Keynote Speakers

Katie Commender

Agroforestry Program Director, Appalachian Sustainable Development

Katie Commender started her agroforestry career in 2012 as an Agroforestry AmeriCorps VISTA at Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD). In just two short years as a VISTA volunteer, she trained hundreds of beginning forest farmers and developed a multifunctional riparian forest buffer program with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help dozens of farmers merge conservation and production goals across 25 acres in southwest Virginia. As the lead on a Virginia NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant project, Katie authored revisions for riparian forest buffer practice standards to include planting and harvesting of useful fruit, nut, and flowering trees and shrubs. In 2016, Katie co-developed the NTFP Calculator with the National Agroforestry Center and co-edited the Temperate Agroforester newsletter. She also received her Master’s in Forestry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where she served as the graduate teaching assistant for the agroforestry class and researched preferences and intentions for riparian buffer adoption and retention.

 

From ASD’s VISTA volunteer to Agroforestry Program Director, today Katie continues to teach the next generation of forest farmers as a founding member of the Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition. In 2017, she founded the Appalachian Harvest Herb Hub to help medicinal herb farmers sustainably grow, process, and market herbs to premium domestic and international markets. Katie believes that by helping farmers sustainably produce medicinal herbs in both forest farming and alley cropping systems, conservation through profitable cultivation can be achieved.

 

 

 

Rowan Reid

Forest Scientist and Tree Grower, Bambra Agroforestry Farm

Rowan (B.For.Sci. & M.For.Sci.) is a forester amongst farmers. His latest book is “Heartwood – the art and science of growing trees for conservation and profit”.

Rowan won the Australian Eureka Prize for his farmer course (The Australian Master TreeGrower), which he continues to deliver around Australia and internationally (Africa, Timor Leste, Indonesia etc.). Rowan has lectured a subject in agroforestry at Melbourne University since 1991 and is now the managing director
of the Australian Agroforestry Foundation.

Most importantly, Rowan is also a farmer and tree grower in his own right, with a family farm in the Otway Ranges of southern Victoria and a founder of one of Australia’s most successful Landcare groups, the Otway Agroforestry Network. More than 12,000 visitors have toured his Bambra Agroforestry Farm, which is set up as a 42-hectare outdoor classroom for farmers, scientists, students and tree lovers, and a living laboratory for his own learning.

 

 

Program Outline

A detailed program with presentation schedule can be found here.

The complete list of presentation abstracts can be found here.

Monday, June 24th

12:00pm – 4:00pm               Pre-Conference Field Tour (separate registration required).

Location: Richardson Hall (3180 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97333)

4:00pm                                 Registration Opens. Location: Richardson Hall (3180 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97333)

5:00-6:30pm                        Welcome Reception. Location: Richardson Hall (3180 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97333

6:30pm                                 Dinner on Your Own (Downtown Corvallis; http://www.visitcorvallis.com)

 

Tuesday, June 25th

7:00am – 9:00am                Breakfast on Your Own

                                            Registration. Location: Hilton Garden Inn (2500 SW Western Blvd, Corvallis, OR 97333)

8:00am                                Vans Depart for Tour 1 (registration required).

                                            Location: Hilton Garden Inn (2500 SW Western Blvd, Corvallis, OR 97333)

9:00am                                Bus Departs for Tour 2 (registration required).

                                            Location: Hilton Garden Inn (2500 SW Western Blvd, Corvallis, OR 97333)

12:00pm                              Boxed lunch

5:00pm                                Reception and Dinner at Tyee Winery

After dinner group Transportation to Hilton Garden Inn

 

Wednesday, June 26th

Location: CH2M Hill Alumni Center (725 SW 26th Street, Corvallis, 97331)

7:00am – 8:30am              Continental Breakfast and Registration

8:30am – 8:45am               Welcome

8:45am – 9:30am               Keynote

9:30am – 9:45am               Coffee Break

9:45am – 10:45am             Concurrent Session 1

10:45am –11:00am            Break

11:00am – 12:00pm           Concurrent Session 2

12:00pm – 1:15pm             Awards Lunch

1:15pm – 2:15pm               Concurrent Session 3

2:15pm – 2:30pm               Coffee Break

2:30pm – 3:30pm               Concurrent Session 4

3:30pm – 3:45pm               Break

3:45pm – 4:45pm              Concurrent Session 5

4:45pm – 5:30pm              AFTA Business Meeting

5:00pm – 7:00pm              Poster Presentation and Reception

7:00pm                              Dinner on Your Own (Downtown Corvallis; http://www.visitcorvallis.com)

 

Thursday, June 27th

Location: CH2M Hill Alumni Center (725 SW 26th Street, Corvallis, 97331)

7:30am – 8:30am            Continental Breakfast

8:30am – 9:15am            Keynote

9:15am – 9:30am            Coffee break

9:30am – 10:30am          Concurrent Session 6

10:30am – 10:45am        Break

10:45am – 11:45am        Concurrent Session 7

11:45am –12:00pm         Closing Remarks

Official Conference End

Working Groups and Regional Meetings (open to all)

Thursday, June 27th 1:00pm – 3:00pm

Starting with a brief plenary session sharing perspectives on working at a regional scale, join others in your region to learn who else is involved with agroforestry and discuss opportunities, challenges, projects, and partnerships in your area. Nearby lunch options during the 12-1pm break include the Arnold Dining Center and the Memorial Union on the Oregon State University campus.

  Regional Meetings

  • Northeast/Mid-Atlantic
  • Southeast
  • Midwest
  • Great Plains
  • Pacific Northwest
  • Southwest

Group Meetings

  • American Forest Farming Council
  • USDA Agricultural Research Service