov
Stephen Peairs, Assistant Professor, School of Natural Resources, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee (USA); speairs@tennessee.edu
Yana Valachovic, University of California Cooperative Extension, Eureka, California (USA); yvala@ucanr.edu
Student Activity Committee Chair
Tara Skiba, PhD candidate, School of Natural Resources, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee (USA); tskiba@vols.utk.edu
The schedule is subject to change as activities for the Symposium are developed.
Sunday, October 6, 2024 – Registration opens (1600-2000)
Monday, October 7, 2024 –
- Breakfast and Registration (0630-0800)
- Introductions, Plenary Sessions, and Concurrent Sessions (0800-1700)
- Welcome Reception (1800-2000)
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 –
- Breakfast (0630-0800)
- Plenary Sessions and Concurrent Sessions (0800-1700)
- Poster Presentations and Reception (1730-1930)
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 –
- Breakfast (0630-800)
- Field Trips, lunch included (0800-1700)
- Student and Early Career Professional Panel and Mixer (1800-2000)
Thursday, October 10, 2024 – Plenary Session, Panel Discussions, Concurrent Sessions
- Breakfast (0630-0800)
- Plenary Sessions and Concurrent Sessions (0800-1700)
- Student Awards and Wrap-up (1600-1700)
- Future symposium planning (1730-1900)
Field trips will be on Wednesday, October 9, and are part of the registration fee. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Registrants will have the choice of selecting one field trip. If your first selection is not available, then that field trip is full, and you will need to select another field trip. First come, first served.
Field trip descriptions:
Great Smoky Mountains Biosphere Reserve (Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN) – The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains and is governed by the U.S. Department of Interior. It is part of the UNESCO’s Southern Appalachian Biosphere Reserve due to its rich biodiversity and ancient geological features. As a National Park Service Unit with a preservation mission, commercial forestry operations and hunting are not permitted; however, the park is actively managed using fire and nonnative invasive species control. This field tour will focus on community ecology, wildland and prescribed fire, stand dynamics, and biodiversity of Southern Appalachian forests with a focus on oak species and forests. Participants will also learn about the cultural history of the region as well as discuss the evolving challenges to forest health.
Catoosa Wildlife Management Area (Crab Orchard, TN) – The Catoosa WMA is managed by the state of Tennessee’s Wildlife Resources Agency and is located on the Cumberland Plateau. The Catoosa WMA is actively managed through commercial regeneration harvesting, prescribed fire, and hunting, among other activities. This tour will focus on the use of prescribed fire and other silvicultural practices to regenerate oak species, restore ecosystem processes, and protect threatened and endangered species. The field tour will feature the Oak Savanna Restoration Project that maintains open oak woodlands and native grass systems that were hypothesized to historically occur in the region. There will be opportunities to discuss wildlife management, a wide variety of natural oak regeneration practices, and responsible management under forest certification.
Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center (Oak Ridge and Wartburg, TN) – The Oak Ridge Forest and Cumberland Forest are The University of Tennessee’s AgResearch and Forest Education Centers. The Oak Ridge Center is located in the Ridge and Valley near the ‘Secret City’ (home of the Manhattan Project during WWII), and the Cumberland Forest Center is a short drive to the west in the Cumberland Mountains. This tour will focus on long-term research of silvicultural practices, including commercial regeneration harvesting, herbicide control, and planting to assist in oak and mixedwoods regeneration processes. The University’s Tree Improvement Program and Forest Service research on artificial regeneration, as well as forest reclamation practices to restore former surface mining sites will be showcased. Forest certification to ensure responsible forest management will be a topic for discussion.
The Symposium will be held at the Hilton Knoxville (501 W Church Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902, USA) in the heart of downtown. We have secured a block of rooms at a rate of $113 per night until September 15th, 2024 by 1700 EST. The hotel prefers for you to use a direct online link to reserve your room. If you need to call to make the reservation, please call 1 (800) 774-1500 and use the group name ‘Oak 24.’
Parking is available adjacent to the Hilton Hotel in a privately owned garage for a discounted fee for registrants (registrants will be charged approximately $20-$30 per day). To save time, please take a photo of your license plate before you park! Your license plate number is required to get the discounted rate for parking at the Hilton.
The closest airport to the Symposium is the Knoxville McGee-Tyson Airport (Airport code TYS), which is approximately 14 miles (26 kilometers) from downtown Knoxville.
For tips on fun things to do around the area, we encourage you to visit https://www.visitknoxville.com/. The conference hotel is in the heart of downtown and only about a 5-minute walk from a variety of unique entertainment, local shopping, and dining options!
Registration for the International Oak Symposium is now open.
Professionals: $550
Students: $250
What’s Included in Registration?
- 3 full days of Plenary and Concurrent Sessions (Monday-October 7, Tuesday-October 8, and Thursday-October 10)
- 1-day field tour with lunch included (Wednesday-October 9) (see Field Tour Tab to help make your decision during registration)
- 4 breakfasts (October 7-10)
- Coffee and tea breaks
- Reception and social (Monday evening-October 7)
- Poster reception (Tuesday evening-October 8)
- Student and early career panel and mixer (Wednesday-October 9; students and early career professionals only)
- See Agenda tab for more information
To register for the Symposium, please visit https://utconferences.eventsair.com/international-oak-symposium/ios-2024/Site/Register
Read this before you register!
Sponsors with complimentary registrations, please contact Stacy Clark before you register!
Payments Accepted:
You can register for the symposium by using a credit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. An email confirmation will be sent upon completion of this form.
University of Tennessee Employees:
Please note: The University of Tennessee Conferences and Event Services is responsible for processing all registration fees for this event.
NOTE: University of Tennessee employees should register online and check-out of the site with the Invoice option. Please send the departmental account number we should charge to email: Conferences@utk.edu. Our office will initiate the payment.
Please do not use a procurement card for your registration fee. If you will be asking for a UT reimbursement for this meeting, please do not register with a personal credit card, register with a departmental account to avoid additional processing fees. For any credit card refunds processed due to not paying with a departmental account number, there will be a 6% credit card processing fee based on the sale amount. The 6% fee will be withheld from the refund to the card used.
Cancellation Policy:
A fee of 20% of fees paid will be retained for cancellation requests received before June 9, 2024. A fee of 50% of fees paid will be retained for cancellation requests received between June 10 and July 9. A fee of 80% of fees paid will be retained for cancellation requests received between July 10 and August 17. No refunds will be provided after August 17.
If you are interested in sponsoring the 2024 International Oak Symposium, click here for sponsorship packages.
The Conference Planning Committee thanks the following sponsors!
